Feed behavior and milk productivity in cows of different fattening

The results of feed behavior and milk productivity in the cows of Ukrainian black-speckled dairy breed of different fattening of the first and second lactations from the first month to the end of lactation are given. The analysis of the herd showed that the highest milk productivity in cows of the first lactation was found in the group of fattening from 3 to 4 points, which was by 9.2 % (P ≥ 0.99) higher, compared to the group of cows with fattening 4 points and more. The milk yield in cows of the second lactation with fattening from 3 to 4 points exceeded the milk yield of cows with fattening 4 points and more by 12.9 % (P ≥ 0.95). The content of fat and protein in milk was higher in the cows with higher fattening, compared to the cows with lower fattening. The highest average daily milk yield was found in cows of the first lactation with fattening from 3 to 4 points. Depending on the month, it was by 5.5–11.7 % (P ≥ 0.95 – P ≥ 0.999) higher, compared to the cows with fattening 4 points and more, while it was by 6.9–10.0 % (P ≥ 0.95 – P ≥ 0.999) higher in cows of the second lactation. The gestation period of cows has a significant effect on the reduction of milk yield. The milk yield of cows in connection with the term of their gestation are reduced by 0.1 kg per day during the second month after insemination, by 0.2 kg per day during the third month, by 0.3 kg per day during the fourth month, by 0.6 kg per day during the fifth month, by 1.0 kg per day during the sixth month, by 1.7 kg per day during the seventh month and by 2.8 kg per day during the eighth month. The analysis of the dynamics of monthly milk yield shows that lactation curves of cows increase from the first day of lactation to its peak, which occurs in the 2nd – 4th month after calving. The lactation curve in the cows with fattening from 3 to 4 points has a higher peak in the 2nd –3d month of lactation, compared to the cows with higher (more than 4 points) fattening. The animals of all groups, except for cows of the second lactation (with fattening 4 and more points) showed the maximum productivity in the 2nd –3d month of lactation; then the lactation curve decreased with different intensity. The index of constancy of lactation and the index of falling milk yield are the important indicators that characterize the stability of lactation curves. The constancy of lactation curves having been determined by I. Johansson-Hansson index was higher in the cows with fattening 4 and more points, compared to the indicator of the cows with fattening from 3 to 4 points. The studies of behavioral reactions have shown that the animals of the first lactation with an average (from 3 to 4 points) fattening consume feed during 208.5 minutes, which is by 17 minutes (P ≥ 0.999) longer than the animals with higher average fattening, and by 14.5 minutes (P ≥ 0.99) longer than the animals of the second lactation.

Mental Imagery in Bertrand Russell’s Nobel Lecture “What Desires Are Politically Important?”

The article presents the analysis of the mental images of human desires and their verbalization techniques involved in Bertrand Russell’s Nobel lecture delivered in 1950. Human desires are non-material mental constructs that are not clearly defined in the dictionaries, their verbalization being complicated by the issues related to rationality, psychology of thinking, objectivity, and the variability of individual behavioral reactions. The results of the research suggest that the verbalization of desires is essentially complicated by social and cultural stereotypes. It has been noted that storytelling can be applied as one of the most effective techniques to create the required mental imagery of desires in the recipient’s mind. B. Russell’s unique manner of defining such politically important desires as acquisitiveness, vanity, glory, love of power, excitement is carefully analyzed. The use of figurative language as well as conceptual and stylistic metaphors that facilitate the process of shaping mental images of desires have also been the focus of our attention. Special consideration has been given to the analysis of the verbalization means of the politically important desires.

Relationship Between Illness Representations and Symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder Among Young People: Cross-Lagged Model

Background The common-sense model of illness suggests that mental representations of health threats may affect one’s behavioral reactions to them and health status. Internet gaming disorder is a newly defined mental disorder. Illness representations of internet gaming disorder may affect one’s risk of internet gaming disorder. In turn, symptoms of internet gaming disorder may affect one’s perceptions of the disorder. Objective This study aimed to investigate the relationships between illness representations and symptoms of internet gaming disorder in college students. Methods A 1-year longitudinal study was conducted with a convenience sample of Chinese college students (n=591; 342/591, 57.9% female). Results Of the participants, 10.1% (60/591) and 9.1% (54/591) were classified as having probable internet gaming disorder at baseline (T1) and follow-up (T2), respectively. The correlations between some dimensions of illness representations regarding internet gaming disorder (ie, consequence, timeline, personal control, treatment control, and concern) at T1 and symptoms of internet gaming disorder at T2 and between symptoms of internet gaming disorder at T1 and the dimensions of illness representations at T2 (ie, consequence, timeline, personal control, and emotional response) were statistically significant. The cross-lagged model fit the data well ((χ2/df=2.28, comparative fit index=.95, root mean square error of approximation=.06) and showed that internet gaming disorder at T1 was positively associated with unfavorable illness representations at T2. Conclusions Individuals with more severe symptoms of internet gaming disorder had more pessimistic perceptions about the disorder. Such cognitive perceptions may affect one’s emotional and behavioral reactions towards the disorder (eg, greater levels of depression and low self-control intention) and should be modified by educational programs and psychological interventions.

Comparison of Threshold and Tolerance Nociceptive Withdrawal Reflexes in Horses

The nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) is used to investigate nociception in horses. The NWR threshold is a classical model endpoint. The aims of this study were to determine NWR tolerance and to compare threshold and tolerance reflexes in horses. In 12 horses, the NWR was evoked through electrical stimulation of the digital nerve and recorded via electromyography from the deltoid. Behavioral reactions were scored from 0 to 5 (tolerance). First, the individual NWR threshold was defined, then stimulation intensity was increased to tolerance. The median NWR threshold was 7.0 mA, whereas NWR tolerance was 10.7 mA. Upon visual inspection of the records, two main reflex components R1 (median latency 44 ms) and R2 (median latency 81 ms) were identified at threshold. Increasing stimulation intensity to tolerance led to a significant increase in the amplitude and duration of R1 and R2, whereas their latency decreased. At tolerance, a single burst of early, high-amplitude reflex activity, with a median latency of 39 ms, was detected in 15 out of 23 stimulations (65%). The results of this study suggest that (1) it is feasible to determine NWR tolerance in horses and (2) high-intensity stimuli initiate ultrafast bursts of reflex activity, which is well known in practice and has now been quantified using the NWR model.

Psychological profile in noise-induced hearing loss patients: a pilot study

Introduction. Noise-induced hearing loss is a rather prevalent condition and can be distressing for a substantial proportion of patients, although researches describing psychological characteristics in noise-induced occupational hearing loss patients are not numerous.The study aims to find the effects of occupational noise on the psychological status among noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) patients.Methods. Two groups, cross-sectional design. Study sample: 44 occupational noiseinduced male forming NIHL patients group (n = 21) and a control group (n = 23). Both groups were tested using the Russian versions of psychological questionnaires.Results. Almost one third of NIHL patients are the highly anxiety individuals as compared with the healthy participants (p < 0.01). Mixed type of response to the surrounding reality combined a high need for self-actualization with high self-control, tendency to inhibit and restrain behavioral reactions, in this case it is possible to “overlap” both neurotic and behavioral responses, which can affect the general overstrain and manifest by the somatization of the internal conflict. In general, NIHL patients use constructive cognitive, emotional and behavioral coping strategies. Patients use both constructive and tense defense mechanisms. Conclusion. It has been established that in patients with NIHL, in comparison with practically healthy persons, tension accumulates, and a tendency to psychotraumatization appears. However, it is currently difficult to determine whether NIHL is a predisposing factor for these psychological characteristics, so further research is needed to determine how significant this relationship is. Key words: noise-induced hearing loss, occupational noise, psychological profile>˂ 0.01). Mixed type of response to the surrounding reality combined a high need for self-actualization with high self-control, tendency to inhibit and restrain behavioral reactions, in this case it is possible to “overlap” both neurotic and behavioral responses, which can affect the general overstrain and manifest by the somatization of the internal conflict. In general, NIHL patients use constructive cognitive, emotional and behavioral coping strategies. Patients use both constructive and tense defense mechanisms.Conclusion. It has been established that in patients with NIHL, in comparison with practically healthy persons, tension accumulates, and a tendency to psychotraumatization appears. However, it is currently difficult to determine whether NIHL is a predisposing factor for these psychological characteristics, so further research is needed to determine how significant this relationship is.

Can You Escape? Using Mobile App Escape Games to Create a Holistic Experiential Learning Process Online

Mobile app escape games are excellent tools to create an experiential learning process in online contexts. Through the act of solving puzzles to escape the rooms, students experience a process in which they need to discover new information and clues, adjust their strategies repeatedly, and become more aware of the way they learn. Their emotional and behavioral reactions when they encounter difficulties can shed light on their learning identity and learning flexibility. The experiential learning cycle is complete with the addition of after-game reflection, debrief, and discussion. Escape games are versatile and can be used to teach a variety of topics, such as problem-solving, creative thinking, teamwork, and leadership, in any kind of classroom, with any population of students. This article provides an overview of mobile app escape games, how instructors could use them in class, and examples of topics, games, and debrief questions to use.

Interactions between Culture, Regulatory Structure, and Information Privacy across countries

We analyze the relationships between country culture and country regulatory structure pertaining to information privacy concerns (IPC) in the context of social media applications. Drawing on prior research we develop a framework that integrates country culture and country regulatory structure and use it as the basis for a study that contrasts samples of 1086 professionals drawn from four countries – United States, United Kingdoms, India and Hong Kong – to assess effects of national culture and of a nation’s regulatory structure on IPC, attitudinal beliefs about information privacy and professionals’ behavioral reactions to IPC. We find that country culture has a strong bearing on explaining differences in individuals’ IPC concerns, attitudinal beliefs about privacy, and behavioral reactions to privacy much more than does country regulatory structure. Country culture remains a significant factor in the management of information privacy. The results also show that country regulatory structure remains deficient in allaying individuals’ concerns pertaining to information privacy.

From Social Gaze to Indirect Speech Constructions: How to Induce the Impression That Your Companion Robot Is a Conscious Creature

We implemented different modes of social gaze behavior in our companion robot, F-2, to evaluate the impression of the gaze behaviors on humans in three symmetric communicative situations: (a) the robot telling a story, (b) the person telling a story to the robot, and (c) both parties communicating about objects in the real world while solving a Tangram puzzle. In all the situations the robot localized the human’s eyes and directed its gaze between the human, the environment, and the object of interest in the problem space (if it existed). We examined the balance between different gaze directions as the novel key element to maintaining a feeling of social connection with the robot in humans. We extended the computer model of the robot in order to simulate realistic gaze behavior in the robot and create the impression of the robot changing its internal cognitive states. Other novel results include the implicit, rather than explicit, character of the robot gaze perception for many of our subjects and the role of individual differences, especially the level of emotional intelligence, in terms of human sensitivity to the robotic gaze. Therefore, in this study, we used an iterative approach, extending the applied cognitive architecture in order to simulate the balance between different behavioral reactions and to test it in the experiments. In such a way, we came to a description of the key behavioral cues that suggest to a person that the particular robot can be perceived as an emotional and even conscious creature.

Interactions Between Culture, Regulatory Structure, and Information Privacy Across Countries

We analyze the relationships between country culture and country regulatory structure pertaining to information privacy concerns (IPC) in the context of social media applications. Drawing on prior research we develop a framework that integrates country culture and country regulatory structure and use it as the basis for a study that contrasts samples of 1086 professionals drawn from four countries – United States, United Kingdoms, India and Hong Kong – to assess effects of national culture and of a nation’s regulatory structure on IPC, attitudinal beliefs about information privacy and professionals’ behavioral reactions to IPC. We find that country culture has a strong bearing on explaining differences in individuals’ IPC concerns, attitudinal beliefs about privacy, and behavioral reactions to privacy much more than does country regulatory structure. Country culture remains a significant factor in the management of information privacy. The results also show that country regulatory structure remains deficient in allaying individuals’ concerns pertaining to information privacy.