scholarly journals Growth and behaviour of post-weaned Mérinos d'Arles ewe lambs, as measured by a Walk-over-Weighing system under Mediterranean grazing conditions.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Leroux ◽  
I. Llach ◽  
G. Besche ◽  
J. D. Guyonneau ◽  
D. Montier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Warning System ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Close Monitoring ◽  
Adaptation Period ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Ewe Lambs ◽  
Frequent Monitoring ◽  
Farmer Decision Making ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Liveweight (LW) is a key and conventional indicator for monitoring and assessing overall animal performance and welfare, representing the progress along different physiological stages, while providing close indication of individual physical and health status. Measuring LW in practice is still, however, quite rare and infrequent under commercial sheep farming conditions, mainly because sessions are time-consuming, stressful either for the operator and the animals. A Walk-over-Weighing (WoW) system, already evaluated with other breeds under different conditions, was tested in this experiment lasting 14 weeks (i.e. 3 for acclimation and adaptation and 11 for data collection). We validated its use for routine and frequent monitoring the growth rate in post-weaned Merinos d'Arles ewe lambs, reared under Mediterranean grazing conditions. Similarly to previous work, the necessity for an initial adaptation period of the animals as well as for an essential data cleaning procedure of the raw database automatically collected by the WoW, were corroborated. Adaptation of naive ewe lambs enabled the required voluntary passages across the weigh platform and a high volume of individual and daily data after 2-3 weeks. Close monitoring of individual growth was then possible after performing sound data cleanings. A strong concordance of WoW LW data with the gold standard (a standard static scale) LW reference data was demonstrated. At the individual level, even with the lowest number of LW values collected with WoW, it was possible to monitor variations in LW at daily intervals. The establishment of an early warning system to help farmer decision making could therefore be possible. Our results show interesting perspectives for more precise and frequent monitoring of LW in grazing sheep without human intervention, compared to what is currently carried out on commercial farms.

Incidents in high-volume elongated crowd facilities: A simulation-based study

SIMULATION ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 95 (9) ◽  
pp. 823-843
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdelghany ◽  
Hani Mahmassani ◽  
Khaled Abdelghany ◽  
Hasan Al-Ahmadi ◽  
Wael Alhalabi
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Linear Structure ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Heterogeneous Traffic ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Stop And Go ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Inefficient Operation

This paper presents the main findings of a simulation-based study to evaluate incidents in pedestrian/crowd tunnels and similar elongated confined facilities, with high-volume heterogeneous traffic. These incidents, when occur, imposes hazardous conditions that always result in significant number of fatalities. The aim of this study is to understand how these facilities perform under different irregular scenarios and possibly identify potential causes of accidents. The problem of studying incidents in large-scale high-volume pedestrian facilities is that these incidents are difficult to expect or replicate. Thus, studying these facilities through real-life scenarios is almost impossible. Accordingly, a micro-simulation assignment model for multidirectional pedestrian movement is used for this purpose. The model adopts a Cellular Automata (CA) discrete system, which allows detailed representation of the pedestrians’ walkways in the tunnel. The modeling approach captures crowd dynamics through representation of behavioral decisions of heterogeneous pedestrians at the individual level. Several experiments are conducted to study the pedestrian flow in the proposed tunnel considering different operational scenarios including demand levels, heterogeneous traffic, evacuation scenario, and tunnel blockage. Results show that flow of large pedestrian volumes through a long confined linear structure, such as a tunnel, are subject to the same flow dynamics as we observe with vehicular traffic. In particular, they are subject to the formation of “clumps” and shock waves that can rapidly propagate and lead to inefficient operation, including flow breakdown with stop-and-go waves.

scholarly journals Trophic and individual efficiencies of size-structured communities

2008 ◽  
Vol 276 (1654) ◽  
pp. 109-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.H Andersen ◽  
J.E Beyer ◽  
P Lundberg
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Growth ◽  
Growth Efficiency ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Size Spectrum ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Size

Individual and trophic efficiencies of size-structured communities are derived from mechanistically based principles at the individual level. The derivations are relevant for communities with a size-based trophic structure, i.e. where trophic level is strongly correlated with individual size as in many aquatic systems. The derivations are used to link Lindeman's trophic theory and trophic theory based on average individuals with explicit individual-level size spectrum theory. The trophic efficiency based on the transfer of mass between trophic levels through predator–prey interactions is demonstrated to be valid only when somatic growth can be ignored. Taking somatic growth into account yields an average individual growth efficiency that is smaller than the trophic efficiency.

scholarly journals Plea for an international Aneurysm Data Bank: description and perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. E17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Bijlenga ◽  
Sandrine Morel ◽  
Sven Hirsch ◽  
Karl Schaller ◽  
Daniel Rüfenacht
Keyword(s):  
Data Processing ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Disease Modeling ◽  
Disease Model ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Individual

The disease resulting in the formation, growth, and rupture of intracranial aneurysms is complex. Research is accumulating evidence that the disease is driven by many different factors, some constant and others variable over time. Combinations of factors may induce specific biophysical reactions at different stages of the disease. A better understanding of the biophysical mechanisms responsible for the disease initiation and progression is essential to predict the natural history of the disease. More accurate predictions are mandatory to adequately balance risks between observation and intervention at the individual level as expected in the age of personalized medicine. Multidisciplinary exploration of the disease also opens an avenue to the discovery of possible preventive actions or medical treatments. Modern information technologies and data processing methods offer tools to address such complex challenges requiring 1) the collection of a high volume of information provided globally, 2) integration and harmonization of the information, and 3) management of data sharing with a broad spectrum of stakeholders.Over the last decade an infrastructure has been set up and is now made available to the academic community to support and promote exploration of intracranial disease, modeling, and clinical management simulation and monitoring.The background and purpose of the infrastructure is reviewed. The infrastructure data flow architecture is presented. The basic concepts of disease modeling that oriented the design of the core information model are explained. Disease phases, milestones, cases stratification group in each phase, key relevant factors, and outcomes are defined. Data processing and disease model visualization tools are presented. Most relevant contributions to the literature resulting from the exploitation of the infrastructure are reviewed, and future perspectives are discussed.

scholarly journals Century-long cod otolith biochronology reveals individual growth plasticity in response to temperature

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Szymon Smoliński ◽  
Julie Deplanque-Lasserre ◽  
Einar Hjörleifsson ◽  
Audrey J. Geffen ◽  
Jane A. Godiksen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Thermal Plasticity ◽  
Individual Effects ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Otolith biochronologies combine growth records from individual fish to produce long-term growth sequences, which can help to disentangle individual from population-level responses to environmental variability. This study assessed individual thermal plasticity of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) growth in Icelandic waters based on measurements of otolith increments. We applied linear mixed-effects models and developed a century-long growth biochronology (1908–2014). We demonstrated interannual and cohort-specific changes in the growth of Icelandic cod over the last century which were mainly driven by temperature variation. Temperature had contrasting relationships with growth—positive for the fish during the youngest ages and negative during the oldest ages. We decomposed the effects of temperature on growth observed at the population level into within-individual effects and among‐individual effects and detected significant individual variation in the thermal plasticity of growth. Variance in the individual plasticity differed across cohorts and may be related to the mean environmental conditions experienced by the group. Our results underscore the complexity of the relationships between climatic conditions and the growth of fish at both the population and individual level, and highlight the need to distinguish between average population responses and growth plasticity of the individuals for accurate growth predictions.

Production at the Individual Level

2020 ◽  
pp. 127-148
Author(s):  
Michael J. Fogarty ◽  
Jeremy S. Collie
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Temperature Effects ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Ecological Research ◽  
Response Variable ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Natural Choice ◽  
Allometric Functions ◽  
The Individual

Models of individual growth commonly used in fisheries and ecological research can be built around simple allometric functions representing the build-up of body mass (anabolism) and metabolic loss terms incorporating the effects of respiration, egestion, and excretion. From a bioenergetic perspective, body weight is a natural choice for the response variable in these models because it can be readily recast in terms of energy. Temperature affects virtually every dimension of the biology and ecology of aquatic organisms. Modifications of traditional models of individual growth can be augmented to account for temperature effects. The development of ‘full’ bioenergetic models considering each of the individual elements of production is a natural culmination of the issues described above. By invoking mass-balance constraints the bioenergetic approach offers important avenues for estimating elements of production that can be difficult to otherwise obtain.

Differential Effects of Competence and Morality on Self-Esteem at the Individual and the Collective Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-198
Author(s):  
Wiktor Soral ◽  
Mirosław Kofta
Keyword(s):  
Self Esteem ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Individual

Abstract. The importance of various trait dimensions explaining positive global self-esteem has been the subject of numerous studies. While some have provided support for the importance of agency, others have highlighted the importance of communion. This discrepancy can be explained, if one takes into account that people define and value their self both in individual and in collective terms. Two studies ( N = 367 and N = 263) examined the extent to which competence (an aspect of agency), morality, and sociability (the aspects of communion) promote high self-esteem at the individual and the collective level. In both studies, competence was the strongest predictor of self-esteem at the individual level, whereas morality was the strongest predictor of self-esteem at the collective level.

Metonymy in Dance: Ballet Bunheads Take a Cognitive Turn

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-34
Author(s):  
Edward C. Warburton
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Cognitive Science ◽  
Artistic Development ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Figures Of Speech ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Level I ◽  
Dance Educators ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Metaphor And Metonymy

This essay considers metonymy in dance from the perspective of cognitive science. My goal is to unpack the roles of metaphor and metonymy in dance thought and action: how do they arise, how are they understood, how are they to be explained, and in what ways do they determine a person's doing of dance? The premise of this essay is that language matters at the cultural level and can be determinative at the individual level. I contend that some figures of speech, especially metonymic labels like ‘bunhead’, can not only discourage but dehumanize young dancers, treating them not as subjects who dance but as objects to be danced. The use of metonymy to sort young dancers may undermine the development of healthy self-image, impede strong identity formation, and retard creative-artistic development. The paper concludes with a discussion of the influence of metonymy in dance and implications for dance educators.

Exploring the effect of weight loss on food reward at the individual level

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Oustric ◽  
Kristine Beaulieu ◽  
Nuno Casanova ◽  
Francois Husson ◽  
Catherine Gibbons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual

Personality change and environmental concerns

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher James Hopwood ◽  
Ted Schwaba ◽  
Wiebke Bleidorn
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Personality Change ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
German Population ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Sustainable Behavior ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Over Time

Personal concerns about climate change and the environment are a powerful motivator of sustainable behavior. People’s level of concern varies as a function of a variety of social and individual factors. Using data from 58,748 participants from a nationally representative German sample, we tested preregistered hypotheses about factors that impact concerns about the environment over time. We found that environmental concerns increased modestly from 2009-2017 in the German population. However, individuals in middle adulthood tended to be more concerned and showed more consistent increases in concern over time than younger or older people. Consistent with previous research, Big Five personality traits were correlated with environmental concerns. We present novel evidence that increases in concern were related to increases in the personality traits neuroticism and openness to experience. Indeed, changes in openness explained roughly 50% of the variance in changes in environmental concerns. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the individual level factors associated with changes in environmental concerns over time, towards the promotion of more sustainable behavior at the individual level.

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