Detection of pathogens from environmental samples for the evaluation of the health status of laboratory animals

Pathogens present in the environment are the biggest source of diseases and epidemics in the breeding of laboratory animals. The presence of microorganisms, in fact, can critically influence the animal health status and consequently the validity and reproducibility of experimental data. In accordance with the 3Rs principle, this study fits into the Refinement and Reduction concepts. The development of a health surveillance plan on environmental material from animal housing would have an important impact not only on maintaining an adequate state of health and on the generation of quality experimental data, but also on reducing the number of animals to be sacrificed.

Use and Management of Animal Manure by the Communal Farmers, Seke District, Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe

Poor handling and storage practices reduce the manure quality as a fertilizer. A survey was done in the Seke communal area, Zimbabwe to establish common manure management practices, determine factors that influence use of manure and determine effects of the manure management practices on vegetable yield. A structured questionnaire was administered to 222 respondents from April to August 2019. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were done using SPSS. Chi-square tests and Spearman rank correlation were done to test for associations and the non-cause-effect relationship between different independent variables and farmers’ management practice of manure respectively. 88% of the respondents owned <1 ha of land and chicken manure was frequently (51%) used but with least (<0.5 t/ha) application quantities. Cattle manure was applied in largest (> 0.5 t/ha) quantities and >50% of the farmers were void of information on animal manure management. Fencing only was the common type of animal housing but had negative effects on quantity and quality of the manure. Drylot was most common (90%) manure management practice and different manure management practices had significantly (P<0.05) varied effects on vegetable yield. Drying manure resulted in significantly (P<0.05) low losses in manure quality. Generally, poultry and pigs manure had higher nutrient content compared to cattle and goat manure. Animal housing affected the quantity and quality of the manures as a fertilizer. Extension service programs like vocational training on manure management, exposure visits between farmers as well as a lead farm approach are necessary.

Monitoring and Characterization of the Thermal Environment of Special-Use Buildings

One branch of civil engineering is construction engineering, geared primarily towards humans. However, this branch also includes buildings designed for animals called animal housing (dwellings or shelters or corrals). Like physical spaces for humans, animal housing requires sufficient conditions for an occupation that guarantees the performance of indoor activities pleasantly and comfortably. One of the parameters for characterizing and classifying the penned livestock farm environment is the thermal comfort range that reflects the indoor temperature behavior for animal welfare, together with other climatic elements such as relative humidity. This research carried out fieldwork to evaluate the thermal environment of pigpens located in Palmira, Colombia, in the time range between 07:00 and 21:00 hours. Using thermometers and hygrometers, we recorded and analyzed the indoor temperature behavior within the thermal comfort range associated with relative humidity for the well-being of pigs. The records made it possible to calculate humidity and temperature index and humidity and black globe temperature index. According to the results, the pig rearing environment was classified as critical for breeding pigs and newborn piglets, suggesting the use of controlled environment systems in pig facilities. In conclusion, monitoring the climatic environment by criteria that combine air temperature and relative humidity is a useful tool for planning pig facilities.

Aldous Huxley and the “Brave New World” of Architectural Modernism

Using Aldous Huxley’s prolific body of architectural criticism, this chapter argues that Huxley evaluated political concepts—individualism, liberalism, uniformity—through analyzing the creations and rhetoric of the modern movement. While his brother Julian sponsored modernist animal housing at the Regent’s Park and Whipsnade Zoos as part of his efforts to imagine a more egalitarian Britain, Aldous reconfigured the structuring role of the household in the novel. His foundational dystopian narrative, Brave New World, merges fiction and criticism, as Huxley stages debates between literary advocates and a World Controller. What emerges is a politics of medium, whereby literature serves as a vehicle for liberalism. Against the uniformity and “over-organization” of architectural modernism, Huxley demonstrates the capaciousness and flexibility of the novel as a genre.

Refinement of laboratory animal welfare

In order to achieve an effective refinement of animal welfare, it is necessary to intervene on all phases of the experimental process: animal housing, experiment, rehoming of animals that have undergone experimentation, with an active intervention by researchers and veterinary surgeons. It is crucial to know the ethology of the hosted animal species, in order to house animals in a physical and social environment that is as similar as possible to the environment in which that species live in natural conditions. A particular care must be devoted to experimental phase in which animal welfare is at greatest risk: a careful control by the veterinarian is necessary to identify the slightest signs of pain in the animal, intervening with an adequate analgesic therapy. At the end of the experimental phase, once the state of good health has been recovered, animals can be rehomed.

Study on Housing Practices Followed by Dairy Animal Owners in Anand District of Middle Gujarat Region

The present investigation was carried out to study dairy animal housing practices followed by dairy animal owners in the Anand district of middle Gujarat region. The data were collected from randomly selected 120 dairy animal owners interviewed personally with a well-prepared questionnaire. The study revealed that all the respondents provided housing shelter with the all-time placement of their animals in the house. Majority of respondents (74.17%) constructed animal sheds nearby their own house followed by 25.83% were at a distance from farmer's house. It was found that 64.17% of animal houses were oriented in east-west while 35.83% respondents had houses in a north-south orientation. The respondents provided pucca floor (63.33%) and galvanized iron sheets as a roofing material (49.17%) in their animal sheds, whereas 34.17% farmers had no provision of the wall in their animal sheds. The vast majority of respondents (85.00%) had the provision of good ventilation in their animal sheds and 72.50 % of the respondents had the provision of artificial light in their animal houses. Majority of dairy animal owners (72.50%) kept distance between manure pits and their animal sheds and 66.67 % respondents had provision and practice to protect animals from extreme weather. About 1/5th respondents used a curtain to reduce cold and very few owners (5.00%) provided bedding material to their animals. It was concluded that dairy animal owners of Anand district possess better knowledge regarding animal housing management and follow different practices of scientific animal husbandry.

Use of Biochar-peat Mixture to Reduce Odour from Animal Farms

Odour from agriculture causes local nuisance to the neighborhood. Litter and cover materials can be used in animal housing and in storage of manure to reduce the odour problem. The use of biochar as a covering for animal manures is a new innovation and enhances the possibility to minimize the emissions from animal farms. (Research purpose) To study the possibility of using a mixture of biochar and peat as a manure covering, in order to reduce the intensity of odor on livestock farms. (Materials and methods) The potential of a mixture of biochar and peat for the odour control was tested in a laboratory study. A 10 cm layer of fresh mink manure was placed on the bottom of a 5 liter test bucket and the manure was covered with biochar-peat mixture (mixed in 50/50 ratio by volume) using five different covering thicknesses. Uncovered manure was used as a reference. The odour emission was measured with an olfactometric method that is based on odour sensation of a person. Also the character of the odour was described. (Results and discussion) The results show that a biochar-peat covering of at least 3 cm is able to considerably reduce the odour from the manure. The character of the odour was at first peat-like for all covered buckets but with thin coverings it was changed to more manure-like after 2 days. The odour from buckets with thicker covers remained peat-like during the whole testing period. (Conclusion) It is recommended to apply a biochar-peat covering to neutralize ammonia and the unpleasant manure odour on livestock farms. The author has shown that the frequency of use and the thickness of a covering layer depend on the ambient temperature; therefore, it is not necessary to cover manure in winter.

Using the tracer flux ratio method with flight measurements to estimate dairy farm CH₄ emissions in central California

Tracer flux ratio methodology was applied to airborne measurements to quantify methane (CH4) emissions from two dairy farms in central California during the summer. An aircraft flew around the perimeter of each farm measuring downwind enhancements of CH4 and a tracer species released from the ground at a known rate. Estimates of CH4 emission rates from this analysis were determined for whole sites and major sources within a site (animal housing and liquid manure lagoons). Whole-site CH4 flux rates for each farm, Dairy 1 (6108±821 kg CH4 d−1, 95 % confidence interval) and Dairy 2 (4018±456 kg CH4 d−1, 95 % confidence interval), closely resembled findings by established methods: ground-based tracer flux ratio and mass balance. Individual source emission rates indicate a greater fraction of the whole-site emissions come from liquid manure management than animal housing activity, similar to bottom-up estimates. Despite differences in altitude, we observed that the tracer release method gave consistent results when using ground or air platforms.