Abstract
In order to assess the time structure (chronome) of birth weight and length, 635 Spanish babies were measured between November 1978 and April 1990. The transverse data series thus obtained were analyzed by single cosinor, least squares spectra and nonlinear rhythmometry. Rhythmic components thus resolved were visualized by plexogram. A circannual rhythm, with a prominent half-yearly component, is found to characterize both variables. An about-monthly component is also resolved nonlinearly. Chronomes reflect the combination of a built-in time structure and influences by the environment, including photic and non-photic effects, among others, those from sunshine and geomagnetics, respectively.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 127-135 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Scripta Medica Facultatis Medicae Universitatis Brunensis Masarykianae |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2000 |
Keywords
- Circanual rhythm
- Neonatal height
- Neonatal weigh