Leg-mounted data-loggers do not affect the reproductive performance of short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris)

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Carey

Context Attaching tracking devices to several avian species could produce negative outcomes. Of particular concern are potential alterations to birds’ reproductive, flight, diving and foraging performances. Attachment of devices may also lead to a bias in results or an inaccurate interpretation of results as birds may not behave ‘normally’. Aims The aims of the present study were to evaluate the possible effects of a 5.4-g global location-sensing (GLS) data-logger attached to a modified aluminium band on short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris (Temminck, 1835)), representing 0.7–1% of adult body mass, breeding on Great Dog Island, Furneaux Group, Tasmania. Methods Eighty birds were monitored during two breeding seasons. Twenty-seven GLS data-loggers were attached to birds in 2007, with the remaining birds acting as controls. Breeding success, return rates and body condition were compared between equipped and non-equipped birds. Key results In the year of deployment, no evidence of negative effects of attaching data-loggers on hatching success, pre-fledging chick mass or survival was found. However, chicks reared by non-equipped adults were skeletally larger. After controlling for body size, no significant effect on chick body condition was detected between the two groups. In the year of recapture, significantly more GLS-equipped than non-equipped adults returned to the colony. There were no differences in adult body condition, egg size, hatching or fledging success between the two groups. After GLS devices were removed, chick mass and size at pre-fledging were equal between those raised by GLS-equipped and non-equipped adults. Conclusions These results suggest that appropriate-sized data-loggers are a relatively benign method of obtaining at-sea foraging and behavioural information from seabirds. However, loggers may be affecting parental care of offspring and this requires further investigation. Importantly, no carry-over effects were observed once the data-loggers were removed after 12 months. Implications Identifying any effects of data-logger attachment is imperative for animal welfare but also for the accuracy of tracking data and subsequent interpretation. GLS devices are rapidly becoming smaller and lighter, and if this trend continues, unlock unprecedented opportunities for pelagic seabird research. During long deployments, monitoring individuals and assessing their health and reproductive output should be considered an integral part of all bio-logging studies.


Author(s):  
Badal Dev Roy ◽  
R. Saravanan

The Turbocharger is a charge booster for internal combustion engines to ensure best engine performance at all speeds and road conditions especially at the higher load.  Random selection of turbocharger may lead to negative effects like surge and choke in the breathing of the engine. Appropriate selection or match of the turbocharger (Turbomatching) is a tedious task and expensive. But perfect match gives many distinguished advantages and it is a one time task per the engine kind. This study focuses to match the turbocharger to desired engine by simulation and on road test. The objective of work is to find the appropriateness of matching of turbochargers with trim 67 (B60J67), trim 68 (B60J68),  trim 70 (A58N70) and trim 72 (A58N72) for the TATA 497 TCIC -BS III engine. In the road-test (data-logger method) the road routes like highway and slope up were considered for evaluation. The operating conditions with respect various speeds, routes and simulated outputs were compared with the help of compressor map.



2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando do Pazo-Oubiña ◽  
Bartomeu Alorda-Ladaria ◽  
Ana Gomez-Lobon ◽  
Bàrbara Boyeras-Vallespir ◽  
María Margalida Santandreu-Estelrich ◽  
...  

AbstractMore thermolabile drugs are becoming available, and in most cases, these medications are dispensed to ambulatory patients. However, there is no regulation once medications are dispensed to patients and little is known with regard to what happens during transport and home storage. Previous studies suggest that these drugs are improperly stored. The present study was designed to determine the storage conditions of thermolabile drugs once they are dispensed to the patient in the Hospital Pharmacy Department. This is a prospective observational study to assess the temperature profile of 7 thermolabile drugs once they are dispensed to ambulatory patients at a tertiary care hospital. A data logger was added to the medication packaging. Temperature was considered inappropriate if one of the following circumstances were met: any temperature record less than or equal to 0 °C or over 25 °C; temperatures between 0–2 or 8–25 °C for a continuous period over 30 min. The time series of temperature measurements obtained from each data logger were analyzed as statistically independent variables. The data shown did not undergo any statistical treatment and must be considered directly related to thermal measurements. One hundred and fourteen patients were included and 107 patients were available for the analysis. On the whole, a mean of 50.6 days (SD 18.3) were measured and the mean temperature was 6.88 °C (SD 2.93). Three data loggers (2.8%) maintained all the measurements between 2 and 8 °C with less than 3 continuous data (< 30 min) out of this range but no data over 25 °C or below or equal to 0 °C. 28 (26.2%) data loggers had at least one measurement below zero, 1 data logger had a measurement greater than 25 °C and 75 (70.1%) were between 0 and 2 °C and/or between 8 and 25 °C for more than 30 min. In conclusion, once dispensed to patients, most thermolabile drugs are improperly stored. Future studies should focus on clinical consequences and possible solutions.



Ibis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Soldatini ◽  
Martha Patricia Rosas Hernandez ◽  
Yuri V. Albores‐Barajas ◽  
Giulia Bambini ◽  
Adrian Munguia‐Vega ◽  
...  


2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina M. Morgan ◽  
Travis E. Wilcoxen ◽  
Michelle A. Rensel ◽  
Stephan J. Schoech

Context Anthropogenic disturbances induce physiological and behavioural responses in numerous species. The negative effects of human disturbance are of special concern to threatened and endangered species. Aims The present study aims to compare physiological stress measures and reproductive success of Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) living near roads with jays that live away from roads. Specifically, it aims to test whether roads are stressful. Methods We assessed physiological measures that can serve as indicators of ‘stress’ to determine whether a highway that bisects our study site had physiological effects on adult male Florida scrub-jays. We captured male breeders from three territory types, including scrub habitat that (1) bordered a highway with a grassy shoulder that created an ‘edge’ habitat (roadside), (2) bordered human-maintained habitat (a plowed firebreak of sand with adjacent pasture) that served as a control for the edge-effect of the road (pasture) and (3) contained only natural scrub habitat (interior). We measured baseline concentrations of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT), body mass, and a suite of longitudinal body measures to generate a body condition index in males from each territory type over three breeding seasons. Key results Roadside jays had greater body mass than did interior and pasture jays, although there were no differences in overall baseline CORT concentrations or body condition among territory classes. There was no difference in clutch initiation date or size and nestling and independent-young survival. Conclusions Our results suggest that the road through our study site has physiological effects on Florida scrub-jays; however, there is mixed evidence as to whether it acts as a chronic stressor. Implications Our findings provide evidence that roads and road-associated disturbance has neutral or potentially beneficial physiological effects of roads on Florida scrub-jays. Knowledge of these effects of roads and disturbance on jays will hopefully provide additional opportunities to improve conservation of this species.



Polar Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carola Rackete ◽  
Sally Poncet ◽  
Stephanie D. Good ◽  
Richard A. Phillips ◽  
Ken Passfield ◽  
...  

AbstractThe wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans, is a globally threatened species breeding at a number of sites within the Southern Ocean. Across the South Georgia archipelago, there are differences in population trends even at closely located colonies. Between 1999 and 2018 the largest colony, at Bird Island, declined at 3.01% per annum, while in the Bay of Isles, the decline was 1.44% per annum. Using mean demographic rates from a 31-year study at Bird Island and an 11-year study of breeding success at Prion Island in the Bay of Isles in a VORTEX model, we show that differences in breeding success do not fully explain observed differences in population trends. Other potential contributing factors are differential use of foraging areas, with possible knock-on effects on adult body condition, provisioning rate and breeding success, or on bycatch rates of adults or immatures.



2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 626-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten B. Moysich ◽  
Julie A. Baker ◽  
Ravi J. Menezes ◽  
Vijayvel Jayaprakash ◽  
Kerry J. Rodabaugh ◽  
...  


2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 365-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Fauvel ◽  
François Brischoux ◽  
Marine Jeanne Briand ◽  
Xavier Bonnet

Long term population monitoring is essential to ecological studies; however, field procedures may disturb individuals. Assessing this topic is important in worldwide declining taxa such as reptiles. Previous studies focussed on animal welfare issues and examined short-term effects (e.g. increase of stress hormones due to handling). Long-term effects with possible consequences at the population level remain poorly investigated. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of widely used field procedures (e.g. handling, marking, forced regurgitation) both on short-term (hormonal stress response) and on long-term (changes in body condition, survival) scales in two intensively monitored populations of sea kraits (Laticauda spp.) in New Caledonia. Focusing on the most intensively monitored sites, from 2002 to 2012, we gathered approximately 11 200 captures/recaptures on 4500 individuals. Each snake was individually marked (scale clipping + branding) and subjected to various measurements (e.g. body size, head morphology, palpation). In addition, a subsample of more than 500 snakes was forced to regurgitate their prey for dietary analyses. Handling caused a significant stress hormonal response, however we found no detrimental long-term effect on body condition. Forced regurgitation did not cause any significant effect on both body condition one year later and survival. These results suggest that the strong short-term stress provoked by field procedures did not translate into negative effects on the population. Although similar analyses are required to test the validity of our conclusions in other species, our results suggest distinguishing welfare and population issues to evaluate the potential impact of population surveys.



2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerica M. Berge ◽  
Katharine Wickel ◽  
William J. Doherty


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Geoffry Fordyce ◽  
Kerri Chandra

Growth of 1368 Brahman cross heifers from 6 year cohorts was monitored over the 2 years post-weaning in Australia’s northern forest, a low-animal-growth dry tropical environment. Heifers weighing 47–266 kg at weaning were managed in groups weighing &lt;100 kg, 100–149 kg, 150–199 kg, and &gt;199 kg during the post-weaning dry season. Weaner heifers were allocated to receive 300 g/day of a protein meal during the dry season or to basic nutritional management to sustain health. Heifers in three cohorts were allocated to first mating at 1 or 2 years of age, in four cohorts to vaccination against androstenedione, and in a small proportion of two cohorts to ovariectomy post-weaning. Growth was highly variable between seasons and years; average cohort liveweight by the start of 2-year-old mating was 256–319 kg. Heifer groups not receiving protein supplementation gained –16 to 21 kg (2 kg average) during 6-month dry seasons, and 49–131 kg (101 kg average) during wet seasons to reach an average of two-thirds of mature liveweight (445 kg) and 95% of mature hip height (1350 mm) by the start of mating at 2 years. Average body condition score (1–5) fluctuated by 1–2 units between seasons. Hip height gain continued, irrespective of season, commencing at ~0.60 mm/day at 6 months of age, and decelerating by ~0.00075 mm/day through to 2.5 years of age. Standard errors of predicted means across analyses were ~0.015 for average daily weight gains, 0.4 mm for average monthly height gain and 0.06 score units for average seasonal body condition score change. Post-weaning dry-season supplementation increased gains in liveweight, height and body condition score by an average of 0.1 kg/day, 0.1 mm/day and 0.5 units, respectively, during the supplementation period. Periods of poor nutrition or high nutritional demand secondary to reproduction suppressed daily gains in liveweight and hip height, at which times body condition score was also reduced. Subsequent to this, partial to full compensation occurred for all measures. Ovariectomy had negative effects on growth. Androstenedione vaccination had no effect on growth. The main conclusion is that heifer growth in Australia’s dry tropical northern forest region is highly variable between seasons and years, thus limiting significant proportions of some cohorts from reaching target weights for mating at 2 years of age, even after compensatory growth.





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