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PubMed1997

Lunar cycle and consultations for anxiety and depression in general practice.

The influence of the moon on patient consultations for anxiety or depression in general practice was assessed through a retrospective survey based on general practice medical records and on lunar records detailing the dates and times of different phases of the moon. Seven-hundred-eighty-two patients continuously registered in a general practice in Beckenham, South London, between 1971 and 1988 were included in analyses. No statistically significant lunar effect was found by setting the expected surge in consultations one to three days after the full moon and the period of the sine-wave curve to 30 days. Similarly, no statistically significant lunar effect was found, when the period of the sine-wave curve was allowed to vary in order to best fit the data. The moon had little influence on when individuals consulted their general practitioner with anxiety or depression.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Influence of light/dark, seasonal and lunar cycles on the nuclear size of the pinealocytes of the rat.

Morphological and physiological studies suggest a possible division of the pineal parenchyma into an external or "cortical" and another central or "medullar" layer. We have studied the possible influence of the light/dark, seasonal and lunar cycles on the nuclear size of the pinealocytes of the rat in both the hypothetical "cortical" and "medullar" layers. Forty male Wistar rats were used. Experiment was carried out in two seasons, winter and spring, two lunar phases, full moon and new moon, and the two circadian phases, photophase and scotophase. The nuclear volume of the pinealocytes, calculated from the Jacobj's formula, was the karyometric parameter used as measurement of the nuclear size. Main results showed that nuclear volume of the cortical pinealocytes was greater than that of the medullar pinealocytes only during the photophases of winter new-moon days and spring full moon days, whereas in all the remaining situations, the greater nuclear sizes were found in the pinealocytes of the medullar layer. These results support the existence of independent morphological variations of the pinealocyte in the central and peripheral zones of the pineal gland.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

[Engineering issues of microbial ecology in space agriculture].

Closure of the materials recycle loop for water-foods-oxygen is the primary purpose of space agriculture on Mars and Moon. A microbial ecological system takes a part of agriculture to process our metabolic excreta and inedible biomass and convert them to nutrients and soil substrate for cultivating plants. If we extend the purpose of space agriculture to the creation and control of a healthy and pleasant living environment, we should realize that our human body should not be sterilized but exposed to the appropriate microbial environment. We are proposing a use of hyper-thermophilic aerobic composting microbial ecology in space agriculture. Japan has a broad historical and cultural background on this subject. There had been agriculture that drove a closed loop of materials between consuming cities and farming villages in vicinity. Recent environmental problems regarding garbage collection and processing in towns have motivated home electronics companies to innovate "garbage composting" machines with bacterial technology. Based on those matured technology, together with new insights on microbiology and microbial ecology, we have been developing a conceptual design of space agriculture on Moon and Mars. There are several issues to be answered in order to prove effectiveness of the use of microbial systems in space. 1) Can the recycled nutrients, processed by the hyper-thermal aerobic composting microbial ecology, be formed in the physical and chemical state or configuration, with which plants can uptake those nutrients? A possibility of removing any major components of fertilizer from its recycle loop is another item to be evaluated. 2) What are the merits of forming soil microbial ecology around the root system of plants? This might be the most crucial question. Recent researches exhibit various mutually beneficial relationships among soil microbiota and plants, and symbiotic ecology in composting bacteria. It is essential to understand those features, and define how to conduct preventive maintenance for keeping cultivating soil healthy and productive. 3) Does microbial ecology contribute to building sustainable and expandable human habitation by utilizing the on site extraterrestrial resources? We are assessing technical feasibility of converting regolith to farming soil and structural materials for space agriculture. In the case of Mars habitation, carbon dioxide and a trace amount of nitrogen in atmosphere, and potassium and phosphor in minerals are the sources we consider. Excess oxygen can be accumulated by woods cultivation and their use for lumber. 4) Is the operation of space agriculture robust and safe, if it adopts hyper-thermophilic aerobic microbial ecology? Any ecological system is complex and non-linear, and shows latency and memory effects in its response. It is highly important to understand those features to design and operate space agriculture without falling into the fatal failure. Assessment should be made on the microbial safety and preparation of the preventive measures to eliminate negative elements that would either retard agricultural production or harm the healthy environment. It is worth to mention that such space agriculture would be an effective engineering testbed to solve the global problem on energy and environment. Mars and Moon exploration itself is a good advocate of healthy curiosity expressed by the sustainable civilization of our humankind. We propose to work together towards Mars and Moon with microbial ecology to assure pleasant habitation there.

Agriculture↗

PubMed2002

Influence of the lunar cycle on the activity of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae).

The influence of lunar phases on the activity of phlebotomine sand flies was evaluated in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The insects were collected by illuminated Shannon traps and Falcão light traps, between 1830 and 2230 h on 44 nights, divided between the dry and rainy seasons, and among each of the 4 lunar phases. A total of 888 sand flies was collected, belonging to 10 Lutzomyia species. The dominant species in both seasons of the year and in all lunar phases was Lutzomyia intermedia. A significant difference was found in the abundance of L. whitmani among lunar phases. No significant difference was found in frequency of sand flies collected among lunar phases. Females of L. intermedia initiated activity earlier during the crescent and full moon phases than during three-quarter and new phases. Based on the premise that sand flies would exhibit normal phototaxis in the absence of moonlight, activity should be unaffected under a new moon, whereas light reflected by the moon in its brightest phases (crescent and full) should shift the period of activity of the sand flies so that it does not coincide with the period in which the moon is visible, or should reduce attractiveness of light traps to the insects by providing less background contrast.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Influence of moonlight on light trap catches of the malaria vector Anopheles nuneztovari in Venezuela.

A significant effect (P = 0.002) of moonlight on light trap catches of Anopheles nuneztovari females was observed during a longitudinal study in western Venezuela. The catch with no moon was 1.86 times larger than with full moon. Nevertheless, moonlight does not seem to have any effect on the composition of adult mosquito population since the difference in the parous rate of females collected during full moon and during no moon was not significant (P greater than 0.05).

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Lunar phases and incidence of spontaneous deliveries. Our experience].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between lunar phases and birthrate. STUDY DESIGN: We examined 7842 spontaneous deliveries at Obstetric and Gynaecologic Clinic of University of Florence, between January 1988 and November 1992, covering 58 synodic lunar months. A lunar month was considered to be a period of 29.5 days and comprised four lunar phases: the full moon, the last quarter, the new moon and the first quarter. We compared the median number of births in each day of synodic month and in the periods of seven days centered on the first day of each moon phase. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis by ranks. RESULTS: Non significant differences were found in the incidence of spontaneous birth throughout the lunar cycle. CONCLUSIONS: These results do not support the hypothesis of a relationship between moon-phase changes and the incidence of spontaneous deliveries.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

[Extraterrestrial influences on health and disease].

As to extraterrestrial influences on man in health and disease so far only the effect of the sun and moon are known. This concerns the effect of solar radiation of different wavelengths and the effect of corpuscular solar radiation which has an impact on the condition of the terrestrial magnetic field and electric conditions in the atmosphere. Moreover there is also a question of important influences of gravitation (tides). Here the influence of the position of the moon in relation to the connecting line between sun and earth is involved. In the course of the synodic month (from new moon to the next new moon) a semilunar periodicity of different medical and geomagnetic indicators as well as meteorological ones plays a part. Based on his own research and that of others the author reaches the conclusion that extraterrestrial and terrestrial influences are interrelated and exert a mutual influence on each other and that it is not sensible to separate them strictly. Investigation of all the mentioned influences is important not only for biomedical prognosis but also for basic geophysical and meteorological research. Perspectively it would be useful to plan model experiments. The author feels it is his duty to refuse publication of different horoscopes in the mass media, whatever the intention. In the lay public this may lead to popularization of astrology which has nothing in common with serious research.

Death, Sudden, Cardiac↗

PubMed1993

[Occurrence of acute infectious diarrhea during the lunar phases].

A chronobiometric analysis of 753 cases of acute infectious diarrhoea in adults in 1981-1990 in Kosice confirmed to a surprising extent recently reached conclusions of an investigation made by authors from Bratislava. The Kosice group comprised 352 cases of bacillary dysentery, 305 patients with salmonellosis, 72 with campylobacteriosis and 24 with yersiniosis. Statistically significantly fewer patients (p < 0.0001) were hospitalized during full moon, moon quarterly and new moon. In the intervals there were periods with a short-term increase of the daily admissions by cca 25%. This 7.38-day periodicity cannot be explained by the influence of the social 7-day week, as during observations extending over several years this rhythm is eliminated by a gradual shift across different phases of the moon. The authors did not find similar reports in the literature. For explanation, not only the organism of the host (variable immunity?) but also the infectious agent must be taken into account. More profound understanding of the mechanism may open the road to practical application of the described lunar relationship. Its knowledge can help already now to improve the organization of the health service.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2006

A common mass scaling for satellite systems of gaseous planets.

The Solar System's outer planets that contain hydrogen gas all host systems of multiple moons, which notably each contain a similar fraction of their respective planet's mass (approximately 10(-4)). This mass fraction is two to three orders of magnitude smaller than that of the largest satellites of the solid planets (such as the Earth's Moon), and its common value for gas planets has been puzzling. Here we model satellite growth and loss as a forming giant planet accumulates gas and rock-ice solids from solar orbit. We find that the mass fraction of its satellite system is regulated to approximately 10(-4) by a balance of two competing processes: the supply of inflowing material to the satellites, and satellite loss through orbital decay driven by the gas. We show that the overall properties of the satellite systems of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus arise naturally, and suggest that similar processes could limit the largest moons of extrasolar Jupiter-mass planets to Moon-to-Mars size.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1990

Amodal representation of occluded surfaces: role of invisible stimuli in apparent motion correspondence.

A series of demonstrations were created where the perceived depth of targets was controlled by stereoscopic disparity. A closer object (a cloud) was made to jump back and forth horizontally, partially occluding a farther object (a full moon). The more distant moon appeared stationary even though the unoccluded portion of it, a crescent, changed position. Reversal of the relative depth of the moon and cloud gave a totally different percept: the crescent appeared to flip back and forth in the front depth plane. Thus, the otherwise-robust apparent motion of the moon crescents was completely abolished in the cloud-closer case alone. This motion-blocking effect is attributed to the 'amodal presence' of the occluded surface continuing behind the occluding surface. To measure the effect of this occluded 'invisible' surface quantitatively, a bistable apparent motion display was used (Ramachandran and Anstis 1983a): two small rectangular-shaped targets changed their positions back and forth between two frames, and the disparity of a large centrally positioned rectangle was varied. When the perceived depths supported the possibility of amodal completion behind the large rectangle, increased vertical motion of the targets was found, suggesting that the amodal presence of the targets behind the occluder had effectively changed the center position of the moving targets for purposes of motion correspondence. Amodal contours are literally 'invisible', yet it is hypothesized that they have a neural representation at sufficiently early stages of visual processing to alter the correspondence solving process for apparent motion.

Attention↗

PubMed2005

Cassini Imaging Science: initial results on Saturn's rings and small satellites.

Images acquired of Saturn's rings and small moons by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) during the first 9 months of Cassini operations at Saturn have produced many new findings. These include new saturnian moons; refined orbits of new and previously known moons; narrow diffuse rings in the F-ring region and embedded in gaps within the main rings; exceptionally fine-scale ring structure in moderate- to high-optical depth regions; new estimates for the masses of ring-region moons, as well as ring particle properties in the Cassini division, derived from the analysis of linear density waves; ring particle albedos in select ring regions; and never-before-seen phenomena within the rings.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1983

Lunar cycle and poison center calls.

An analysis of calls to the Maryland Poison Center was performed to assess whether a relationship exists between the moon periods and poison exposure calls. A given period was defined as the day of the lunar event +/- 2 days. Thirteen lunar cycles in which 22,079 calls occurred were analyzed. A larger proportion of total calls to the center and unintentional poisoning calls occurred during the full moon period. A significantly larger number of unintentional poisonings occurred in the full moon period compared to suicide attempts and drug abuse which occurred most frequently during the new moon period. The lunar cycle had no effect on the distribution of victim's age or sex or the location of treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1976

["Lunar rhythms" in the course of the epileptic process].

On the basis of a mathematical analysis of 8400 seizures during 101 moon phases it was possible to establish a correlation between the frequency of convulsive paroxysms (both in the amount of seizures in epeileptic patients and amount of patients in whom these seizures appeared) and the phasic position of the Moon--periods of a full moon and new moon. The amount of patients and seizures increased during the periods of such phases 1.52 and 1.56 times corresponding more in comparison to the median significance of these figures. A study of the role of physical ressons of a wave and magnetic nature on the development of the epileptic process may help to understand the pathogenetical mechanisms of the disorder.

Epilepsy↗

PubMed1989

[The effect of solar activity on lunar changes in cardiovascular mortality].

After a 9-year follow-up of mortality due to cardiovascular emergencies (a total of 1,437 cases), the author found its frequency to be correlated with the moon phases. There are two maximum and minimum risk periods during lunation; the differences between them have a high statistical significance. The mortality study which registered the cases according to separate periods of maximum solar activity (spots, eruptions, etc.), medium and minimum activity recorded on three individual curves, showed that the maximum and minimum mortality curves were shifting in time phase so that during high solar activity, the minimum mortality was nearer to the new moon and full moon phases, while the maximum death rate approached the first and last lunar quarters; during the medium and low solar activities, the mortality maxima and minima were shifting counterclockwise the moon's orbit round the Earth, i. e. from the Earth's view with the Sun moving more and more to the west. The author offers some probable explanations for this phenomenon, which can help to make a more exact prognosis of critical days for patients with cardiovascular disorder. In addition, these findings can contribute to basic helio-geophysical research.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗

PubMed1997

Habitable planets with high obliquities.

Earth's obliquity would vary chaotically from 0 degrees to 85 degrees were it not for the presence of the Moon (J. Laskar, F. Joutel, and P. Robutel, 1993, Nature 361, 615-617). The Moon itself is thought to be an accident of accretion, formed by a glancing blow from a Mars-sized planetesimal. Hence, planets with similar moons and stable obliquities may be extremely rare. This has lead Laskar and colleagues to suggest that the number of Earth-like planets with high obliquities and temperate, life-supporting climates may be small. To test this proposition, we have used an energy-balance climate model to simulate Earth's climate at obliquities up to 90 degrees. We show that Earth's climate would become regionally severe in such circumstances, with large seasonal cycles and accompanying temperature extremes on middle- and high-latitude continents which might be damaging to many forms of life. The response of other, hypothetical, Earth-like planets to large obliquity fluctuations depends on their land-sea distribution and on their position within the habitable zone (HZ) around their star. Planets with several modest-sized continents or equatorial supercontinents are more climatically stable than those with polar supercontinents. Planets farther out in the HZ are less affected by high obliquities because their atmospheres should accumulate CO2 in response to the carbonate-silicate cycle. Dense, CO2-rich atmospheres transport heat very effectively and therefore limit the magnitude of both seasonal cycles and latitudinal temperature gradients. We conclude that a significant fraction of extrasolar Earth-like planets may still be habitable, even if they are subject to large obliquity fluctuations.

Astronomical Phenomena↗

PubMed2005

Activity levels of bats and katydids in relation to the lunar cycle.

Animals are exposed to many conflicting ecological pressures, and the effect of one may often obscure that of another. A likely example of this is the so-called "lunar phobia" or reduced activity of bats during full moon. The main reason for lunar phobia was thought to be that bats adjust their activity to avoid predators. However, bats can be prey, but many are carnivorous and therefore predators themselves. Thus, they are likely to be influenced by prey availability as well as predation risk. We investigated the activity patterns of the perch-hunting Lophostoma silvicolum and one of its main types of prey, katydids, to assess the influence of the former during different phases of the lunar cycle on a gleaning insectivorous bat. To avoid sampling bias, we used sound recordings and two different capture methods for the katydids, as well as video monitoring and radio-telemetry for the bats. Both, bats and katydids were significantly more active during the dark periods associated with new moon compared to bright periods around the full moon. We conclude that foraging activity of L. silvicolum is probably influenced by prey availability to a large extent and argue that generally the causes of lunar phobia are species-specific.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Scientific investigations at a lunar base.

Scientific investigations to be carried out at a lunar base can have significant impact on the location, extent, and complexity of lunar surface facilities. Among the potential research activities to be carried out are: (1) Lunar Science: Studies of the origin and history of the Moon and early solar system, based on lunar field investigations, operation of networks of seismic and other instruments, and collection and analysis of materials; (2) Space Plasma Physics: Studies of the time variation of the charged particles of the solar wind, solar flares and cosmic rays that impact the Moon as it moves in and out of the magnetotail of the Earth; (3) Astronomy: Utilizing the lunar environment and stability of the surface to emplace arrays of astronomical instruments across the electromagnetic spectrum to improve spectral and spatial resolution by several orders of magnitude beyond the Hubble Space Telescope and other space observatories; (4) Fundamental physics and chemistry: Research that takes advantage of the lunar environment, such as high vacuum, low magnetic field, and thermal properties to carry out new investigations in chemistry and physics. This includes material sciences and applications; (5) Life Sciences: Experiments, such as those that require extreme isolation, highly sterile conditions, or very low natural background of organic materials may be possible; and (6) Lunar environmental science: Because many of the experiments proposed for the lunar surface depend on the special environment of the Moon, it will be necessary to understand the mechanisms that are active and which determine the major aspects of that environment, particularly the maintenance of high-vacuum conditions. From a large range of experiments, investigations and facilities that have been suggested, three specific classes of investigations are described in greater detail to show how site selection and base complexity may be affected: (1) Extended geological investigation of a complex region up to 250 kilometers from the base requires long range mobility, with transportable life support systems and laboratory facilities for the analysis of rocks and soil. Selection of an optimum base site would depend heavily on an evaluation of the degree to which science objectives could be met. These objectives could include lunar cratering, volcanism, resource surveys or other investigations; (2) An astronomical observatory initially instrumented with a VLF radio telescope, but later expanding to include other instruments, requires site preparation capability, "line shack" life support systems, instrument maintenance and storage facilities, and sortie mode transportation. A site perpetually shielded from Earth is optimum for the advanced stages of a lunar observatory; (3) an experimental physics laboratory conducting studies requiring high vacuum facilities and heavily instrumented experiments, is not highly dependent on lunar location, but will require much more flexibility in experiment operation and EVA capability, and more sophisticated instrument maintenance and fabrication facilities.

Astronomical Phenomena↗

PubMed1998

Does lunar position influence the time of delivery? A statistical analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between lunar position and the day of delivery; to investigate the synodic distribution of spontaneous deliveries, especially in relation to the presence of a full moon. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 1248 spontaneous full-term deliveries in three-year period (36 lunar months), setted at Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Civil Hospital, Fano (Marche, Italy), using circular statistics techniques. RESULTS: A connection between the distribution of spontaneous full-term deliveries and the lunar month was found. The effect of the phases of the moon seems to be particularly relevant in multiparae and plurigravidae; in these cases, the mean day of delivery corresponds to the first or second day after the full moon. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper the effect of lunar phases on the time of delivery is shown. This influence seems to be especially relevant in the case of multiparae and plurigravidae. Nevertheless, it is too weak to allow for prediction regarding the days with the highest frequency of deliveries.

Confidence Intervals↗