scholarly journals Implementation of Straw Racks in Commercial Pig Housing—Impact on Straw Availability and Pig Behaviour

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Torun Wallgren ◽  
Stefan Gunnarson
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Cognition ◽  
Treatment Effect ◽  
Small Difference ◽  
The Other ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Natural Behaviour ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Floor Control ◽  
And Control

This study investigated if straw racks, which enable larger straw rations, induced a more straw-directed behaviour in pigs, as a mean to facilitate the provision of manipulable material and natural behaviour. It was conducted on a commercial farm (459 pigs, 42 pens, 30–120 kg) where half of the pens received 25 L of straw on the floor (CONTROL) and the other half of the pens received straw in a rack holding 44 L of straw (RACK). The pig behaviour in five randomly assigned pens per treatment were recorded for 24 h, during three periods of production. Pig activity levels, exploratory behaviour, pen utilization and available clean straw were scan sampled. During period 1, no pigs were observed interacting with the straw racks. During this period, CONTROL pigs conducted more straw-directed behaviour and less pen-directed behaviour compared to pigs in the pens with a rack during period 1. The lack of rack interactions may imply an underdeveloped spatial cognition in the pigs. Apart from period 1, there were no significant difference in behaviour between RACK and CONTROL pigs. The racks did not disturb the use of the pen. The absent treatment effect in periods 2 and 3 may reflect that there was a too small difference in straw ration between the treatments. In order to design and implement straw racks that promote straw interaction, future studies should focus on understanding pigs’ spatial cognition.

A Sequenced Questioning Paradigm as a General Facilitator of Preschoolers' Associative Fluency

1981 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 649-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. Pellegrini
Keyword(s):  
Free Play ◽  
The Other ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control

To investigate the extent to which free play vs a sequenced questioning paradigm were general facilitators of preschoolers' associative fluency 36 children (15 girls and 21 boys, Mage. = 52.52 mo.; SD = 9.197 mo.) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, free play, questioning, or control. In the first two conditions children interacted with two conventional objects, randomly chosen from a set of four. Children in all conditions were asked to articulate novel uses for conventional objects they had not interacted with during their respective treatments. The condition significantly affected creative responses. Responses in the questioning condition were significantly greater than in the other conditions; there was no significant difference between play and control conditions.

scholarly journals The Influence of Demographic Characteristics of Greek Bank Employees on Their Perceptions of Organizational Culture

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Belias ◽  
Athanasios Koustelios
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Assessment Instrument ◽  
The Other ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Banking Institutions ◽  
Bank Employees ◽  
The One

The purpose of the present study was to reveal how demographic characteristics influence the perceptions of bank employees of organizational culture. The sample of the study consisted of 240 employees from Greek banking institutions, from different occupational positions. 60% of the employees were 31-40 years old followed by the categories 41-50 years old (20%), up to 30 years old (10%) and 51-60 years old (10%). Most of the employees (63.8%) had been working as bank employees for 6-15 years and the majority of them (63.8%) had been working in the same bank for 6-15 years. The majority of the employees (59.6%) were simple clerks, 29.2% were supervisors and 11.3% were Managers or Assistant Managers. The assessment of organizational culture was performed with the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) developed by Cameron and Quinn (2006). Results indicate that there is a significant difference in the perceptions of the subjects between the dominant current and the dominant preferred type of organizational culture. In addition, a statistically significant difference (p<0.01) was found between Managers and clerks on the one hand and Supervisors on the other hand in terms of both the dominant current and the dominant preferred type of organizational culture. Finally, employees’ perceptions of the dominant current and the dominant preferred type of organizational culture were found to be affected by other demographical characteristics, like age, total years of working in the same bank and total years of working in any bank. Future studies can extend the present work by examining additional parameters that affect employees’ perceptions of organizational culture.

Children’s Attitudes Toward Physical Activity in Classes Taught by Specialist versus Nonspecialist P.E. Teachers

1990 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 324-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Patterson ◽  
Nell Faucette
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Children's Attitudes ◽  
And Control

The purpose of the study was to determine if there were differences in attitudes toward physical activity for children in classes taught by specialists versus those taught by nonspecialists. Fourth- and fifth-grade children (N = 414) from four schools participated in the study. Two schools had P.E. specialists teaching the P.E. classes while the other two schools had classroom teachers teaching the classes. Attitudes were assessed by employing the Children’s Attitude Toward Physical Activity (CATPA) inventory (Simon & Smoll, 1974). Although discriminant function analysis resulted in a significant difference between the attitudes of both groups of children, only 57.48% of the cases were correctly classified. These results suggest that teachers play a minimal role in children’s attitudes toward physical activity. It was recommended that additional studies be conducted that examine and control for multiple factors influencing attitude formation.

Effects of crossbred ewe genotype and ram genotype on lamb carcass characteristics from the lowland sheep flock

2002 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. E. R. DAWSON ◽  
A. F. CARSON
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Content ◽  
Carcass Characteristics ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Growth Index ◽  
The Other ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Lean Growth ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control ◽  
Similar Conformation

A study was carried out on five lowland farms in Northern Ireland over 2 years to investigate the effects of crossbred ewe and ram genotype on lamb carcass characteristics. Four ewe genotypes were sourced from six hill farms – Bluefaced Leicester×Blackface (BLXB), Texel×Blackface (TXB), Suffolk×Cheviot (SXCH) and Texel×Cheviot (TXCH). On each farm groups of 20 to 30 of each crossbred ewe genotype were crossed with Suffolk or Texel sires. Within each of the ram breeds, high lean growth index rams sourced from UK sire reference schemes (SRS) were compared with rams sourced from flocks not involved in objective genetic improvement programmes (control). Throughout the 2 years of the study the ewes lambed at 1 and 2 years of age. Lambs from each of the crosses were slaughtered at 36, 44 and 52 kg live weight. Assessed on a 5-point scale, lambs from BLXB ewes had the poorest conformation classification values (2.8) (P<0.001) compared with 3.0–3.2 (S.E. 0.051) for lambs from the other ewe genotypes. Lambs from TXB, SXCH and TXCH ewes had similar conformation classification values. The differential in conformation classification values between lambs from BLXB ewes and those from the other genotypes was greater when the ewes were crossed with Texel (0.6 units) compared with Suffolk rams (0.3 units) (P<0.05). Differences in conformation between the sire breeds varied according to ewe genotype (P<0.05). When crossed with BLXB ewes there was no difference between Texel and Suffolk-sired lambs in terms of conformation classification values (2.7 v. 2.8 (S.E. 0.07), while with all the other ewe genotypes, Texel-sired lambs had a significantly higher conformation classification than Suffolk-sired lambs (3.5 v. 3.0 when crossed with T×B; 3.2 v. 2.9 when crossed with SXCH; 3.4 v. 3.0 when crossed with TXCH (S.E. 0.07)). Sire reference scheme-sired lambs had greater growth rates from birth to slaughter (203 g/day) compared with control-sired lambs (193 g/day) (S.E. 3.7 days) (P<0.05) and were of an improved conformation classification (3.1 v. 3.0 (S.E. 0.04)) (P<0.01). There was a significant interaction (P<0.01) between ram breed and ram source on lipid content of the carcass. Within the Suffolk-sired lambs, there was no significant difference between SRS-sired lambs (197 g/kg) and control-sired lambs (190 g/kg) (S.E. 6.2 g/kg). However, within the Texel-sired lambs, SRS-sired lambs had a lower lipid content (174 g/kg) than control-sired lambs (204 g/kg) (S.E. 6.2 g/kg) (P<0.01).

scholarly journals A pilot study to determine the feasibility of a cluster randomised controlled trial of an intervention to change peer attitudes towards children who stutter

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rizwana B. Mallick ◽  
Lehana Thabane ◽  
A.S.M. Borhan ◽  
Harsha Kathard
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Treatment Effect ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Peer Attitudes ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
And Control

Background: While randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard of research, prior study is needed to determine the feasibility of a future large-scale RCT study. Objectives: This pilot study, therefore, aimed to determine feasibility of an RCT by exploring: (1) procedural issues and (2) treatment effect of the Classroom Communication Resource (CCR), an intervention for changing peer attitudes towards children who stutter. Method: A pilot cluster stratified RCT design was employed whereby the recruitment took place first at school-level and then at individual level. The dropout rate was reported at baseline, 1 and 6 months post-intervention. For treatment effect, schools were the unit of randomisation and were randomised to receive either the CCR intervention administered by teachers or usual practice, using a 1:1 allocation ratio. The stuttering resource outcomes measure (SROM) measured treatment effect at baseline, 1 and 6 months post-intervention overall and within the constructs (positive social distance, social pressure and verbal interaction). Results: For school recruitment, 11 schools were invited to participate and 82% (n = 9) were recruited. Based on the school recruitment, N = 610 participants were eligible for this study while only n = 449 were recruited, where there was n = 183 in the intervention group and n = 266 in the control group. The dropout rate from recruitment to baseline was as follows: intervention, 23% (n = 34), and control, 6% (n = 15). At 1 month a dropout rate of 7% (n = 10) was noted in the intervention and 6% (n = 15) in the control group, whereas at 6 months, dropout rates of 7% (n = 10) and 17% (n = 44) were found in the intervention and control groups, respectively. For treatment effect on the SROM, the estimated mean differences between intervention and control groups were (95% Confidence Interval (CI): -1.07, 5.11) at 1 month and 3.01 (95% CI: -0.69, 6.69) at 6 months. A statistically significant difference was observed at 6 months on the VI subscale of the SROM, with 1.35 (95% CI: 0.58, 2.13). Conclusion: A high recruitment rate of schools and participants was observed with a high dropout rate of participants. Significant differences were only noted at 6 months post-intervention within one of the constructs of the SROM. These findings suggest that a future RCT study is warranted and feasible.

Application of the First and Second Laws to Fuel Minimization in a Batch Furnace

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. von Spakovsky ◽  
E. S. Geskin
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Global Optimum ◽  
The Other ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Exergy Destruction ◽  
Time Dependent Process ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Practical Standpoint ◽  
Local Results ◽  
And Control

This paper presents results for the minimization of fuel consumption in a batch furnace. Several different criteria are used and minimized with respect to time-dependent process and control variables. As would be expected, the results show that globally there is no significant difference between the solutions found (i.e., the same minimum fuel consumption results) when the choice of criterion is either energy, exergy, exergy destruction, entropy creation of the system and entropy creation of the system plus environment. However, the specific details or local results of each solution (i.e., the heating strategies) are, in fact, quite different. These differences cannot simply be attributed to numerical error (round-off and truncation). What they show is that multiple optimum strategies satisfy the same global optimum. The advantage of one over the other may simply be that from a practical standpoint some are easier to implement than others. Nonetheless, regardless of the strategy used, employing an optimum one raises the possibility of significant reductions in overall fuel consumption in these and other types of furnaces.

scholarly journals Safety of Intravitreal Injection of Stivant, a Biosimilar to Bevacizumab, in Rabbit Eyes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Lashay ◽  
Hooshang Faghihi ◽  
Ahmad Mirshahi ◽  
Hassan Khojasteh ◽  
Alireza Khodabande ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intravitreal Injection ◽  
Histological Analysis ◽  
Intravitreal Bevacizumab ◽  
Saline Control ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Reference Drug ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control

Purpose: To evaluate the safety of intravitreal injection of Stivant, a biosimilar to bevacizumab, in rabbits using electrophysiological and histological analysis. Methods: Both eyes of 41 New Zealand albino rabbits were injected with 0.1 mL (2.5 mg) of Stivant. The rabbits were scheduled to be sacrificed 1, 2, 7, 14, and 28 days after injection for histopathological evaluations. Clinical examinations and electroretinography (ERG) were performed at baseline and just before sacrificing the rabbits. Fourteen separate rabbits received a reference drug (Avastin) and were considered as the control group. Furthermore, three other rabbits received the same volume of saline (saline control group). Rabbits of both control groups were sacrificed four weeks after injection. ERG was performed 1, 2, 7, 14, and 28 days after injections. Results: No significant difference was observed in a- and b-wave amplitudes and latency after intravitreal Stivant injection between baseline and different time points. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference in wave amplitudes and latency between the Stivant and control groups. The histology of rabbit eyes of the Stivant and control groups after intravitreal injections was not distinguishable. Conclusion: The biosimilar Stivant, up to a dose of 2.5 mg, did not appear to be toxic to the retina in albino rabbits. These results suggest that this drug could be a safe and inexpensive alternative to intravitreal bevacizumab. The efficacy of these injections was not investigated in this study and needs to be evaluated in future studies.

Night Vision Goggles and In-Flight Evaluation of the Inside/Outside Refocusing Problems in a UH-1H Helicopter

1978 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 230-234
Author(s):  
Lewis W. Stone ◽  
Michael G. Sanders ◽  
David D. Glick ◽  
Roger W. Wiley ◽  
Kent A. Kimball
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring System ◽  
Magnetic Tape ◽  
Night Vision ◽  
The Other ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control ◽  
Terrain Features ◽  
Rotary Wing

Rotary wing aircraft are being tactically flown closer and closer to the ground in an effort to take maximum advantage of concealment and protection afforded by trees, man-made structures and terrain features. In recent years, night vision goggles have been used to aid the pilot in his/her flight duties. It has been noted, however, that visual transition from the outside environment into the cockpit (and vice versa) requires manual refocusing of the goggles. This requires the pilot to remove his hand from one or the other of the controls, thus compromising safe flight. In this study, eight U.S. Army aviators hovered an instrumented Army JUH-1H helicopter ten feet above the ground at night under four visual conditions using the unaided eye (normal night vision) and three configurations of the AN/PVS-5 night vision goggles (NVG). The NVG configurations included: (1) 40° field-of-view piano tubes focused at infinity; (2) a bifocal arrangement in which the bottom 14% of the field was focused at approximately 22 inches; and (3) a bifocal arrangement with the bottom 24% focused at 22 inches. Aircraft status and control position monitors were scanned at a rate of 20 times per second and recorded on a seven-track magnetic tape via the helicopter in-flight monitoring system (HIMS). Subsequent review and analysis of these data indicate no significant difference between configurations in terms of control movements. In terms of aircraft status variables, radio measured altitude indicated a large variability under the 40° piano NVG. However, hover behavior stabilized significantly in the bifocal condition. Subjective pilot responses supported these observations.

scholarly journals Determination of DNA Damage in Floriculturists Exposed to Mixtures of Pesticides

2006 ◽  
Vol 2006 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Castillo-Cadena ◽  
L. E. Tenorio-Vieyra ◽  
A. I. Quintana-Carabia ◽  
M. M. García-Fabila ◽  
E. Ramírez-San Juan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Gas Chromatography ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Chronic Exposure ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Exposed Group ◽  
The Other ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control

The aim of the study was to determine possible DNA damage in floriculturists chronically exposed to pesticides. Leukocytes from 52 workers, 46 environmentally exposed, and 38 control individuals were evaluated with the comet assay. Serum from all individuals was also analyzed for pesticides using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. A statistically significant difference in DNA fragmentation in the pesticide exposed group compared to the other two groups (P<.001) was found. No differences between environmentally exposed and control individuals were detected. The statistical analysis showed no significant correlation between DNA damage and sex, age, drinking or smoking habits, as well as years of exposure. One or more pesticides were detected in50%of the floriculturists, while in the rest of the individuals, a chemical related with the preparation of pesticides, such as additives, plasticizers, or solvents, was found. Our study shows that chronic exposure to pesticides produces DNA damage in floriculturists. It also suggests that this type of monitoring could be valuable in recommending preventive measures.

An investigation into the daily level of voluntary activity of stabled riding school horses

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 169-175
Author(s):  
H. Brown ◽  
D. Marlin ◽  
P. Harris
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Feeding Practice ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Voluntary Activity ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Daily Energy ◽  
Measured Activity ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity ◽  
The Difference

The importance of correct feeding practice has been highlighted by the increasing prevalence of obesity in horses. Human research has suggested that voluntary activity (VA) levels may influence digestible energy (DE) requirements, accounting for 15-50% of human daily energy expenditure. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether levels of non-structured exercise differed between stabled horses with similar bodyweight (BW) and similar structured workloads, but with different estimated DE intakes to maintain their BW. Twelve mature horses were selected based on their estimated DE intake and BW, and were paired according to their BW, breed, estimated DE intake, and structured exercise. Within each pair, one horse (L) was fed a relatively lower estimated DE intake than the other horse (H) to maintain a similar, constant BW and performing similar levels of structured exercise. Estimated DE intake was therefore significantly (P<0.01) different between Group L and Group H. Each pair was observed for 72 h during which structured exercise and non-structured exercise were measured. Heart rate was used as a measure of workload during the structured exercise. Two RT3 accelerometers, located on a roller (RT3-R) and head collar (RT3-H), were used to measure VA levels when stabled in addition to visual observations using focal sampling between 07:00 and 18:00 h. RT3-R and RT3-H activity levels were not significantly (P>0.05) different between individual horses. Median activity counts were significantly (P≤0.001) higher during the day time (06:30-18:29 h) compared to the night time (18:30-06:29 h). However, measured activity using RT3 accelerometers did not show a significant difference between horses in Group L and Group H (P>0.05). It was therefore concluded, that differences in VA levels during stabling could not explain the difference in estimated DE requirements between horses with a similar BW and workload.

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