Occurrence of Magellanic Penguins along the Northeast Brazilian Coast during 2008 Austral Winter

During the austral winter of 2008, thousands of penguins traveled to low latitudes along the South Atlantic coast of South America. The atmospheric and oceanic conditions from April to July 2008 may account for the penguins' unusual geographic distribution. During that period, South Atlantic coastal waters were cooler; the wind anomalies had northward and onshore components; the ocean's coastal region presented northward currents that favored the penguins to travel toward lower latitudes. This anomalous climate regime resulted from extreme meteorological frontal systems that occurred mainly during June 2008. Three consecutive extreme midlatitude cyclones produced strong wind shear that resulted in the northward oceanic flow along the South American eastern shoreline favoring the penguins to be spotted in northern tropical waters

Age of peak performance in Olympic sports: A comparative research among disciplines

This research aimed to study the ages of peak performance in Olympic sport disciplines, and to distinguish age groups among them. The ages (in decimal years) of athletes with the best performances at the 2012 Summer Olympics were considered (n = 3548). A total of forty sport disciplines were included; the athletics events were classified in six disciplines: Sprint, Middle-distance, Long-distance, Combined, Jumping and Throwing. A full statistical summary was produced. A regression tree was proposed for each gender to discriminate groups of sport disciplines according to age. The ages ranged from 14.0 to 52.8 years. The 72% of the athletes aged between 20 and 30 years, and the 99% aged below 40 years. The mean ages for men and women were 27.0 and 26.2 years, respectively. The regression tree analysis generated four groups of sport disciplines in men, and five in women. In men, the mean ages of the groups were: Group 1 = 24.4, Group 2 = 25.9, Group 3 = 28.0 and Group 4 = 30.8. In women, the mean ages of the groups were: Group 1 = 19.9, Group 2 = 22.7, Group 3 = 24.6, Group 4 = 26.5 and Group 5 = 28.3. The combat, gymnastics and swimming disciplines located mostly in the youngest groups in men; a similar tendency was evidenced in women, except for the combat sports. Apart from Combined, all athletics disciplines located in the groups 4 and 5 in women. On the contrary, these disciplines sited mainly in the groups 1 and 2 in men. All game and nautical sports placed in the two eldest groups in both genders, excluding women Water Polo

До 75-річчя Анни Станіславівни Русяєвої

Цієї зими, 1 лютого 2012 р., виповнилося 75 років від дня народження Анни Станіславівни Русяєвої — визначного вітчизняного антикознавця, відомого вченого-археолога з більш як півстолітнім стажем, провідної дослідниці античних старожитностей Північного Причорномор’я, доктора історичних наук, професора, члена Міжнародної асоціації грецької та латинської епіграфіки, лауреата Всеукраїнської премії ім. М.І. Костомарова (1995), лауреата Державної премії України в галузі науки і техніки (2002), автора більше ніж 250 наукових праць (зокрема 18 книжок) і учасника таких відомих фундаментальних видань, як «Археология Украинской ССР» (1986), «Давня історія України» (1998), «Історія української культури» (2001)

Predicting bee community responses to land-use changes: Effects of geographic and taxonomic biases

Land-use change and intensification threaten bee populations worldwide, imperilling pollination services. Global models are needed to better characterise, project, and mitigate bees' responses to these human impacts. The available data are, however, geographically and taxonomically unrepresentative; most data are from North America and Western Europe, overrepresenting bumblebees and raising concerns that model results may not be generalizable to other regions and taxa. To assess whether the geographic and taxonomic biases of data could undermine effectiveness of models for conservation policy, we have collated from the published literature a global dataset of bee diversity at sites facing land-use change and intensification, and assess whether bee responses to these pressures vary across 11 regions (Western, Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe; North, Central and South America; Australia and New Zealand; South East Asia; Middle and Southern Africa) and between bumblebees and other bees. Our analyses highlight strong regionally-based responses of total abundance, species richness and Simpson's diversity to land use, caused by variation in the sensitivity of species and potentially in the nature of threats. These results suggest that global extrapolation of models based on geographically and taxonomically restricted data may underestimate the true uncertainty, increasing the risk of ecological surprises

Recovery of dialysis patients with COVID-19 : health outcomes 3 months after diagnosis in ERACODA

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related short-term mortality is high in dialysis patients, but longer-term outcomes are largely unknown. We therefore assessed patient recovery in a large cohort of dialysis patients 3 months after their COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. We analyzed data on dialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from 1 February 2020 to 31 March 2021 from the European Renal Association COVID-19 Database (ERACODA). The outcomes studied were patient survival, residence and functional and mental health status (estimated by their treating physician) 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. Complete follow-up data were available for 854 surviving patients. Patient characteristics associated with recovery were analyzed using logistic regression. Results. In 2449 hemodialysis patients (mean ± SD age 67.5 ± 14.4 years, 62% male), survival probabilities at 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis were 90% for nonhospitalized patients (n = 1087), 73% for patients admitted to the hospital but not to an intensive care unit (ICU) (n = 1165) and 40% for those admitted to an ICU (n = 197). Patient survival hardly decreased between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. At 3 months, 87% functioned at their pre-existent functional and 94% at their pre-existent mental level. Only few of the surviving patients were still admitted to the hospital (0.8-6.3%) or a nursing home (∼5%). A higher age and frailty score at presentation and ICU admission were associated with worse functional outcome. Conclusions. Mortality between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis was low and the majority of patients who survived COVID-19 recovered to their pre-existent functional and mental health level at 3 months after diagnosis

The Effect of Currents on Large Surface Gravity Waves Under Cyclonic Conditions in the South/Southeastern Brazil

Although ocean surface currents are not accounted for in most wave modeling studies, recent works have demonstrated that ocean circulation features may have a great impact on surface gravity waves. In this case study, we coupled in a one-way mode the hydrodynamic model Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) and the wave model Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) to study the effect of currents on large wave events (LWEs) produced under the influence of cyclones in south/southeastern Brazil. For the five LWEs studied, chosen due to the distinct importance that current-to-wave effects had for the period, the results indicate that the addition of currents on the wave model improved the accuracy of the peaks of significant wave height, generally increasing them (by as much as 27%). The increase in wave height occurred mainly near the shelf edge and slope, where the southwestward-flowing Brazil Current opposes the dominant direction of cyclone-generated waves (usually from S/SE to S/SW). Modulation of wave height by currents in the subinertial band explained up to 95% of the total variance of the difference between results with and without ocean currents, and this band was largely related to the Brazil Current. Its near-inertial counterpart explained up to 22% of the total variance and was primarily due to near-inertial currents in the region. This study provides, for the first time, conclusive evidence that wave-current interaction can impact LWEs in south/southeastern Brazil.G. Lauton was supported by a scholarship provided by the Bahia Research Foundation (FAPESB, Grant BOL0429/2019). M. Marta-Almeida was supported by European Union Atlantic Area Interreg project iFADO (EAPA/165_2016) and was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001. C. A. D. Lentini would like to thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPQ) for his research fellowship (Grant 380671/2020-4). Results of this work are a contribution to two ongoing projects. One funded by the Brazilian Navy, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPQ), and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI), call CNPQ/MCTI 06/2020—Research and Development for Coping with Oil Spills on the Brazilian Coast—Ciências do Mar Program, Grant 440852/2020-0. The other funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant 862923. This output reflects only the author's view, and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. Part of the computations was performed at Centro de Supercomputación de Galicia (CESGA).Peer reviewe

Investigation of Brazil Current rings in the confluence region

TOPEX/Poseidon‐derived along track SHA, climatological temperature, and salinity fields were used within a two‐layer scheme to estimate the depth of the 8°C isotherm in the southwestern Atlantic. These fields were used to monitor the formation and characteristics of the Brazil Current warm‐core anticyclonic rings shed by the first meander trough after poleward excursions of the Brazil Current (BC). Results reveal that 40 warm‐core rings were shed by the BC between January 1993 and October 1998. The observed lifetime ranges between 1 and 4 months, with a mean value of approximately 2 months. At any given time, two to three anticyclonic rings coexisted in the Brazil‐Malvinas confluence region. Most of the rings drifted southward without coalescing with their parent current. Only four rings were identified as being reabsorbed by the BC front after they were shed. No evidence of propagation or absorption of these anticyclones into the eastern limb of the subtropical gyre was observed. These rings have a mean horizontal length scale of 55 km, mean upper‐layer thickness of 260 m, and mean translation speed of 10 km d−1. Volume anomaly and available potential energy computations showed a mean value of 3.6 × 1012 m3 and 2.5 × 1015 J, respectively. The upper layer transport of the BC was also computed, and a relationship between variations in the southward transport and ring shedding activity was examined. Computation of the heat flux anomaly of the BC rings is estimated to be approximately 0.045 PW per annum. Compilation of these results indicates that warm‐core rings created by meandering boundary current extensions in different regions are generally similar

Statistics of Brazil Current rings observed from AVHRR: 1993 to 1998

A 6‐year time series of sea surface temperature fields derived from NOAA polar‐orbiter AVHRR 5‐day composites is used to estimate the lifetime, size, and trajectory of 43 warm‐core rings shed by the Brazil Current at the Southwestern Atlantic region in a consistent fashion for the first time. Ring lifetimes range from 11 to 95 days, and are not bi‐modal as is the case for the Gulf Stream anticyclones. Translational speeds range from 4.2 to 27.2 km/day with a mean value of 13.1 km/day. After formation, rings are mostly elliptical with a mean major radius of 126 ± 50 km and a minor radius of 65 ± 22 km. None of the rings seem to last more than four months in the region. An attempt to explore possible connections between ring shedding variability and the Antarctic Dipole is also addressed

The annual cycle of satellite derived sea surface temperature on the western South Atlantic shelf

In this article, thirteen years of weekly sea surface temperature (SST) fields derived from NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer global area coverage infrared satellite data, from January 1982 to December 1994, are used to investigate spatial and temporal variabilities of SST seasonal cycle in the Southwest Atlantic Oceano This work addresses large scale variations over the eastem South American continental shelf and slope regions limited offshore by the 1000-m isobath, between 42° and 22°S. SST time series are fit with annual and semi-annual harmonics to describe the annual variation of sea surface temperatures. The annual harmonic explains a large proportion of the SST variability. The coefficient of determination is highest (> 90%) on the continental shelf, decreasing offshore. The estimated amplitude of the seasonal cycle ranges between 4° and 13°e throughout the study area, with minima in August­September and maxima in February-March. After the identification and removal of the dominant annual components ofSST variability, models such as the one presented here are an attractive tool to study interannual SST variability.<br>Neste artigo, treze anos de imagens semanais da temperatura da superfície do mar (TSM) obtidas através do sensor infravermelho Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer a bordo dos satélites NOAA, de janeiro de 1982 a dezembro de 1994, são utlilizadas para investigar as variabilidades espacial e temporal do cicIo sazonal de TSM no Oceano Atlântico Sudoeste. Este trabalho objetiva as variações de larga escala sobre a plataforma continental e o talude leste da América do Sul limitados ao largo pela isóbata de 1000 metros, entre 42°5 e 22°S. As séries temporais de TSM são ajustadas aos .harmônicos anual e sem i-anual para descrever a variação anual das temperaturas da superfície do mar. O harmônico anual explica a maior parte da variabilidade da TSM. O coeficiente de determinação é alto (> 90%) sobre a plataforma continental, decrescendo em direção ao largo. A amplitude estimada do cicIo sazonal varia entre 4° e l30e na região de estudo, atingindo mínimas temperaturas em agosto-setembro e máximas em fevereiro-março. Após identificação e remoção das componentes dominantes da variabilidade da TSM, modelos como o apresentado aqui são uma ferramenta atrativa para o estudo da variabilidade inter-anual da TSM

Simultaneous ocean-atmosphere in situ observations at the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence region

The Brazil-Malvinas Confluence (BMC) region is acknowledged as one of the most energetic regions of the World´s Ocean. This region is characterized by the meeting of two opposing boundary currents: the Brazil and the Malvinas currents. At the Confluence, tropical warm and saline waters, transported by the Brazil Current (BC), interact with subantarctic cool and less saline waters of the Malvinas Current (MC), forming an active and nonsteady meandering frontal region. Moreover, due to the BMC closeness to the continent, its impact over the regional climate may be significant, although this issue has never been thoroughly investigated. This work presents novel simultaneous in situ ocean-atmosphere (OA) observations at the BMC region based on observational data collected simultaneously at both the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL) and the Oceanic Boundary Layer (OBL) on board the Brazilian Navy R/V Ary Rongel in November 2004. To our knowledge, this is the first simultaneous observation of the MABL and the OBL in the region. Furthermore, it is expected that the MABL would be affected by the BMC dynamics due to its high spatial-temporal variability. Our results show that air-sea exchanges are closely correlated with the SST fields. Heat flux calculations range from 110 W.m-2 over warm waters down to 18 W.m-2 over cold waters. High values of heat flux and air-sea temperature differences are associated with relatively strong near-surface winds. On the absence of strong large-scale synoptic systems, our observations suggest that MABL is modulated by the strong local sea surface thermal gradients. These measurements have shown that OA exchanges are closely related to the SST fields: weak (strong) winds are observed over cold (warm) waters in a cool (warm) atmosphere, which indicates a stable (unstable) MABL. This suggests that the MABL is modulated at the synoptic temporal and spatial scale by strong surface thermal gradients between the warm Brazil and the cool Malvinas currents. This process has been documented at the synoptic scale for other regions around the world but not yet for the BMC region. The prevailing mechanisms between the local forcing, which induce the MABL-OBL interaction, and the large scale on modulating the air-sea interaction are still an open issue and deserve further investigation. A new cruise is going to take place November 2005 and the same sampling strategy will be repeated.Pages: 1323-132