Numerous studies have shown that prenatal stress (PNS) can have profound effects on postnatal well-being. Here, the domestic pig (Sus scrofa) was used to investigate PNS effects owing to the direct relevance for farm animal welfare and the developing status of the pig as a large animal model in translational research. Pregnant primiparous sows were exposed, in mid-gestation, to either a social ...

Fault detection and fault tolerance represent two of the most important and largely unsolved issues in the field of multirobot systems (MRS). Efficient, long-term operation requires an accurate, timely detection, and accommodation of abnormally behaving robots. Most existing approaches to fault-tolerance prescribe a characterization of normal robot behaviours, and train a model to recognize the...

An increased frequency of mitoses with centromere separation affecting all chromosomes was found in lymphocyte cultures of couples with recurrent spontaneous abortions. This anomaly was recorded in six individuals out of seventy couples (one hundred and forty individuals) with recurrent miscarriages. The abnormal behaviour of centromeres may predispose the individual to cell division errors, th...

This study presents the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS), developed for ALS patients with physical disability for use by health care professionals. The screen is designed to detect the specific profile of cognition and behaviour changes in ALS and to differentiate it from other disorders. Forty-eight ALS patients (none with evident dementia), 40 healthy controls and 20 care...

This study examined the prevalence and incidence of abnormal behaviour in sheep housed individually indoors. Ninety-six castrated Merino sheep were observed using 15-min instantaneous sampling between 08:15 and 18:15 h for two consecutive days over a 3-week period. Sheep on average spent 62% of their time idle, 17% feeding, 1% drinking, 5% pacing, 10% chewing pen fixtures and 4% nosing pen fixt...

The new-born mammal has both nutritive and non-nutritive sucking requirements (Levy, 1934). When non-nutritive sucking is prevented, abnormal oral behaviour which can resemble the effect of apomorphine may be induced. The two types of sucking behaviour can be distinguished using equipment described by Stephens (1975). This consists of a wooden box lined with rubber sheeting. A rubber teat is in...

BACKGROUND This study sought to clarify the role of obstetric complications (OCs) and maternal recall bias for patients with first episodes of schizophrenia and those at increased risk of the disorder. METHOD Subjects at high risk of schizophrenia were compared with people with first-episode schizophrenia and with healthy volunteers. Consenting mothers of subjects were interviewed using a sta...