The potential for impact of man-made super low and extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields on sleep.

An ever-growing number of electromagnetic (EM) emission sources elicits health concerns, particularly stemming from the ubiquitous low to extremely low frequency fields from power lines and appliances, and the radiofrequency fields emitted from telecommunication devices. In this article we review the state of knowledge regarding possible impacts of electromagnetic fields on melatonin secretion and on sleep structure and the electroencephalogram of humans. Most of the studies on the effects of melatonin on humans have been conducted in the presence of EM fields, focusing on the effects of occupational or residential exposures.

Relationships between greenness and low birth weight: Investigating the interaction and mediation effects of air pollution.

Background: Associations between residential greenness and improved birth weight have been increasingly reported, but underlying mechanisms and interactions with other environmental exposures are still unclear.

Objectives: To study the relationships between low birth weight (LBW, <2500 g), residential greenness, and the potential influence of air pollution in these relationships (interaction and mediation) in California, over the period 2001-2008.

Methods: Residential greenness around maternal homes was characterized using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI).

Refining duration and frequency thresholds of restless legs syndrome diagnosis criteria.

Objective: This study assesses the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) using DSM-5 criteria and determines what is the most appropriate threshold for the frequency and duration of RLS symptoms.

Methods: The Sleep-EVAL knowledge base system queried the interviewed subjects on life, sleeping habits, and health. Questions on sleep and mental and organic disorders (DSM-5, ICD-10) were also asked.

[DEFINITIONS AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF EXCESSIVE SLEEPINESS].

Excessive sleepiness or hypersomnolence is currently defined by two main symptoms: 1) the excessive amount of sleep, defined as a prolonged period of main sleep or the presence of naps; and 2) poor quality of awakening. Excessive sleepiness was reported by 27.8%.

Artificial Outdoor Nighttime Lights Associate with Altered Sleep Behavior in the American General Population.

Study Objectives: Our study aims to explore the associations between outdoor nighttime lights (ONL) and sleep patterns in the human population.

Methods: Cross-sectional telephone study of a representative sample of the general US population age 18 y or older. 19,136 noninstitutionalized individuals (participation rate: 83.

Green spaces and pregnancy outcomes in Southern California.

Little is known about the impacts of green spaces on pregnancy outcomes. The relationship between green space exposure and preeclampsia has never been studied. We used a hospital-based perinatal database including more than 80,000 births to study the relationships between greenness exposure and three pregnancy outcomes: birth weight in term born infants, preterm deliveries and preeclampsia.

Variations in atmospheric CO2 growth rates coupled with tropical temperature.

Previous studies have highlighted the occurrence and intensity of El Niño-Southern Oscillation as important drivers of the interannual variability of the atmospheric CO2 growth rate, but the underlying biogeophysical mechanisms governing such connections remain unclear. Here we show a strong and persistent coupling (r(2) ≈ 0.50) between interannual variations of the CO2 growth rate and tropical land-surface air temperature during 1959 to 2011, with a 1 °C tropical temperature anomaly leading to a 3.

Cytologic features of normal canine ovaries in different stages of estrus with histologic comparison.

Background: Cytologic evaluation plays an important role in the diagnosis of ovarian neoplasia in dogs, but is supported by only scant information on cytologic features of canine ovaries.

Objective: The aim of this study was to provide detailed cytologic descriptions of normal canine ovaries in different stages of estrus with comparison to histologic features.

Methods: Client-owned dogs admitted for elective ovariohysterectomy were studied.

Global Distribution and Density of Constructed Impervious Surfaces.

We present the first global inventory of the spatial distribution and density ofconstructed impervious surface area (ISA). Examples of ISA include roads, parking lots,buildings, driveways, sidewalks and other manmade surfaces. While high spatialresolution is required to observe these features, the new product reports the estimateddensity of ISA on a one-km² grid based on two coarse resolution indicators of ISA - thebrightness of satellite observed nighttime lights and population count.

Mapping and modeling the biogeochemical cycling of turf grasses in the United States.

Turf grasses are ubiquitous in the urban landscape of the United States and are often associated with various types of environmental impacts, especially on water resources, yet there have been limited efforts to quantify their total surface and ecosystem functioning, such as their total impact on the continental water budget and potential net ecosystem exchange (NEE). In this study, relating turf grass area to an estimate of fractional impervious surface area, it was calculated that potentially 163,800 km2 (+/- 35,850 km2) of land are cultivated with turf grasses in the continental United States, an area three times larger than that of any irrigated crop. Using the Biome-BGC ecosystem process model, the growth of warm-season and cool-season turf grasses was modeled at a number of sites across the 48 conterminous states under different management scenarios, simulating potential carbon and water fluxes as if the entire turf surface was to be managed like a well-maintained lawn.