The controls on uptake and release of CO2 by tropical rainforests, and the responses to a changing climate, are major uncertainties in global climate change models. Eddy-covariance measurements potentially provide detailed data on CO2 exchange and responses to the environment in these forests, but accurate estimates of the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) and ecosystem respiration (Reco) req...

Considerable research into the role of the stockperson’s attitude and behaviour on the behaviour, productivity and welfare of commercial pigs has been conducted. Recently, it has been demonstrated that a training program to modify the attitudes and behaviour of stockpeople on small and moderately sized commercial farms results in improvements in these variables and these improvements, in turn, ...

In order to provide tailor-made care, governments are considering the implementation of output-pricing based on hospital case-mix measures, such as diagnosis related groups (DRG). The question is whether the current DRG classification system can provide a satisfactory prediction of the variance of costs in stroke patients and if not, in what way other variables may enhance this prediction. In t...

In order to assess the welfare of cows milked in automatic milking systems (AMS), restlessness behaviour during milking (stepping, foot-lifting), heart rate (HR) and heart-rate variability (HRV) were investigated in cows milked in two different AMS models (AMS-1, AMS-2) and in auto-tandem milking parlours (ATM) on four commercial farms in each case. Stepping rates and proportions of milkings wi...

In animal husbandry, pigs have to cope with social challenges when regrouped with unfamiliar conspecifics. Regrouping pigs may result in an acute stress and physical injuries thus reducing animal welfare. The aim of the present experiment was to evaluate the behavioural, cortisol and growth responses of pigs to a repeated social stress. Thirty-two growing-finishing pigs were housed in pairs. An...

Multiple experiments were conducted with a mammalian herbivore to determine how experience with plant secondary metabolites (terpenes and tannins) influenced acquisition of new aversions to diets containing these same plant metabolites. Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) were employed as behavioral models for this study. Twenty-four subjects were assigned to three treatment groups that received 20 d...

The behaviour, welfare, growth performance, and meat quality of deep-litter, large group-housed pigs were compared to pigs raised in a conventional housing system. Castrated males were housed from 9 weeks of age in a conventional housing (15 pigs/pen; 1.0 m/pig) or deep-litter, large group housing system (90 pigs/pen; 1.7 m/pig). Behavioural observations and stress physiology measurements were ...

In many semi-arid basins during extended periods when surface snowmelt or storm runoff is absent, groundwater constitutes the primary water source for human habitation, agriculture and riparian ecosystems. Utilizing regional groundwater models in the management of these water resources requires accurate estimates of basin boundary conditions. A critical groundwater boundary condition that is cl...

BACKGROUND Successful donation of organs after cardiac death (DCD) requires identification of patients who will die within 60 min of withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST). We aimed to validate a straightforward model to predict the likelihood of death within 60 min of WLST in patients with irreversible brain injury. METHODS In this multicentre, observational study, we prospectively e...

DOCUMENT RESUME TM 030 621 Hanson, Bradley A.; Beguin, Anton A. Separate versus Concurrent Estimation of IRT Item Parameters in the Common Item Equating Design. American Coll. Testing Program, Iowa City, IA. ACT-RR-99-8 1999-12-00 36p. ACT Research Report Series, PO Box 168, Iowa City, IA 52243-0168. Reports Evaluative (142) MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. *Equated Scores; Estimation (Mathematics); *It...