Effect of tower base painting on willow ptarmigan collision rates with wind turbines

1. Birds colliding with turbine rotor blades is a well‐known negative consequence of wind‐power plants. However, there has been far less attention to the risk of birds colliding with the turbine towers, and how to mitigate this risk.
2. Based on data from the Smøla wind‐power plant in Central Norway, it seems highly likely that willow ptarmigan (the only gallinaceous species found on the island) is prone to collide with turbine towers. By employing a BACI‐approach, we tested if painting the lower parts of turbine towers black would reduce the collision risk.
3. Overall, there was a 48% reduction in the number of recorded ptarmigan carcasses per search at painted turbines relative to neighboring control (unpainted) ones, with significant variation both within and between years.
4. Using contrast painting to the turbine towers resulted in significantly reduced number of ptarmigan carcasses found, emphasizing the effectiveness of such a relatively simple mitigation measure.

     

Providing straw to allow exploratory behaviour in a pig experimental system does not modify putative indicators of positive welfare: peripheral oxytocin and serotonin

Numerous studies have shown that providing straw to pigs can reduce undesirable behaviours such as aggression, tail biting and stereotypy. The measurement of various neuromodulators can be helpful in assessing the development of positive behaviours and overall animal welfare. The oxytocin release is frequently linked to positive emotions and positive welfare. It has been suggested that oxytocin modulates the serotoninergic system. This study aims to investigate the potential effect of straw provision in pigs on peripheral levels of oxytocin and serotonin. In total, 18 mini-pigs were involved in an exploratory study conducted in two parallel groups, Enriched (n=10) and Control (n=8) groups. Pigs were divided by group and housed in pens of two individuals. Straw was provided continuously only in Enriched group and renewed each day for 2 weeks. Two blood samples were drawn from each animal 5 to 10 min before providing the straw, and 15 min after providing straw, during the 1^st week, to analyse peripheral changes in oxytocin and serotonin before and after straw provision, and determine the existence of a putative short-term effect. The same procedure was carried out for Control group, without straw provision. Long-term effects of straw provision were also examined using blood samples drawn at the same hour from each animal in the 2^nd and 3^rd weeks. During this time, animals had the permanent possibility to explore the straw in Enriched group but not in Control group. At the end of each week, one animal-keeper completed two visual analogue scales for each mini-pig regarding the difficulty/ease to work with and handle it and its trust in humans. Results showed peripheral oxytocin increases in both groups after 2 weeks (P=0.02). Results did not demonstrate any effect of providing straw to allow exploratory behaviour on peripheral serotonin. Other results were not significant. This preliminary study explored the relationship between peripheral oxytocin and serotonin and the presence of straw that allow pigs to perform exploratory behaviour, suggesting that there was no relationship between them. Some future studies may include crossing oxytocin and serotonin with other parameters, such as behavioural measures, to obtain more information about the true state of the animal and any possible relationship with pig welfare.     

Bayesian Quantile Regression for Longitudinal Studies with Nonignorable Missing Data

Summary .  We study quantile regression (QR) for longitudinal measurements with nonignorable intermittent missing data and dropout. Compared to conventional mean regression, quantile regression can characterize the entire conditional distribution of the outcome variable, and is more robust to outliers and misspecification of the error distribution. We account for the within-subject correlation by introducing a   ℓ₂   penalty in the usual QR check function to shrink the subject-specific intercepts and slopes toward the common population values. The informative missing data are assumed to be related to the longitudinal outcome process through the shared latent random effects. We assess the performance of the proposed method using simulation studies, and illustrate it with data from a pediatric AIDS clinical trial.     

Parametric and Nonparametric Analyses of Repeated Ordinal Categorical Data

We compare two models for the analysis of repeated ordinal categorical data: the classical parametric model for means of scores assigned to the categories of the response variable and a nonparametric model based on relative effects derived from the marginal distribution functions of the response. An example in the field of Dentistry is used to illustrate and to compare the models. We also consider a simulation study to evaluate the type‐I error rates and the power of tests under both models in a balanced design setup. The simulation results suggest that both approaches behave similarly for equally spaced scores but may perform differently otherwise. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

中国特有植物台湾杉的生物学特性及其保护

本文全面地综述了我国一级国家重点保护植物台湾杉的生物学特性,其中有外部形态特征,内部结构包括苗端、叶片、树皮及木材结构,雌雄配子体与胚胎发育,花粉和染色体。此外还有台湾杉的组织培养、地理分布,生态学与群落学特性等。最后,本文作者还初步分析了台湾杉的濒危原因,并提出了具体保护措施。     

A simple derivation of the partitioning of genetic differentiation within subdivided populations

The genetic differentiation within a subdivided population can be partitioned into two proportions, one due to differentiation within sub-populations and the other due to differentiation among subpopulations. A simple mathematical derivation of this procedure, known as Nei's G _ST -statistics, is presented. The significance of considering the differing relative sizes of subpopulations is stressed. Possible fields of applications for breeders and conservationists who are concerned with the establishment of genetically diverse populations are mentioned.     

The evolution of reaction norms: simple models for age and size at maturity

This paper presents a simple model for the evolution of reaction norms for age and size at maturity that predicts reaction norms with a variety of shapes. Using realistic parameter values the model predicts reaction norms close to those observed in Drosophila. The major assumptions of the model are: 1) that net reproductive rate is maximized, 2) that growth is determinate, and 3) that mortality rates are independent of age and size at maturity. If, additionally, juvenile mortality is uncorrelated with a growth coefficient, k, the model predicts that selection favors maturation later at a smaller size when k is reduced by environmental factors and that decreased juvenile mortality leads to delayed maturity. These two predictions conform with those found by previous models using other measures of fitness. Correlations between k and juvenile mortality can change the shape of the predicted reaction norm. Depending on the precise form of the correlation, the model can predict done- or bowl-shaped reaction norms and can predict delayed or earlier maturity as k decreases. These shapes are qualitatively different from those predicted by previous models that used different fitness measures. Systematic estimates of the parameter values for this and for related models are required to determine the appropriate fitness measure for models of reaction norms.     

Anostraca,Notostraca, Laevicaudata and Spinicaudata of Pannonian region and in its Austrian area

The northwestern area of the Pannonian Lowland extends into Austria. The climatic and hydrologic attributes of this biographic region promote the existence of extremely astatic bodies water lacking any fish and hence the occurrence of Anostraca, Notostraca, Laevicaudata and Spinicaudata. Zoogeographical and ecological features as well as the extinction of species due to anthropogenic influence are described.Dedicated to Prof. Dr F. Berger, Lunz, Austria, on the occasion of his 90th birthdayDedicated to Prof. Dr F. Berger, Lunz, Austria, on the occasion of his 90th birthday     

Some new results on Cox–Czanner divergence and their applications in survival studies

In the present communication, we propose a quantile-based measure for the divergence between two survival functions. This can also be used in a dynamic way where the divergence between survival functions varies with time. Several new properties of the proposed measure are investigated with suitable examples. The behavior of the measure for various reliability models is also investigated. A real data analysis is employed to compare the relative efficacy of two treatment groups using the proposed divergence measure.