During analysis of stored tracings, tidal volumes (Vt), respiratory rates (RR), minute volumes (Vc) and the pleural pressure swings (Dpl) (ie an index of breathing effort) were computed.
ERD in the alpha band, coupled with ERS in the theta band have been interpreted as an index of mental effort (Nunez et al. 2001).
The index of feeding effort inside the latrine area ranged between 0.7 and 1.1 (0.9 ± 0.1) and between 0.8 and 1.1 (0.9 ± 0.1) for the feeding effort outside the latrine area.
In a comparative analysis, the gonadosomatic index could still function as useful index of reproductive effort if different species had equal rates of allocation to given masses of somatic and reproductive tissues.
Likewise, we divided the proportion of foraging time outside the latrine area by the relative proportion of the number of food patches located outside the latrine area to calculate an index of feeding effort outside the latrine area.
We divided the proportion of foraging time within the latrine area by the relative proportion of the number of food patches located within the latrine area to calculate an index of feeding effort inside the latrine area.
We calculated an index of feeding effort that allows accounting for the fact that the latrine area is smaller than the remaining home range area, and hence, innately can only contain a smaller number of potential food patches.
In this physiologic, clinical pilot study we found that diaphragm excursion was not correlated to any index of muscle effort under varying levels of muscle loading; we also found that diaphragm thickening was a good indicator of changes of inspiratory muscle effort in response to modifications of the support level.
Age at the onset of senescence and maximum life span have also been related to indices of reproductive effort, which themselves are correlated with survival, among bird and mammal species.
In the present study, this index proved uncorrelated to any of the other indices of inspiratory effort taken into account.
