Significant Seasonal Differences Research Articles

Wikipedia, Google Trends and Diet: Assessment of Temporal Trends in the Internet Users' Searches in Italy before and during COVID-19 Pandemic.

We obtained data from Google Trends and Wikipedia in order to assess whether an analysis of Internet searches could provide information on the Internet users’ behaviour/interest in diets. Differences in seasonality, year and before/during COVID-19 pandemic were assessed. From Wikipedia, we extracted the number of times a page is viewed by users, aggregated on monthly and seasonal bases. We also used Google Trends to evaluate the frequency of the users’ web searches. The Mediterranean diet was the most frequently (33.9%), followed by the pescatarian diet (9.0%). Statistically, significant seasonal differences were found for the Mediterranean, vegetarian, Atkins, Scarsdale, and zone diets and pescetarianism. The most commonly searched diet and consequent diet-related queries on Google resulted to be: Dukan diet, Dukan and weight loss. Ketogenic, FODMAP and intermittent fasting diets were statistically more frequently searched during the pandemic compared with before. Our data show a different trend of searches based on the seasonality, year and the pandemic. These data could be useful for scientists, practitioners and policy makers because they can inform educational campaigns via the Internet, especially in periods when the population is more receptive.

Host Associations of Culex pipiens: A Two-Year Analysis of Bloodmeal Sources and Implications for Arboviral Transmission in Southeastern Virginia.

Understanding vector-host interactions is crucial for evaluating the role of mosquito species in enzootic cycling and epidemic/epizootic transmission of arboviruses, as well as assessing vertebrate host contributions to maintenance and amplification in different virus foci. To investigate blood-feeding pattern of Culex pipiens, engorged mosquitoes were collected on a weekly basis at 50 sites throughout Suffolk, Virginia, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention miniature light traps, BG-Sentinel traps, and modified Reiter gravid traps. Vertebrate hosts of mosquitoes were identified by amplifying and sequencing portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Of 281 Cx. pipiens bloodmeals successfully identified to species, 255 (90.7%) contained solely avian blood, 13 (4.6%) mammalian, 1 (0.4%) reptilian, and 12 (4.3%) both avian and mammalian blood. Nineteen avian species were identified as hosts for Cx. pipiens with American robin (n = 141, 55.3% of avian hosts) and northern cardinal (n = 57, 22.4%) as the most common hosts. More American robin feedings took place in areas of higher development. Three mammalian species were also identified as hosts for Cx. pipiens with Virginia opossum and domestic cat as the most common hosts in this class (each n = 6, 46.2% of mammalian hosts). There was no significant seasonal difference in the proportion of bloodmeals obtained from avian hosts, but there was a decrease in the proportion of bloodmeals from mammalian hosts from spring to fall. One engorged specimen of Cx. pipiens with Virginia opossum-derived bloodmeal tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV), and another with black-and-white warbler-derived bloodmeal tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis virus. Our findings, in conjunction with the results of vector competence studies and virus isolation from field-collected mosquitoes, lend additional support that Cx. pipiens serves as the principal enzootic vector and potential epizootic/epidemic vector of WNV in southeastern Virginia.

Factors Related to Sleeping Disorder Due to Pruritus in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

Objective This study evaluated cases of pruritus, which is known to be associated with sleep disorder, in chronic liver disease (CLD) patients. Methods Questionnaires were given to 339 enrolled CLD outpatients in winter (November 2019 to March 2020) and again in summer (April to October 2020) (median interval: 104 days). Relative changes in symptoms shown by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and Kawashima's pruritus score between winter and summer were evaluated in Study 1 (n=199), while Study 2 examined the clinical features of patients with sleep disorder based on the results of the second questionnaire (n=235, median age 70 years old; 141 men, liver cirrhosis 37%). Results Study 1. There was a significant relationship in VAS between daytime and nighttime for each season, as well as between winter and summer for each time period (p<0.001). A comparison of Kawashima's pruritus scores for the daytime and nighttime showed no significant seasonal differences (p=0.436 and 0.828, respectively). When Kawashima's score increased, so did the average VAS for both daytime (0:1:2:3:4=0.4±0.2:1.4±0.9:3.0±1.8:5.9±2.1:6.2±2.3) and nighttime (0:1:2:3:4=0.3±0.1:1.4±1.5:3.5±2.3:6.7±2.6:6.9±1.8) (p<0.001 for both). Study 2. Twenty subjects (8.5%) complained of sleep disorder. An elevated FIB-4 index (≥3.07) showed a good predictive value for sleep disorder (p<0.01). The cut-off for the daytime and nighttime VAS values for existing sleep disorder were 1.6 [area under the curve (AUC) 0.901] and 3.4 (AUC 0.931). The respective sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for sleep disorder based on Kawashima's score (≥2) were 0.85, 0.28, 0.10, and 0.95 for the daytime and 1.00, 0.29, 0.12, and 1.00 for the nighttime. Conclusion Intervention against pruritus is recommended in CLD patients with a high Kawashima's score (≥2) in any season, especially with an elevated FIB-4 index.

Seasonal and gender impacts on fecal exposure trends in an urban slum

Seasonal and gender impacts have not been well considered in fecal exposure assessment, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study examined the seasonal and gender impacts on fecal exposure trends in children through daily living activities in an urban slum in Bangladesh. We determined Escherichia coli concentrations in seven types of environmental samples (n = 232) and the activity data of children via diary recording, questionnaires, and interview surveys. Daily and monthly exposures were stochastically estimated for drinking, eating, pond bathing, well bathing, and hand-to-mouth contact. Of the five pathways, pond bathing and drinking contributed a large part of the daily and monthly exposure. Significant seasonal differences were observed in daily exposures for bathing, which were higher in the rainy season (2.59 × 102 CFU/day for boys and 6.19 × 10-1 CFU/day for girls) than in the dry season (1.69 × 102; 4.30 × 10-2), because of longer pond bathing time and more contaminated bathing water in the rainy season. In contrast, eating had significantly higher exposure in the dry season (3.71 × 10; 3.22 × 10) than the rainy season (1.50 × 10; 1.24 × 10) due to the higher dish contamination. Significantly higher daily exposure was observed in the bathing for boys than girls, as boys spent longer time for bathing at a heavily contaminated pond.

Occurrence of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in the Nervión river

The main hydrometeorological, microbiological and physico-chemical characteristics of the Nervión river were monitored during a year, including 10 antibiotics and the presence of bacteria resistant to these antibiotics among faecal coliforms (FC) and total aerobic bacteria at 22 °C (TAB22). The characteristics of the river water were variable without a clear seasonal component, strongly influenced by rainfall, with a good quality for drinking water production throughout the year according to the physico-chemical parameters. The antibiotic resistant bacteria isolated from the water of the Nervión river were especially resistant to β-lactams and macrolide antibiotics, highlighting the absence of resistance to derivatives of tetracyclines among strains of TAB22. A third of the isolated strains were multi-resistant to antibiotics with a seasonal component in its presence, with multi-resistant FC more abundant during summer and multi-resistant TAB22 more abundant during winter. The presence of antibiotics in the waters of the Nervión river was not very significant, with total absence of β-lactams, minocycline and ciprofloxacin. Erythromycin and clarithromycin can be considered ubiquitous with mean concentrations of 2.5 ± 2.3 ngL−1 and 5.7 ± 4.6 ngL−1 respectively, and the presence of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim was also noticeable with maximum concentrations of 78.3 ngL−1 for sulfamethoxazole. Dilution due to the increase of rainfall was observed for several analysed antibiotics, but without significant seasonal differences.

Depth distribution of three submerged macrophytes under water level fluctuations in a large plateau lake

Submerged plants are crucial for maintaining a clear water state in lakes, and their distribution area is usually determined by the lowest distribution boundary (LDB). However, LDBs of submerged macrophytes often exhibit species differences and vary with seasonal water level fluctuations. In this study, we carried out a three-year field investigation to compare differences in the LDBs of three submerged macrophyte species (i.e., Vallisneria natans, Ceratophyllum demersum, and Potamogeton maackianus) and explore their distinct determinants. We assumed that LDB differences would exist among the three species and that water level (WL) would be a key environmental driver of LDB dynamics, with an association between the LDBs of submerged macrophytes and water level fluctuations. Indeed, our results showed significant seasonal differences between C. demersum and V. natans in the period of September - May, with mean annual values in the order (low to high) V. natans, C. demersum, and P. maackianus. Furthermore, water level was a major driving force of the LDB dynamics of the three species. Changes in the LDBs of the three species in response to water level fluctuations could be divided into three periods: i.e., recovery growth period (April to June), stress tolerance period (July to September), and recession period (October to following March). This study not only clarifies the impact of water level on submerged macrophyte growth and distribution, but also has larger practical implications for the ecological restoration and management of large deep lakes.

Рівні 25-гідроксивітаміну D, дефіцит та недостатність вітаміну D у пацієнтів із захворюваннями кістково-м’язової системи

Актуальність. Дефіцит вітаміну D поширений в усіх країнах світу. Недавні дослідження показали зв’язок між дефіцитом вітаміну D та захворюваннями кістково-м’язової системи. Метою даного дослідження є вивчення частоти дефіциту та недостатності вітаміну D у пацієнтів різного віку із захворюваннями кістково-м’язової системи, а також вплив на зазначені показники сезонності. Матеріали та методи. Обстежено 3460 пацієнтів Українського науково-медичного центру проблем остеопорозу віком від 1 до 92 років, які були направлені лікарями різного профілю з метою оцінки стану кісткової тканини. Переважну більшість становили хворі із системним остео­порозом та його ускладненнями, остеохондрозом хребта, остеоартрозом колінних та кульшових суглобів (середній вік — 52,9 ± 21,1 року). Переважну більшість становили жінки — 83,5 %. Дослідження 25(ОН)D та паратгормона проводили за допомогою електрохемілюмінесцентного методу на аналізаторі Elecsys 2010 (Roche Diagnostics, Німеччина) тест-системами cobas. При аналізі використовували пакети програм Statistica 6.0 Copyright StatSoft, Inc. 1984–2001. Результати. Серед хворих із патологією кістково-м’язової системи найвищий рівень 25(ОН)D спостерігається у віковій групі 1–9 років, найнижчий — у віковій групі 80 років та старше. Вік вірогідно впливає на рівень 25(ОН)D. Частота дефіциту вітаміну D серед обстежених із патологією кістково-м’язової системи становила 37,3 %, недостатності вітаміну D — 30,6 %, нормальні рівні показника вітаміну D спостерігали в 32,1 % випадків. Нормальний рівень вітаміну D відмічався в 38,0 % дітей, 33,2 % дорослих, 29,6 % пацієнтів літнього віку. Місяць, в якому проводилось дослідження, вірогідно впливає на рівень 25(ОН)D (F = 7,49; p &lt; 0,0000001). Найбільші вірогідні відмінності рівня 25(ОН)D у літній період порівняно із зимовим спостерігали у вікових групах 10–19 років (18,2 %), 40–49 років (17,3 %), 30–39 років (16,2 %) та 1–9 років (16,1 %). Не відмічали відмінностей показника залежно від сезону у хворих літнього віку (60 років й старше) із патологією кістково-м’язової системи. Висновки. Незважаючи на додатковий прийом комбінованих препаратів кальцію й вітаміну D більшістю пацієнтів із патологією кістково-м’язової системи, тільки у 37,9 % дітей, 33,2 % дорослих та 29,6 % хворих літнього віку спостерігали нормальні рівні 25(ОН)D у сироватці крові, що диктує необхідність обов’язкового скринінгового визначення рівня вітаміну D у пацієнтів із захворюваннями кістково-м’язової системи та додаткового призначення вітаміну D у клінічній практиці (рекомендації для країн Центральної та Східної Європи).

Downtrends in Offside Offenses Among 'The Big Five' European Football Leagues.

This study examined the evolution of offside offenses and pass performance across a 10-season period in the top five European soccer leagues. Match performance observations (n = 18 259) were analysed for emergent trends. Two-way ANOVA analyses revealed significant league and seasonal differences among the five leagues (medium effect size). The total offside offenses committed during a match experienced a clear decline during the 10 seasons. In contrast, moderate increases were evident for all passing differential variables. Offside offenses per match were higher in the German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga than in the English Premier League and France Ligue 1. However, the English Premier League had the greatest value in the touch differential, pass differential, successful pass differential, and key pass differential among all leagues. It is important to note that the number of offside offenses fell after the implementation of VAR.

Seasonal Variation of Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefts in Northern Chinese Population.

Nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (NSOC) comprise a range of disorders affecting the lips and oral cavity. Various authors evaluated seasonal influence on the occurrence of NSOC differently. The aim of present study was to investigate seasonal variation in birth of individuals with orofacial cleft in northern China. A retrospective study comprised 499 cases and 452 controls were conducted. Children with NSOC operated in The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from 2009 to 2015 were investigated. Controls were children patients with trauma and bone fracture from the same hospital during the same period. Data on sex, birth time, area of residence was retrospectively collected from patients' records. Chi-squared test was used for comparisons. P values less than or equal to 0.05 were considered to be significant. Seasonal distribution was significantly different between cases and controls (P < 0.05). Birth time peaks of cases, especially males, occurred in winter. Furthermore, compared with controls, more cases with cleft lip/palate were born in winter (P < 0.05). There was no significant seasonal difference between female cases and controls (P > 0.05), and no statistical difference was found between cases with cleft palate and controls (P > 0.05). Our study revealed the presence of seasonal variation in individuals with orofacial cleft in northern Chinese population. We found a peak incidence of birth time for NSOC during winter.

Factors affecting seasonal variation of microbial community structure in Hulun Lake, China

Microbial communities play an important role in water quality regulation and biogeochemical cycling in freshwater ecosystems. However, there is a lack of research on the seasonal variation in lake water microorganisms in cold environments. In this study, 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing was used to explore the microbial community and its influencing factors in Hulun Lake water during different seasons. The results showed that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the most important phyla in the microbial community of Hulun Lake, but they had significant seasonal differences in their distribution. In addition, significant seasonal differences were observed in the α diversity of microorganisms, with bacterial diversity being higher in winter than in summer. Changes in environmental variables were significantly correlated with changes in the microbial community, and the rapid changes in temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen are potentially the major factors influencing seasonal bacterial diversity trends. The findings of the present study enhance our understanding of the microbial communities in alpine lake ecosystems and are of great significance for the management and protection of lake ecosystems.

Marked Seasonal Variation in Structure and Function of Gut Microbiota in Forest and Alpine Musk Deer.

Musk deer (Moschus spp.) is a globally endangered species due to excessive hunting and habitat fragmentation. Captive breeding of musk deer can efficiently relieve the hunting pressure and contribute to the conservation of the wild population and musk supply. However, its effect on the gut microbiota of musk deer is unclear. Recent studies have indicated that gut microbiota is associated with host health and its environmental adaption, influenced by many factors. Herein, high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was used based on 262 fecal samples from forest musk deer (M. berezovskii) (FMD) and 90 samples from alpine musk deer (M. chrysogaster) (AMD). We sought to determine whether seasonal variation can affect the structure and function of gut microbiota in musk deer. The results demonstrated that FMD and AMD had higher α-diversity of gut microbiota in the cold season than in the warm season, suggesting that season change can affect gut microbiota diversity in musk deer. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) also revealed significant seasonal differences in the structure and function of gut microbiota in AMD and FMD. Particularly, phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes significantly dominated the 352 fecal samples from captive FMD and AMD. The relative abundance of Firmicutes and the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes were significantly decreased in summer than in spring and substantially increased in winter than in summer. In contrast, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes showed opposite results. Furthermore, dominant bacterial genera and main metabolic functions of gut microbiota in musk deer showed significant seasonal differences. Overall, the abundance of main gut microbiota metabolic functions in FMD was significantly higher in the cold season. WGCNA analysis indicated that OTU6606, OTU5027, OTU7522, and OTU3787 were at the core of the network and significantly related with the seasonal variation. These results indicated that the structure and function in the gut microbiota of captive musk deer vary with seasons, which is beneficial to the environmental adaptation and the digestion and metabolism of food. This study provides valuable insights into the healthy captive breeding of musk deer and future reintroduction programs to recover wild populations.

Soil Microbial Functional Diversity under the Single-Season Influence of Traditional Forest Management in a Sessile Oak Forest of Central Europe

This one-year study focuses on the responses of a soil environment to the implementation of traditional forest management practices in oak–hornbeam stands with the following treatments: cut (C), cut + litter raking (CR), cut + grazing (CG), cut + litter raking + grazing (CRG) and control (Ctrl). The cut was conducted in 2018 through extremely heavy thinning. In autumn of 2017 and 2018, we sampled the soils, focusing on microbial functional diversity (FD) assessments using BIOLOG EcoplateTM. After one season, the FD was the highest in the Ctrl stand and the lowest in the CRG stand. Furthermore, we detected significant seasonal differences in soil reaction, nitrate nitrogen content, phosphatase activity and microbial biomass among the treatments. In particular, the Ctrl stand was defined via FD indices and biochemical and biological soil properties that contrasted mainly with those of the CRG stand defined by the content of mineral nitrogen forms. The soil properties did not differ substantially in the remaining treatments. Of the 31 carbon sources defining FD, 6 were treatment-specific (putrescine, L-arginine, L-serine, L-threonine, D-cellobiose and glycogen), while the remaining carbon sources mainly displayed either uniform high or low activity across the treatments.

Monsoonal and spatial influence on zooplankton variation in a tropical bay, North Borneo, Malaysia

The tropical climate is seemingly stable with little variation in environmental factors throughout the year. However, a growing number of studies have reported monsoon-driven changes in zooplankton communities in tropical waters. This study examined the monsoonal and spatial variation in the zooplankton community in Sepanggar Bay, Malaysia. Samples were collected from 9 stations throughout the bay in June and October 2017, March and June 2018, coinciding with the southwest monsoon (SWM), northeast monsoon (NEM) and the intermonsoon periods (INTER). Significant seasonal difference was observed for the measured hydrographic parameters (chlorophyll-a, salinity, temperature) with highest values recorded during INTER for chlorophyll-a, NEM for salinity, and SWM 2 for temperature. Throughout the study, 110 zooplankton taxa were identified, and copepods dominated total zooplankton abundance by 70%. Zooplankton abundance increased from 17925 ± 8616 inds. m−3 during SWM 1 to peak at 47628 ± 55488 inds. m−3 during INTER and reached a minimum of (16136 ± 22334 inds. m−3 during NEM. Zooplankton abundances were relatively higher at nearshore stations compared with offshore stations, but was not statistically significant. Four distinct assemblages were obtained from Hierarchical Cluster analysis (HCA), suggesting the influence of monsoon in shaping the zooplankton community. The dominant zooplankton shifted from copepods during SWM1, INTER, and NEM, to tintinnids during SWM 2. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed temperature and salinity to be strongly associated with zooplankton community, indicating seasonal variations in these environmental factors driven by monsoon which influenced the zooplankton community structure in the bay. Distinct shifts in the zooplankton composition and abundance relative to the monsoon seasons provide new insights into the seasonal sensitivity of zooplankton in tropical coastal ecosystems.

Prevalence of allergen-specific IgE in southern China: a multicenter research.

Identifying allergen distribution is meaningful and significant for effective diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases. This study compared the allergen sensitivity in four southern China cities. We enrolled 55,432 participants (27,408 male, 28,024 female) between 2007 and 2019. The allergen-specific IgE levels were compared by the χ2 test. The five prevalent sensitivities were for mite mix (10,985, 19.82%), cockroach (4,860, 8.77%), crab (4,450, 8.03%), fish mix (3,874, 6.99%), and house dust (3,486, 6.29%). Almost all allergen sensitivities decreased with age, particularly from infant to middle aged participants (p < 0.05). An exception was Shenzhen, where food allergen positive rates remained constant in all age groups studied. The proportion of male sensitive to at least one food allergen (OR 1.130; 95% CI 1.088–1.174, p < 0.0025) or aeroallergen (OR, 1.117; 95% CI, 1.078–1.158, p < 0.0025) was higher than female in all four cities. Except for dog dander and tree mix, all aeroallergens differed significantly between seasons (p < 0.05). Liuzhou had the highest rates of food allergen- and aeroallergen-positive participants. The allergen-specific IgE distribution differed among the studied cities, with significant seasonal differences. Young age, male sex, and aeroallergens were risk factors for allergic disease.

Temporal Analysis of Urban-Suburban PET, mPET and UTCI Indices in Belgrade (Serbia)

The analysis of the bioclimatic conditions is becoming increasingly relevant in climate interpretations for human needs, particularly in spatial planning, tourism, public health, sports events, bio-prognosis, etc. In this context, our study presents general temporal bioclimatic conditions in Belgrade, defined based on the PET, mPET and UTCI heat budget indices. Monthly, seasonal and annual indices were analyzed for urban and suburban weather stations based on 43 annual sets of meteorological data obtained by hourly observations at 7 h and 14 h CET. This study aims to present the distribution of PET, mPET and UTCI indices to show the pattern of each index in a mild climate location and to examine annual and seasonal differences of each index in the Belgrade urban center and suburban part of the city. The study results indicate higher biothermal stress in the urban area compared to the suburban zone and that the indices are congruent during the summer. At the same time, during the winter, they are more difficult to compare due to their peculiarities becoming more noticeable. The results obtained of all mean monthly and mean annual values of all three indices clearly indicate the difference that follows the definition of the urban heat island (UHI), particularly those from morning observation and winter season. The UTCI index shows the most significant monthly, seasonal and annual difference between urban and suburban areas for both observations. The annual difference of ΔUTCI7h amounts to 1.5 °C is the same as the annual difference of minimum temperatures (Δtmin). In contrast, the annual differences of ΔPET7h ΔmPET7h are °smaller (0.8 °C and 0.7 °C) and closer to the annual differences of maximum temperatures Δtmax amounted of 0.6 °C.

An unsupervised learning approach to identifying blocking events: the case of European summer

Abstract. Atmospheric blocking events are mid-latitude weather patterns, which obstruct the usual path of the polar jet streams. They are often associated with heat waves in summer and cold snaps in winter. Despite being central features of mid-latitude synoptic-scale weather, there is no well-defined historical dataset of blocking events. Various blocking indices (BIs) have thus been suggested for automatically identifying blocking events in observational and in climate model data. However, BIs show significant regional and seasonal differences so that several indices are typically applied in combination to ensure scientific robustness. Here, we introduce a new BI using self-organizing maps (SOMs), an unsupervised machine learning approach, and compare its detection skill to some of the most widely applied BIs. To enable this intercomparison, we first create a new ground truth time series classification of European blocking based on expert judgement. We then demonstrate that our method (SOM-BI) has several key advantages over previous BIs because it exploits all of the spatial information provided in the input data and reduces the dependence on arbitrary thresholds. Using ERA5 reanalysis data (1979–2019), we find that the SOM-BI identifies blocking events with a higher precision and recall than other BIs. In particular, SOM-BI already performs well using only around 20 years of training data so that observational records are long enough to train our new method. We present case studies of the 2003 and 2019 European heat waves and highlight that well-defined groups of SOM nodes can be an effective tool to diagnose such weather events, although the domain-based approach can still lead to errors in the identification of certain events in a fashion similar to the other BIs. We further test the red blocking detection skill of SOM-BI depending on the meteorological variable used to study blocking, including geopotential height, sea level pressure and four variables related to potential vorticity, and the 500 hPa geopotential height anomaly field provides the best results with our new approach. We also demonstrate how SOM-BI can be used to identify different types of blocking events and their associated trends. Finally, we evaluate the SOM-BI performance on around 100 years of climate model data from a pre-industrial simulation with the new UK Earth System Model (UKESM1-0-LL). For the model data, all blocking detection methods have lower skill than for the ERA5 reanalysis, but SOM-BI performs noticeably better than the conventional indices. Overall, our results demonstrate the significant potential for unsupervised learning to complement the study of blocking events in both reanalysis and climate modelling contexts.

Multi-Season Reproduction and Pastoralist Production Strategies: New Approaches to Birth Seasonality from the South Caucasus Region

ABSTRACT Current debates about pastoralists’ role in the development of complex forms of political organization in the ancient Near East and the Caucasus revolve around questions about pastoralist production and mobility. This study investigates sheep birth seasonality at Late Bronze Age (1500–1100 b.c.) sites in the Tsaghkahovit Plain, Armenia, using O data from the incremental analysis of tooth enamel and zooarchaeological age at death data. Incorporating age at death data in sampling and analysis, and analyzing larger datasets, makes it possible to use birth seasonality data to examine the organization of pastoralist production, labor, and mobility. Analysis reveals that sheep were born across multiple seasons (80% of the annual cycle) in the Tsaghkahovit Plain and that there are significant differences in the birth seasonality of sheep slaughtered at different ages. The data suggest that herders in the Tsaghkahovit Plain were actively manipulating sheep reproduction by both constraining and expanding it.

Seasonal and spatial variation of protist communities from reef water and open ocean water in patchy coral reef areas of a semi-enclosed bay

Protists are an important component of the marine ecosystem and play an essential role in material cycle and energy flow, but the distribution of protists in coral reefs have not been fully studied. In this study, high-throughput amplicon sequencing technology was used to study the biodiversity and community structure of protists from coral reefs and open sea areas, with the typical semi-enclosed bay Daya Bay as the research field. There were significant seasonal differences in the dominant phyla of protists, biodiversity index values and βeta diversity (P < 0.05) but no significant differences in the different sampling areas (P > 0.05). The topological parameters of the co-occurrence network showed the protist co-occurrence network in the open sea had more complex interactions and stronger stability than in the coral reef areas because of the hydrodynamics, waves, and relatively poor nutrients. Redundancy analysis and the Mantel test showed that the structure of the protist community was affected by seawater temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. This study analysed the temporal and spatial differences in protists in the coral reef and open sea areas of Daya Bay to provide important information for the study of protist biodiversity and community structure in semi-enclosed bays.

Feeding ecology of the vulnerable sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) in and around Mount Abu wildlife sanctuary, Rajasthan, India

ABSTRACT Feeding ecology of sloth bears was studied in semi-evergreen forests in Mount Abu wildlife sanctuary, western India from May 2014 to April 2015. We examined 192 scats (70 in summer, 49 in monsoon, 73 in winter) for frequency of occurrence, percentage of dry weight and importance value index of food items. Four insect orders (Hymenoptera, Isoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera) and 47 plants were identified in the diet. No significant seasonal difference (p = 0.11) in the frequency of occurrence in overall diet was observed, but plant parts and number of plant species in diet varied seasonally (p = 0.014). Diet during summer and monsoon exhibited no significant difference (p = 0.65) and showed much similarity (Cs = 0.54), but it was significantly different in other seasons (p < 0.05). The sloth bear consumes more plant parts during summer and monsoon but more insects during winter.

Patterns of soil microorganisms and enzymatic activities of various forest types in coastal sandy land

Microorganisms and enzymes are essential soil components that catalyze various biochemical processes (decomposition and nutrient turnover) and can be used to assess soil quality and health. To understand how various plantations can boost the soil ecological condition in coastal areas, we investigated the seasonal dynamics of six soil enzyme activities and microorganisms in different vegetation types, as well as their responses to shifts in soil physicochemical properties in the southeast coasts of China. Four types of shelter forests (Bambusa oldhamii, Pinus elliottii, Eucalyptus robusta, and Casuarina equisetifolia) from the southeast coasts of China were randomly selected to investigate changes in seasonal patterns of soil enzyme activities (protease, urease, acid phosphatase, cellulase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase), soil microorganism quantities (bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and total microorganisms), and correlated with soil physicochemical properties (soil pH, soil moisture, soil temperature, soil carbon, and nitrogen contents). We noticed that the activities of protease and peroxidase in four shelter forests varied seasonally, with significantly higher activities in June in relation to other seasons. However, different shelter forests showed significant seasonal differences in urease, acid phosphatase, cellulase, and polyphenol oxidase activities. The soil bacteria, fungi, and total microorganism quantities in four shelter forests increased significantly (P < 0.05) in September except for soil actinomycetes. Overall, in B. oldhamii forests, the soil urease, acid phosphatase, and polyphenol oxidase activities and microorganisms (soil bacterial, fungi, and total microorganisms) were the highest relative to C. equisetifolia forests, following E. robusta and P. elliottii forests. Whereas, compared to other forest types, the C. equisetifolia forest had significantly (P < 0.05) greater quantities of actinomycetes at each season. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) of 80.7% cumulative variance contribution rate indicated that soil enzymatic activities were strongly associated with soil microorganism quantities and soil physicochemical properties in C. equisetifolia and B. oldhamii forests. Our findings indicate that higher soil enzymatic activities and abundant soil microorganisms both in C. equisetifolia and B. oldhamii forests can help to accelerate soil nutrient absorption and utilization, by improving their adaptability to coastal sandy soils.