The development and evaluation of multiple regression equations based on four common nutritional analysis packages to predict the metabolisable energy density of diets fed to grower/finisher and adult pigs and their use for rat and mouse diets.

We have used multiple regression analyses to develop a series of metabolisable energy (ME) prediction equations from chemical analyses of pig diets that can be extended to murine diets. We compiled four datasets from an extensive range of published metabolism studies with grower/finisher and adult pigs. The analytes in the datasets were increasingly complex, comprising: 1.

Cross-cultural and site-based influences on demographic, well-being, and social network predictors of risk perception in hazard and disaster settings in Ecuador and Mexico: predictors of risk perception in hazard and disaster settings in Ecuador and Mexico.

Although virtually all comparative research about risk perception focuses on which hazards are of concern to people in different culture groups, much can be gained by focusing on predictors of levels of risk perception in various countries and places. In this case, we examine standard and novel predictors of risk perception in seven sites among communities affected by a flood in Mexico (one site) and volcanic eruptions in Mexico (one site) and Ecuador (five sites). We conducted more than 450 interviews with questions about how people feel at the time (after the disaster) regarding what happened in the past, their current concerns, and their expectations for the future.

Public perceptions of Florida red tide risks.

This research integrates theoretical frameworks of risk perception, social amplification of risk, and the role of place-specific contexts in order to explore the various perceptions surrounding Florida red tides. Florida red tides are naturally occurring events that are increasing in frequency, duration, and severity. This has implications for public health, the local economy, and ecosystem health.

Neoplastic pathology in male Sprague-Dawley rats fed AIN-93M diet ad libitum or at restricted intakes.

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of age and long-term dietary reduction on neoplastic diseases in rats fed the AIN-93M purified diet. Second, pathologic profiles are critical to comprehensive dietary evaluation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats assigned to 2 groups, ad libitum (AL) and dietary restricted (DR), were fed the AIN-93M (casein protein) diet free choice and reduced in amount by 31%, respectively.

Maternal recognition and health care-seeking behavior for acute respiratory infection in children in a rural Ecuadorian county.

Objectives: To identify the factors which determine timely health care-seeking behaviors for childhood ARIs.

Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to a non-random purposive sample of 91 female caregivers (age 18-57 years), and was analyzed using SPSS. In addition, six focus group discussions with female caregivers and 25 in-depth interviews with members from the health care setting were conducted.

Use of remote sensing techniques to determine the effects of grazing on vegetation cover and dune elevation at Assateague Island National Seashore: impact of horses.

The effects of grazing by feral horses on vegetation and dune topography at Assateague Island National Seashore were investigated using color-infrared imagery, lidar surveys, and field measurements. Five pairs of fenced and unfenced plots (300 m2) established in 1993 on sand flats and small dunes with similar elevation, topography, and vegetation cover were used for this study. Color-infrared imagery from 1998 and field measurements from 2001 indicated that there was a significant difference in vegetation cover between the fenced and unfenced plot-pairs over the study period.

Cumulative dietary energy intake determines the onset of puberty in female rats.

Laboratory animal diets for studies to determine the endocrine-disrupting potential of chemicals are under scrutiny because they can affect both assay control values and assay sensitivity. Although phytoestrogen content is important, we have previously shown that a phytoestrogen-rich diet and a phytoestrogen-free diet were equally uterotrophic to rats and advanced vaginal opening (VO) when compared with the standard diet RM1. Abolition of the effects by the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonist Antarelix indicated that these effects were mediated through the hypothalamus-pituitary-reproductive organ axis.

The effectiveness of street sweepers in removing pollutants from road surfaces in Florida.

To test the effectiveness of street sweepers in the sandy-surfaced, subtropical Florida Peninsula, a controlled experiment was set up to compare the effectiveness of two different sweeper types in removing sediments, heavy metals, and organic constituents from a paved surface. Both a rotary brush and a regenerative air sweeper were tested on an asphalt roadway. The results indicate that rotary brush sweepers are more effective in removing total sediment loads from roads in this type of environment.

Community resilience and volcano hazard: the eruption of Tungurahua and evacuation of the faldas in Ecuador.

Official response to explosive volcano hazards usually involves evacuation of local inhabitants to safe shelters. Enforcement is often difficult and problems can be exacerbated when major eruptions do not ensue. Families are deprived of livelihoods and pressure to return to hazardous areas builds.