Modelling lactation curves of dairy cows with emphasis on individual variability

1996 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Pérochon ◽  
J. B. Coulon ◽  
F. Lescourret

AbstractFive published equations were compared on their ability to adjust different patterns of lactation curves. The equation y(t) = a exp(b1t'2/2 + b2/t – c(l + t'/2)t') with t' = (t – 21·4)/l00 (i) was retained because of the quality of the adjustment and the absence of convergence problems when applied on individual curves. Including an effect of season (SE) and an effect of pregnancy (PE) improved the quality of individual adjustments (no. = 339). The final equation was equal to (i) + SE + PE with SE = a + b cos (2π(wc + w - l)/52) + c sin(2n(wc + w - 1)/52), with wc= week of the year at calving, w = week after calving and a = 0·0065, b = -1·26 and c = 0·374, and PE = a (wp –18) e-bwp, with w p = week of pregnancy and a, b fixed parameters. Individual cow characteristics were used to analyse equation (i) parameters. The predictions obtained with this equation and several predictive functions of the equation (i) parameters, which differed in the way they included or not the potential of production, were compared. With no indication of this potential, the prediction was very poor. With the initial production (mean production of the 4th, 5th and 6th days of lactation) as an estimate of this potential, 75% of the lactations had the median of absolute values of errors less than 2·95 kg/day. The results were highly improved by using the yield during the 5th week of lactation. The threshold of 2·95 was reduced to about 2 kg/day. The quality of the individual prediction was better for primiparous than for multiparous cows, and for French Friesian and Montbeliarde cows than for pure or crossbred Holstein cows. Although individual predictions were not always satisfactory, they provided excellent agreement when averaged per group (20 cows).

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 160940691879701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma K. Tsui ◽  
Emily Franzosa

This article describes a novel approach to reciprocal peer interviewing in which participants interview one another sequentially, allowing each the space of a full interview to articulate her experiences and reflections. This structure of data collection offers a new conceptualization of the way that elicitation functions; not just as a process inside of an interview, but one that is also shaped by factors preceding and outside of the individual interview, a process we call “meta-elicitation.” We argue that this form of reciprocal peer interviewing offers a view of the emic that is both participant-led and uniquely balanced between collective and individual perspectives. However, we also argue that shared authority and rapport are actively, and not always successfully, negotiated in such interviews. To prepare participants for peer interviewing, we hosted a 1-day workshop involving interview training, planning, and the recording of interviews. To maximize quality of such projects, we recommend that external researchers consider carefully (1) the balance of structure and flexibility in designing the workshop and interviews, (2) thorough preparation of participants, and (3) the role of meta-elicitation dynamics during analysis.


ARCHALP ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 NS (Issue 2 Ns, July 2019) ◽  
pp. 105-113
Author(s):  
Walter Angonese

Isn’t the existent always the outcome of any creative confrontation? Is such a creative discussion really out of a contextual consideration? Isn’t every context – even a purely spiritual one – part of the heritage? In his contribution, Walter Angonese reflects on the potential of the pre-existent on the architectural project. He believes in “thinking ahead” and consequently in “building on”, and that is why the question of the relevance of existing structures to architectural design has been clarified. However, he also believes that the quality of the existent can only be improved thanks to an increased habit of awareness and not only following and blaming the prescribed laws for quality assurance. This awareness raising gives responsibility to the individual within a society, but also makes him responsible for his own actions. Building in an alpine context – like any building, by the way – is therefore a question of responsibility, towards oneself and towards one’s society. If the architectural idea is built by leading it from an intuition about a cultural reflection to what one can call a real “architectural idea” (and not merely any intuition), then that is an important first step for a high-quality “continuing construction” of the existing. Only the heritage and the existent can become a meaningful starting point of the project.


2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 129 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Yoshioka ◽  
H. Matsuda ◽  
K. Sasaguri ◽  
M. Yonai

Many studies have reported on the low fertility of dairy herds during the past several years. The object of this study was to investigate the relationships between duration of estrus and various factors (milk production, peripheral steroid hormones, and period from estrus to ovulation). All primiparous and multiparous Holstein cows (n = 62) were fitted pedometers (Gyuho; Comtec, Miyazaki, Japan) that measure total counts of walking activity per hour and send the individual cow


Author(s):  
Peter J. Adams

This chapter’s discussion builds on the previous chapter in exploring in more detail three positive advantages of my-death awareness: first, in the way it enhances one’s quality of life; second, in the way it prompts re-evaluation of life values and objectives; and, third, in the way engagement with my-death during life helps prepare the individual for its role at the end of life. The chapter also explores a vibrant area of psychological research, “terror management theory,” in which existential fears of death contribute in negative and positive ways to broader attitudes and beliefs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myrtill Gráff ◽  
Ágnes Süli ◽  
Szabina Szilágyi ◽  
Edit Mikó

Abstract The body condition scoring system (BCS) is a means of accurately determining body condition of dairy cows, independent of body weight and farm size. The body condition scores represent a subjective visual or tactile (or both) evaluation of the amount of subcutaneous fat in a cow. The system is a useful method of evaluating body energy reserves and is used widely for evaluating nutritional status in dairy cows. The different stages of lactation have different recommended scores. BCS change during the lactation period depends on the milk production, reproduction and health status. Extreme body condition loss in the early lactation can cause irregular heats, longer time to first ovulation, and fail to conceive. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of BCS on Holstein cows’ reproduction. The relationship between some BCS parameters: BCS at calving (BCSc), minimum BCS after calving (BCSmin) and the reduction of BCS after calving (BCSr) on one hand and three reproductive parameters: the days from calving to first service (DFS), number of inseminations to conception (NIC), and days open (DO) on the other hand were studied in three private dairy farms in South Hungary. BCS were determined monthly during milk recording. A total of 786 records of Holstein cows from 1 to 3 lactation were evaluated. DFS was significantly (P<5%) influenced by BCSs and BCSmin. The number of inseminations to conception (NIC) varied according to the individual cow. In the present study was between 1 and 12. The most favourable DO values were observed in the group having >3.5 BCSc (150.04 days), the group with 3.0-3.5 BCSmin (138.92) and the group having >1 BCSr. There was no significant relationship found between DO and the BCS groups.


Author(s):  
B. Carragher ◽  
M. Whittaker

Techniques for three-dimensional reconstruction of macromolecular complexes from electron micrographs have been successfully used for many years. These include methods which take advantage of the natural symmetry properties of the structure (for example helical or icosahedral) as well as those that use single axis or other tilting geometries to reconstruct from a set of projection images. These techniques have traditionally relied on a very experienced operator to manually perform the often numerous and time consuming steps required to obtain the final reconstruction. While the guidance and oversight of an experienced and critical operator will always be an essential component of these techniques, recent advances in computer technology, microprocessor controlled microscopes and the availability of high quality CCD cameras have provided the means to automate many of the individual steps.During the acquisition of data automation provides benefits not only in terms of convenience and time saving but also in circumstances where manual procedures limit the quality of the final reconstruction.


2001 ◽  
Vol 209 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kleinsorge ◽  
Herbert Heuer ◽  
Volker Schmidtke

Summary. When participants have to shift between four tasks that result from a factorial combination of the task dimensions judgment (numerical vs. spatial) and mapping (compatible vs. incompatible), a characteristic profile of shift costs can be observed that is suggestive of a hierarchical switching mechanism that operates upon a dimensionally ordered task representation, with judgment on the top and the response on the bottom of the task hierarchy ( Kleinsorge & Heuer, 1999 ). This switching mechanism results in unintentional shifts on lower levels of the task hierarchy whenever a shift on a higher level has to be performed, leading to non-shift costs on the lower levels. We investigated whether this profile depends on the way in which the individual task dimensions are cued. When the cues for the task dimensions were exchanged, the basic pattern of shift costs was replicated with only minor modifications. This indicates that the postulated hierarchical switching mechanism operates independently of the specifics of task cueing.


Author(s):  
Beatrice Marovich

‘The art of free society’, A.N. Whitehead declares in his essay on symbolism, is fundamentally dual. It consists of both ‘maintenance of the symbolic code’ and a ‘fearlessness of [its] revision’. This tension, on the surface paradoxical, is what Whitehead believes will prevent social decay, anarchy, or ‘the slow atrophy of a life stifled by useless shadows’. Bearing in mind Whitehead’s own thoughts on the nature of symbolism, this chapter argues that the figure of the creature has been underappreciated in his work as a symbol. It endeavors to examine and contextualize the symbolic potency of creatureliness in Whitehead’s work, with particular attention directed toward the way the creature helps him to both maintain and revise an older symbolic code. In Process and Reality, ‘creature’ serves as Whitehead’s alternate name for the ‘individual fact’ or the ‘actual entity’—including (perhaps scandalously, for his more orthodox readers) the figure of God. What was Whitehead’s strategic motivation for deploying this superfluous title for an already-named category? In this chapter, it is suggested that his motivation was primarily poetic (Whitehead held the British romantic tradition in some reverence) and so, in this sense, always and already aware of its rich symbolic potency.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46
Author(s):  
Stanislava Varadinova

The attention sustainability and its impact of social status in the class are current issues concerning the field of education are the reasons for delay in assimilating the learning material and early school dropout. Behind both of those problems stand psychological causes such as low attention sustainability, poor communication skills and lack of positive environment. The presented article aims to prove that sustainability of attention directly influences the social status of students in the class, and hence their overall development and the way they feel in the group. Making efforts to increase students’ attention sustainability could lead to an increase in the social status of the student and hence the creation of a favorable and positive environment for the overall development of the individual.


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