TY - JOUR AB - The twig method in climate chambers has been shown to successfully work as a proxy for outdoor manipulations in various experimental setups. This study was conducted to further establish this method for the investigation of allergenic pollen from tree species (hazel, alder, and birch). Direct comparison under outdoor conditions revealed that the cut twigs compared to donor trees were similar in the timing of flowering and the amount of pollen produced. Cut twigs were able to flower in climate chambers and produced a sufficient amount of pollen for subsequent laboratory analysis. The addition of different plant or tissue fertilizers in the irrigation of the twigs did not have any influence; rather, the regular exchange of water and the usage of fungicide were sufficient for reaching the stage of flowering. In the experimental setup, the twigs were cut in different intervals before the actual flowering and were put under warming conditions in the climate chamber. An impact of warming on the timing of flowering/pollen characteristics could be seen for the investigated species. Therefore, the twig method is well applicable for experimental settings in pollen research simulating, e.g., accelerated warming under climate change. AU - Jung, S.* AU - Zhao, F. AU - Menzel, A.* C1 - 62152 C2 - 50669 CY - One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, Ny, United States SP - 1983-1993 TI - Establishing the twig method for investigations on pollen characteristics of allergenic tree species. JO - Int. J. Biometeorol. VL - 65 IS - 11 PB - Springer PY - 2021 SN - 0020-7128 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Aromatic hydrocarbons belong to the most abundant contaminants in groundwater systems. They can serve as carbon and energy source for a multitude of indigenous microorganisms. Predictions of contaminant biodegradation and microbial growth in contaminated aquifers are often vague because the parameters of microbial activity in the mathematical models used for predictions are typically derived from batch experiments, which don't represent conditions in the field. In order to improve our understanding of key drivers of natural attenuation and the accuracy of predictive models, we conducted comparative experiments in batch and sediment flow-through systems with varying concentrations of contaminant in the inflow and flow velocities applying the aerobic Pseudomonas putida strain F1 and the denitrifying Aromatoleum aromaticum strain EbN1. We followed toluene degradation and bacterial growth by measuring toluene and oxygen concentrations and by direct cell counts. In the sediment columns, the total amount of toluene degraded by P. putida F1 increased with increasing source concentration and flow velocity, while toluene removal efficiency gradually decreased. Results point at mass transfer limitation being an important process controlling toluene biodegradation that cannot be assessed with batch experiments. We also observed a decrease in the maximum specific growth rate with increasing source concentration and flow velocity. At low toluene concentrations, the efficiencies in carbon assimilation within the flow-through systems exceeded those in the batch systems. In all column experiments the number of attached cells plateaued after an initial growth phase indicating a specific "carrying capacity" depending on contaminant concentration and flow velocity. Moreover, in all cases, cells attached to the sediment dominated over those in suspension, and toluene degradation was performed practically by attached cells only. The observed effects of varying contaminant inflow concentration and flow velocity on biodegradation could be captured by a reactive-transport model. By monitoring both attached and suspended cells we could quantify the release of new-grown cells from the sediments to the mobile aqueous phase. Studying flow velocity and contaminant concentrations as key drivers of contaminant transformation in sediment flow-through microcosms improves our system understanding and eventually the prediction of microbial biodegradation at contaminated sites. AU - Huang, L.* AU - Yang, Q.* AU - Li, J.* AU - Chen, J.* AU - He, R.* AU - Zhang, C.* AU - Chen, K. AU - Dong, S.G.* AU - Liu, Y.* C1 - 52737 C2 - 44223 CY - 233 Spring St, New York, Ny 10013 Usa SP - 783-794 TI - Risk perception of heat waves and its spatial variation in Nanjing, China. JO - Int. J. Biometeorol. VL - 62 IS - 5 PB - Springer PY - 2018 SN - 0020-7128 ER - TY - JOUR AB - A substantial number of epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between atmospheric conditions and human all-cause as well as cause-specific mortality. However, most research has been performed in industrialised countries, whereas little is known about the atmosphere-mortality relationship in developing countries. Especially with regard to modifications from non-atmospheric conditions and intra-population differences, there is a substantial research deficit. Within the scope of this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of heat in a multi-stratified manner, distinguishing by the cause of death, age, gender, location and socio-economic status. We examined 22,840 death counts using semi-parametric Poisson regression models, adjusting for a multitude of potential confounders. Although Bangladesh is dominated by an increase of mortality with decreasing (equivalent) temperatures over a wide range of values, the findings demonstrated the existence of partly strong heat effects at the upper end of the temperature distribution. Moreover, the study demonstrated that the strength of these heat effects varied considerably over the investigated subgroups. The adverse effects of heat were particularly pronounced for males and the elderly above 65 years. Moreover, we found increased adverse effects of heat for urban areas and for areas with a high socio-economic status. The increase in, and acceleration of, urbanisation in Bangladesh, as well as the rapid aging of the population and the increase in non-communicable diseases, suggest that the relevance of heat-related mortality might increase further. Considering rising global temperatures, the adverse effects of heat might be further aggravated. AU - Burkart, K.* AU - Breitner-Busch, S. AU - Schneider, A.E. AU - Khan, M.M.* AU - Krämer, A.* AU - Endlicher, W.* C1 - 30791 C2 - 33871 CY - New York SP - 227-237 TI - An analysis of heat effects in different subpopulations of Bangladesh. JO - Int. J. Biometeorol. VL - 58 IS - 2 PB - Springer PY - 2014 SN - 0020-7128 ER - TY - JOUR AB - In mountainous regions, inversion situations with cold-air pools in the valleys occur frequently, especially in fall and winter. With the accumulation of inversion days, trees in lower elevations experience lower temperature sums than those in middle elevations. In a two-year observational study, deciduous trees, such as Acer pseudoplatanus and Fagus sylvatica, on altitudinal transects responded in their fall leaf senescence phenology. Phenological phases were advanced and senescence duration was shortened by the cold temperatures in the valley. This effect was more distinct for late phases than for early phases since they experienced more inversion days. The higher the inversion frequency, the stronger the signal was. Acer pseudoplatanus proved to be more sensitive to cold temperatures compared to Fagus sylvatica. We conclude that cold-air pools have a considerable impact on the vegetation period of deciduous trees. Considering this effect, trees in the mid hillside slopes gain advantages compared to lower elevations. Our findings will help to improve knowledge about ecological drivers and responses in mountainous forest ecosystems. AU - Schuster, C.* AU - Kirchner, M. AU - Jakobi, G. AU - Menzel, A.* C1 - 26538 C2 - 32292 CY - New York SP - 485-498 TI - Frequency of inversions affects senescence phenology of Acer pseudoplatanus and Fagus sylvatica. JO - Int. J. Biometeorol. VL - 58 IS - 4 PB - Springer PY - 2014 SN - 0020-7128 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Given the accumulating evidence that people with underlying heart disease are a particularly vulnerable group for triggers like changing meteorological parameters, the objective of this longitudinal study was to analyze the influence of weather parameters on blood pressure, arrhythmia and ischemia in cardiovascular patients. A panel study with repeated measurements was conducted in a rehabilitation clinic in Timmendorfer Strand (Baltic Sea, Germany) with 872 cardiovascular patients. Heart rate, blood pressure and electrocardiography changes were measured during repeated bicycle ergometries. Generalized Estimating Equations were used for regression analyses of immediate, delayed and cumulative influences of the daily measured meteorological data. For men, a decrease in air temperature and in water vapor pressure doubled the risk of ST-segment depression during ergometry [odds ratio (OR) for 1 day delay: 1.88 (1.24; 2.83) for air temperature] with a delay of 1-2 days. For women, an increase of their heart rate before the start of the ergometry [same day: 4.36 beats/min (0.99; 7.74) for air temperature] and a 2- to 3-fold higher risk for ventricular ectopic beats [1 day delay: OR 2.43 (1.17; 5.05) for air temperature] was observed with an increase in temperature and water vapor pressure in almost all analyzed time-windows. The study indicates that meteorological parameters can induce changes in heart function which may lead to adverse cardiovascular events especially in susceptible, diseased individuals. The observed effect on ST-segment depression could be a link between the association of weather changes and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. AU - Schneider, A.E. AU - Schuh, A.* AU - Maetzel, F.-K.* AU - Rückerl, R. AU - Breitner-Busch, S. AU - Peters, A. C1 - 1823 C2 - 25563 SP - 535-547 TI - Weather-induced ischemia and arrhythmia in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation: Another difference between men and women. JO - Int. J. Biometeorol. VL - 52 IS - 6 PB - Springer PY - 2008 SN - 0020-7128 ER - TY - JOUR AU - Estrella, N.* AU - Menzel, A.* AU - Krämer, U.* AU - Behrendt, H. C1 - 3554 C2 - 24224 SP - 49-59 TI - Integration of flowering dates in phenology and pollen counts in aerobiology: Analysis of their spatial and temporal coherence in Germany (1992-1999). JO - Int. J. Biometeorol. VL - 51 PY - 2006 SN - 0020-7128 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Between the mean daily density of 28 kHz atmospherics and the onset of epileptic fits there is a highly significant correlation coefficient (r) of 0.30; there is a negative coefficient of -0.20 between the fits and the mean daily density of 10 kHz atmospherics. The onset of heart infarction is correlated with 28 kHz atmospherics (r=0.15). Furthermore, we have discovered that sudden deafness is also correlated with certain configurations of atmospherics. In this paper we report the following correlation coefficients between the inflammatory reaction of rats to a carrageenan injection (rci) into a hind paw and the mean daily pulse rate of atmospherics of the same day:r=0.49 for the 8 kHz atmospherics (P<0.02) and r=0.44 for the 10 kHz atmospherics (P<0.04). The correlations between rci reaction and other atmospherics (12 and 28 kHz) are smaller and not significant. By the method of multiple linear regression we found a multiple R=0.54 between rci reaction and the 8 and 10 kHz atmospherics (the regression function for the rci reaction is 0.15+0.004×8 kHz+0.002×10 kHz, P<0.05). © 1988 International Society of Biometeorology. AU - Ruhenstroth-Bauer, G.* AU - Rösing, O.* AU - Baumer, H.* AU - Sönning, W.* AU - Lehmacher, W. C1 - 33859 C2 - 10555 SP - 201-204 TI - Demonstration of correlations between the 8 and 10 kHz atmospherics and the inflammatory reaction of rats after carrageenan injection. JO - Int. J. Biometeorol. VL - 32 IS - 3 PY - 1988 SN - 0020-7128 ER -