Journal articles on the topic 'Gait in animals Research'
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1
Gong, Zewu, Yunwei Zhang, Dongfeng Lu, and Tiannan Wu. "Vision-Based Quadruped Pose Estimation and Gait Parameter Extraction Method." Electronics 11, no. 22 (November 11, 2022): 3702. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/electronics11223702.
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In the study of animal behavior, the prevention of sickness, and the gait planning of legged robots, pose estimation, and gait parameter extraction of quadrupeds are of tremendous importance. However, there are several varieties of quadrupeds, and distinct species frequently have radically diverse body types, limb configurations, and gaits. Currently, it is challenging to forecast animal pose estimation with any degree of accuracy. This research developed a quadruped animal pose estimation and gait parameter extraction method to address this problem. A computational framework including three components of target screening, animal pose estimation model, and animal gaits parameter extraction, which can totally and efficiently solve the problem of quadruped animal pose estimation and gait parameter extraction, makes up its core. On the basis of the HRNet network, an improved quadruped animal keypoint extraction network, RFB-HRNet, was proposed to enhance the extraction effect of quadruped pose estimation. The basic concept was to use a DyConv (dynamic convolution) module and an RFB (receptive field block) module to propose a special receptive field module DyC-RFB to optimize the feature extraction capability of the HRNet network at stage 1 and to enhance the feature extraction capability of the entire network model. The public dataset AP10K was then used to validate the model’s performance, and it was discovered that the proposed method was superior to alternative methods. Second, a two-stage cascade network was created by adding an object detection network to the front end of the pose estimation network to filter the animal object in input images, which enhanced the pose estimation effect of small targets and multitargets. The acquired keypoints data of animals were then utilized to extract the gait parameters of the experimental objects. Experiment findings showed that the gait parameter extraction model proposed in this research could effectively extract the gait frequency, gait sequence, gait duty cycle, and gait trajectory parameters of quadruped animals, and obtain real-time and accurate gait trajectory.
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Granatosky, Michael C., Caleb M. Bryce, Jandy Hanna, Aidan Fitzsimons, Myra F. Laird, Kelsey Stilson, Christine E. Wall, and Callum F. Ross. "Inter-stride variability triggers gait transitions in mammals and birds." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 285, no. 1893 (December 12, 2018): 20181766. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.1766.
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Speed-related gait transitions occur in many animals, but it remains unclear what factors trigger gait changes. While the most widely accepted function of gait transitions is that they reduce locomotor costs, there is no obvious metabolic trigger signalling animals when to switch gaits. An alternative approach suggests that gait transitions serve to reduce locomotor instability. While there is evidence supporting this in humans, similar research has not been conducted in other species. This study explores energetics and stride variability during the walk–run transition in mammals and birds. Across nine species, energy savings do not predict the occurrence of a gait transition. Instead, our findings suggest that animals trigger gait transitions to maintain high locomotor rhythmicity and reduce unstable states. Metabolic efficiency is an important benefit of gait transitions, but the reduction in dynamic instability may be the proximate trigger determining when those transitions occur.
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Shen, Zhe, Yudong Ma, and Takeshi Tsuchiya. "Four-Dimensional Gait Surfaces for a Tilt-Rotor—Two Color Map Theorem." Drones 6, no. 5 (April 23, 2022): 103. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/drones6050103.
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This article presents the four-dimensional surfaces that guide the gait plan for a tilt-rotor. The previous gaits analyzed in the tilt-rotor research are inspired by animals; no theoretical base backs the robustness of these gaits. This research deduces the gaits by diminishing the adverse effect of the attitude of the tilt-rotor for the first time. Four-dimensional gait surfaces are subsequently found on which the gaits are expected to be robust to the attitude. These surfaces provide the region where the gait is suggested to be planned. However, a discontinuous region may hinder the gait plan process while utilizing the proposed gait surfaces. The ‘Two Color Map Theorem’ is then established to guarantee the continuity of each gait designed. The robustness of the typical gaits on the gait surface, obeying the Two Color Map Theorem, is demonstrated by comparing the singular curves in attitude with the gaits not on the gait surface. The result shows that the gaits on the gait surface receive wider regions of the acceptable attitudes.
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Miller, Pearson W., and Jörn Dunkel. "Gait-optimized locomotion of wave-driven soft sheets." Soft Matter 16, no. 16 (2020): 3991–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c9sm02103e.
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Inspired by the robust locomotion of limbless animals, the development of soft robots capable of moving by localized swelling, bending, and other deformation modes has become a target for soft matter research over the last decade.
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Olmstead, M. L., A. S. Litsky, and D. P. Bruns. "Technique and Results for Total Hip Replacement in Sheep: An Experimental Model." Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology 09, no. 04 (October 1996): 158–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0038-1632523.
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SummaryFifty healthy adult Suffolk cross sheep were evaluated as a research animal for cemented total hip replacement. The surgical technique, peri-operative care, and long-term evaluation of the animals is reported. A modular cemented canine hip replacement system was used in this project. Postoperative fractures of the operated femur were observed in five animals. Two sheep developed septic loosening of the acetabular components. Two sheep experienced immediate postoperative luxations. One animal developed an acetabular fracture and infection. Five sheep exhibited mild lameness of the operated limb one year postoperatively, while all others had a normal gait. Postoperative activity level played a significant role in the development of femur fractures.Fifty adult Suffolk cross sheep were evaluated as a research animal for cemented total hip replacement. The surgical technique, peri-operative care and long-term evaluation of the animals are reported.
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Lu, Qiang, and Juan Tian. "Research on Walking Gait of Biped Robot Based on a Modified CPG Model." Mathematical Problems in Engineering 2015 (2015): 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/793208.
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The neurophysiological studies of animals locomotion have verified that the fundamental rhythmic movements of animals are generated by the central pattern generator (CPG). Many CPG models have been proposed by scientific researchers. In this paper, a modified CPG model whose output function issin(x)is presented. The paper proves that the modified model has stable periodic solution and characteristics of the rhythmic movement using the Lyapunov judgement theorem and the phase diagram. A modified locomotion model is established in which the credit-assignment cerebellar model articulation controller (CA-CMAC) algorithm is used to realize the pattern mapping between the CPG output and the musculoskeletal system. And a seven-link biped robot is employed to simulate cyclic walking gait in order to test the validity of the locomotion model. The main findings include the following. (1) The modified CPG model can generate spontaneous oscillations which correspond to biological signals. (2) The analysis of the modified locomotion model reveals that the CA-CMAC algorithm can be used to realize the pattern mapping between the CPG output and the musculoskeletal system.
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Hodgetts, Timothy, and Jamie Lorimer. "Animals’ mobilities." Progress in Human Geography 44, no. 1 (December 12, 2018): 4–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0309132518817829.
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This paper draws together animal and mobility studies to develop the concept of animals’ mobilities. It identifies the parallel intellectual interests in these fields that provide the intellectual foundations for this synthesis, in mobility (over movement), affect, relational space, and ordering practices. It explores what configures an animal’s mobility, knowledge practices for researching and evoking animals’ mobilities, and how animals’ mobilities are governed. The conclusion highlights what these fields gain from this synthesis, and identifies the empirical, political and conceptual contributions that this concept makes to geographical research. The argument is illustrated with examples of large, terrestrial mammals, especially bears.
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Rickard, M. D. "The use of animals in research: counting the costs and the benefits." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 44, no. 11 (2004): 1079. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea03233.
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The Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes requires Animal Ethics Committees to assess the merits of any research proposal involving the use of sentient animals. As part of that assessment they should make a judgment as to whether or not the costs to the welfare of the experimental animals are outweighed by the benefits of the predicted experimental outcome (i.e. conduct a cost–benefit analysis). This paper describes one approach that has been proposed to assist Animal Ethics Committees to take all factors into account when making this judgment. When agricultural animals are used in research the potential benefits are usually measured in terms of improved health and welfare or increased productivity when the research outcomes are applied to other animals reared in agricultural enterprises. When the aim of a project is to improve the health and welfare of the animals (i.e. ‘animal benefit’), the benefits are usually obvious and counting the cost is straightforward even if the impact on the animals under experimentation is quite extreme (e.g. death as an unavoidable endpoint in a vaccination experiment). Where the benefits accrue solely in terms of increased productivity or economic gain (i.e. ‘human benefit’), then balancing the costs and the benefits can be more problematical because people’s personal beliefs and their orientation towards animal welfare influence their assessment. Economists indicate that it is not increased productivity per se that generates value but consumption. Therefore, consumer perceptions of any adverse impact that gains in productivity have on the welfare of farmed animals can play a significant role in determining the ultimate benefit (value) of a particular piece of research with the sole aim to increase production and economic gain. This paper will explore some postulated relationships between productivity and animal welfare which could influence consumer preferences and hence the cost–benefit analysis.
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Devolder, Katrien, and Matthias Eggel. "No Pain, No Gain? In Defence of Genetically Disenhancing (Most) Research Animals." Animals 9, no. 4 (April 9, 2019): 154. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani9040154.
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Every year, around 12 million animals are used for the purpose of scientific research in the European Union alone. The procedures performed on them often cause significant pain and suffering. Despite regulations aimed at reducing this suffering, we can expect millions of research animals to continue to suffer in the near to mid-term future. Given this reality, we propose the use of gene editing to create research animals with a reduced capacity for suffering, in particular, from pain. We argue that our proposal would be in line with moral principles embedded in European regulations regarding animal research, and that it would facilitate compliance with these regulations. We also respond to the strongest argument against our proposal—the ‘no pain no gain’ argument.
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Marmol-Guijarro, Andres, Robert Nudds, Lars Folkow, John Lees, and Jonathan Codd. "Does posture explain the kinematic differences in a grounded running gait between male and female Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) moving on snow?" Polar Biology 44, no. 6 (May 5, 2021): 1141–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02872-x.
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AbstractThe majority of locomotor research is conducted on treadmills and few studies attempt to understand the differences between this and animals moving in the wild. For example, animals may adjust their gait kinematics or limb posture, to a more compliant limb, to increase stability of locomotion to prevent limb failure or falling on different substrates. Here, using video recordings, we compared locomotor parameters (speed range, stride length, stride frequency, stance duration, swing duration and duty factor) of female Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) moving in the wild over snow to previous treadmill-based research. We also compared the absolute and body size (body mass and limb length)-corrected values of kinematic parameters to published data from males to look for any sex differences across walking and grounded running gaits. Our findings indicate that the kinematics of locomotion are largely conserved between the field and laboratory in that none of the female gaits were drastically affected by moving over snow, except for a prolonged swing phase at very slow walking speeds, likely due to toe dragging. Comparisons between the sexes indicate that the differences observed during a walking gait are likely due to body size. However, sexual dimorphism in body size could not explain the disparate grounded running kinematics of the female and male ptarmigan, which might be linked to a more crouched posture in females. Our findings provide insight into how males and females moving in situ may use different strategies to alleviate the effects of a variable substrate.
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Choi, Jungsu. "Multi-Phase Joint-Angle Trajectory Generation Inspired by Dog Motion for Control of Quadruped Robot." Sensors 21, no. 19 (September 24, 2021): 6366. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s21196366.
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Quadruped robots are receiving great attention as a new means of transportation for various purposes, such as military, welfare, and rehabilitation systems. The use of four legs enables a robustly stable gait; compared to the humanoid robots, the quadruped robots are particularly advantageous in improving the locomotion speed, the maximum payload, and the robustness toward disturbances. However, the more demanding conditions robots are exposed to, the more challenging the trajectory generation of robotic legs becomes. Although various trajectory generation methods (e.x., central pattern generator, finite states machine) have been developed for this purpose, these methods have limited degrees of freedom with respect to the gait transition. The conventional methods do not consider the transition of the gait phase (i.e., walk, amble, trot, canter, and gallop) or use a pre-determined fixed gait phase. Additionally, some research teams have developed locomotion algorithms that take into account the transition of the gait phase. Still, the transition of the gait phase is limited (mostly from walking to trot), and the transition according to gait speed is not considered. In this paper, a multi-phase joint-angle trajectory generation algorithm is proposed for the quadruped robot. The joint-angles of an animal are expressed as a cyclic basis function, and an input to the basis function is manipulated to realize the joint-angle trajectories in multiple gait phases as desired. To control the desired input of a cyclic basis function, a synchronization function is formulated, by which the motions of legs are designed to have proper ground contact sequences with each other. In the gait of animals, each gait phase is optimal for a certain speed, and thus transition of the gait phases is necessary for effective increase or decrease in the locomotion speed. The classification of the gait phases, however, is discrete, and thus the resultant joint-angle trajectories may be discontinuous due to the transition. For the smooth and continuous transition of gait phases, fuzzy logic is utilized in the proposed algorithm. The proposed methods are verified by simulation studies.
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Cullen, Stephanie, Manuel Montero-Odasso, Louis Bherer, Quincy Almeida, Sarah Fraser, Susan Muir-Hunter, Karen Li, et al. "Guidelines for Gait Assessments in the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA)." Canadian Geriatrics Journal 21, no. 2 (July 9, 2018): 157–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.5770/cgj.21.298.
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BackgroundMotor and cognitive impairments are common among older adults and often co-exist, increasing their risk of dementia, falls, and fractures. Gait performance is an accepted indicator of global health and it has been proposed as a valid motor marker to detect older adults at risk of developing mobility and cognitive declines including future falls and incident dementia. Our goal was to provide a gait assessment protocol to be used for clinical and research purposes.MethodsBased on a consensus that identified common evaluations to assess motor–cognitive interactions in community-dwelling older individuals, a protocol on how to evaluate gait in older adults for the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) was developed.ResultsThe CCNA gait assessment includes preferred and fast pace gait, and dual-task gait that comprises walking while performing three cognitively demanding tasks: counting backwards by ones, countingbackwards by sevens, and naming animals. This gait protocol can be implemented using an electronic-walkway, as well as by using a regular stopwatch. The latter approach provides a simple manner to evaluate quantitative gait performance in clinics.ConclusionsEstablishing a standardized gait assessment protocol will help to assess motor–cognitive interactions in aging and neurodegeneration, to compare results across studies, and to feasibly implement and translate gait testing in clinics for detecting impending cognitive and mobility decline.
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Cao, Shao Yong. "The Mechanical Structure Design of Bionic Quadruped Walking Robot." Applied Mechanics and Materials 851 (August 2016): 484–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.851.484.
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This paper aims to design a flexible, efficient, reliable and long-term working quadruped robot, which can be operating in complex environment such as carrying cargoes over rough terrains. The robot’s body shape is constructed by using bionic methodology after observation and analysis of the four-legged animal’s bone structure and body proportion. And the robot’s gait, step length and stride frequency are determined by studying four-leg animal’s movements. Moreover, the robot’s working space can be known by studying the joint form and activity scope of four-legged animals. Finally, the overall structure of this robot can be designed and eventually the desired objectives are achieved. The results turned out to be useful for the research of quadruped robots
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Wang, Peng, Xin Li, Wen Hao Jiang, Shao Chen Kang, and Jing Lei Xin. "Research on Gait Analysis and Planning of Quadruped Search-Rescue Robot." Applied Mechanics and Materials 121-126 (October 2011): 1484–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.121-126.1484.
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The search and rescue robot has the characteristics of quadruped walking machine. According to the actual structure of the quadruped robot body，the walking pose of the robot are planned，based on the study of the animal gait．The distributions of degrees-of-freedom is analyzed to ensure stable walking. A simulation model of quadruped search and rescue robot is established in ADAMS, and the motion characteristics of the system are observed using the simulation model established. Simulation results show that the motion characteristics of the system are closed related to the length of stride.
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Reis, Murat, Xiaoxiang Yu, Nandan Maheshwari, and Fumiya Iida. "Morphological Computation of Multi-Gaited Robot Locomotion Based on Free Vibration." Artificial Life 19, no. 1 (January 2013): 97–114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/artl_a_00084.
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In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the study of gait patterns in both animals and robots, because it allows us to systematically investigate the underlying mechanisms of energetics, dexterity, and autonomy of adaptive systems. In particular, for morphological computation research, the control of dynamic legged robots and their gait transitions provides additional insights into the guiding principles from a synthetic viewpoint for the emergence of sensible self-organizing behaviors in more-degrees-of-freedom systems. This article presents a novel approach to the study of gait patterns, which makes use of the intrinsic mechanical dynamics of robotic systems. Each of the robots consists of a U-shaped elastic beam and exploits free vibration to generate different locomotion patterns. We developed a simplified physics model of these robots, and through experiments in simulation and real-world robotic platforms, we show three distinctive mechanisms for generating different gait patterns in these robots.
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Nudds, R. L., L. P. Folkow, J. J. Lees, P. G. Tickle, K. A. Stokkan, and J. R. Codd. "Evidence for energy savings from aerial running in the Svalbard rock ptarmigan ( Lagopus muta hyperborea )." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 278, no. 1718 (February 2, 2011): 2654–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.2742.
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Svalbard rock ptarmigans were walked and run upon a treadmill and their energy expenditure measured using respirometry. The ptarmigan used three different gaits: a walking gait at slow speeds (less than or equal to 0.75 m s −1 ), grounded running at intermediate speeds (0.75 m s −1 < U < 1.67 m s −1 ) and aerial running at high speeds (greater than or equal to 1.67 m s −1 ). Changes of gait were associated with reductions in the gross cost of transport (COT; J kg −1 m −1 ), providing the first evidence for energy savings with gait change in a small crouched-postured vertebrate. In addition, for the first time (excluding humans) a decrease in absolute metabolic energy expenditure (rate of O 2 consumption) in aerial running when compared with grounded running was identified. The COT versus U curve varies between species and the COT was cheaper during aerial running than grounded running, posing the question of why grounded running should be used at all. Existing explanations (e.g. stability during running over rocky terrain) amount to just so stories with no current evidence to support them. It may be that grounded running is just an artefact of treadmill studies. Research investigating the speeds used by animals in the field is sorely needed.
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Hile, Elizabeth, Nataliya Kostereva, and Kacey Marra. "Pre-injection wheel running preserves mobility in a rodent model of paclitaxel neurotoxicity." Journal of Clinical Oncology 35, no. 15_suppl (May 20, 2017): e21640-e21640. http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/jco.2017.35.15_suppl.e21640.
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e21640 Background: Peripheral neurotoxicity (PN), a common side-effect of paclitaxel (Ptx) chemotherapy, can reduce quality of life through persistent balance/gait dysfunction, and even shorten survival by limiting therapy. Exercise before chemo, or ‘prehabilitation’ (prehab), seems to protect cardiac and cognitive function, but few have studied mobility, or identified gait parameters most sensitive to PN, to inform larger neuroprotection work. Aims of this preclinical, proof of concept pilot were to identify 1) if pre-Ptx wheel running preserves mobility, 2) key gait parameters for the Ptx-PN phenotype, 3) potential mechanisms for prehab neuroprotection. Methods: Adult female Lewis rats were randomized to 3 arms under equivalent housing: sedentary before injection of vehicle (SedSham), sedentary before 36 mg/kg Ptx (SedPtx), or prehab wheel running 60 min, 5 days/wk X 5 wks pre-Ptx (ExPtx). Outcomes were blinded mobility observation and DigiGait spatiotemporal parameters at baseline, before & after injection, and at euthanasia, with peripheral nerves (sural, sciatic, tibial, fibular) harvested for immunohistochemistry and quantitative histomorphometry with GAP43 (neuroplasticity) & S100 (Schwann) antibodies. Consistent with small pilot design, analyses were primarily descriptive comparisons. Results: A single blinded assessor correctly identified group assignment for 7 of 8 (87.5%) videotaped rats by post-injection mobility observation alone, identifying slowness, frequent paw contact/ reduced forepaw exploration, and flattened paws as Ptx-PN phenotype. Paw changes were confirmed by post-hoc Digigait image comparison. 'Percent propulsion' emerged as a key gait parameter in sensitivity analysis with a prehab non-responder. Levels of S100 appear lower in SedPtx group nerves compared to ExPtx and SedSham animals. Conclusions: Mobility deficits after Ptx are often attributed to peripheral somatosensory changes rather than neuromotor dysfunction, yet these preclinical results echo our growing anecdotal clinical observations. While preliminary, both suggest greater attention to distal strength and motor function after Ptx exposure.
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Whitham, Jessica C., Jocelyn L. Bryant, and Lance J. Miller. "Beyond Glucocorticoids: Integrating Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) into Animal Welfare Research." Animals 10, no. 8 (August 9, 2020): 1381. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani10081381.
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Animal welfare researchers are committed to identifying novel measures for enhancing the quality of life of individual animals. Recently, welfare scientists have emphasized the need for tracking multiple indicators of an animal’s behavioral, emotional and mental health. Researchers are currently focused on integrating non-invasive physiological biomarkers to gain insight into an individual’s welfare status. Most commonly, the animal welfare community has analyzed glucocorticoid hormones and their metabolites as a measure of stress. While glucocorticoids provide valuable information about hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity, there are limitations to utilizing these hormones as the sole measure of long-term stress and welfare. Other biomarkers, such as dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate ester—collectively referred to as DHEA(S)—help provide a more complete picture of HPA activity. DHEA(S) counteracts the effects glucocorticoids by having anti-aging, immune-enhancing and neuroprotective properties. Recent studies have examined the ratio of glucocorticoids to DHEA(S) as a way to better understand how the HPA axis is functioning. There is evidence that this ratio serves as an indicator of immune function, mental health, cognitive performance and overall welfare. We review studies that employed the glucocorticoid:DHEA(S) ratio, outline methodological considerations and discuss how researchers can integrate glucocorticoids, DHEA(S) and the glucocorticoid:DHEA(S) ratio into welfare assessments.
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Davíðsson, Haraldur B., Torben Rees, Marta Rut Ólafsdóttir, and Hafsteinn Einarsson. "Efficient Development of Gait Classification Models for Five-Gaited Horses Based on Mobile Phone Sensors." Animals 13, no. 1 (January 3, 2023): 183. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani13010183.
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Automated gait classification has traditionally been studied using horse-mounted sensors. However, smartphone-based sensors are more accessible, but the performance of gait classification models using data from such sensors has not been widely known or accessible. In this study, we performed horse gait classification using deep learning models and data from mobile phone sensors located in the rider’s pocket. We gathered data from 17 horses and 14 riders. The data were gathered simultaneously from movement sensors in a mobile phone located in the rider’s pocket and a gait classification system based on four wearable sensors attached to the horse’s limbs. With this efficient approach to acquire labelled data, we trained a Bi-LSTM model for gait classification. The only input to the model was a 50 Hz signal from the phone’s accelerometer and gyroscope that was rotated to the horse’s frame of reference. We demonstrate that sensor data from mobile phones can be used to classify the five gaits of the Icelandic horse with up to 94.4% accuracy. The result suggests that horse riding activities can be studied at a large scale using mobile phones to gather data on gaits. While our study showed that mobile phone sensors could be effective for gait classification, there are still some limitations that need to be addressed in future research. For example, further studies could explore the effects of different riding styles or equipment on gait classification accuracy or investigate ways to minimize the influence of factors such as phone placement. By addressing these questions, we can continue to improve our understanding of horse gait and its role in horse riding activities.
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Silva, Rui, Ivo Santos Dimas, Justin W. Fernandez, Nuno Alves, Pedro Morouço, Ana Colette Maurício, António Veloso, and Sandra Amado. "Sheep Gait Biomechanics and the Assessment of Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Systematic Review." Applied Mechanics and Materials 890 (April 2019): 248–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.890.248.
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In recent years, sheep have been reported as the ideal animal model to study osteoporosis, hence it is important to identify instruments, tools and ideal parameters needed to assess the effects of different treatments. In previous studies conducted in other animal models with osteoporosis, the most common parameters used for evaluation concerned primarily bone properties, such as the dual X-ray absorptiometry. However, biomechanical gait analysis as an integrative functional parameter and a non-invasive method, will be an important tool in research and clinical applications. This research review was performed using the PubMed database and included studies related to sheep with outcome measures concerning functional performance assessed during gait in vivo; and excluded studies related with cardiovascular disease and sperm properties, which include other animal species, with outcomes not related with functional locomotor evaluation. Only studies related with bone properties were analyzed. The most frequent and relevant included parameters were the following: mean peak vertical ground force reaction, gait cycle and stance/swing phase duration, percentage of stance/swing phase in a gait cycle, stride length and the stifle joint angles during a gait cycle. Gait biomechanical parameters have been established for the assessment of some clinical orthopedic condition using sheep models but not currently for osteoporosis.
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Berger, M., A. Calapai, V. Stephan, M. Niessing, L. Burchardt, A. Gail, and S. Treue. "Standardized automated training of rhesus monkeys for neuroscience research in their housing environment." Journal of Neurophysiology 119, no. 3 (March 1, 2018): 796–807. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.00614.2017.
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Teaching nonhuman primates the complex cognitive behavioral tasks that are central to cognitive neuroscience research is an essential and challenging endeavor. It is crucial for the scientific success that the animals learn to interpret the often complex task rules and reliably and enduringly act accordingly. To achieve consistent behavior and comparable learning histories across animals, it is desirable to standardize training protocols. Automatizing the training can significantly reduce the time invested by the person training the animal. In addition, self-paced training schedules with individualized learning speeds based on automatic updating of task conditions could enhance the animals’ motivation and welfare. We developed a training paradigm for across-task unsupervised training (AUT) of successively more complex cognitive tasks to be administered through a stand-alone housing-based system optimized for rhesus monkeys in neuroscience research settings (Calapai A, Berger M, Niessing M, Heisig K, Brockhausen R, Treue S, Gail A. Behav Res Methods 5: 1–11, 2016). The AUT revealed interindividual differences in long-term learning progress between animals, helping to characterize learning personalities, and commonalities, helping to identify easier and more difficult learning steps in the training protocol. Our results demonstrate that 1) rhesus monkeys stay engaged with the AUT over months despite access to water and food outside the experimental sessions but with lower numbers of interaction compared with conventional fluid-controlled training; 2) with unsupervised training across sessions and task levels, rhesus monkeys can learn tasks of sufficient complexity for state-of-the-art cognitive neuroscience in their housing environment; and 3) AUT learning progress is primarily determined by the number of interactions with the system rather than the mere exposure time. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We demonstrate that highly structured training of behavioral tasks, as used in neuroscience research, can be achieved in an unsupervised fashion over many sessions and task difficulties in a monkey housing environment. Employing a predefined training strategy allows for an observer-independent comparison of learning between animals and of training approaches. We believe that self-paced standardized training can be utilized for pretraining and animal selection and can contribute to animal welfare in a neuroscience research environment.
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Smith, Benjamin J. H., Lottie Cullingford, and James R. Usherwood. "Identification of mouse gaits using a novel force-sensing exercise wheel." Journal of Applied Physiology 119, no. 6 (September 15, 2015): 704–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01014.2014.
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The gaits that animals use can provide information on neurological and musculoskeletal disorders, as well as the biomechanics of locomotion. Mice are a common research model in many fields; however, there is no consensus in the literature on how (and if) mouse gaits vary with speed. One of the challenges in studying mouse gaits is that mice tend to run intermittently on treadmills or overground; this paper attempts to overcome this issue with a novel exercise wheel that measures vertical ground reaction forces. Unlike previous instrumented wheels, this wheel is able to measure forces continuously and can therefore record data from consecutive strides. By concatenating the maximum limb force at each time point, a force trace can be constructed to quantify and identify gaits. The wheel was three dimensionally printed, allowing the design to be shared with other researchers. The kinematic parameters measured by the wheel were evaluated using high-speed video. Gaits were classified using a metric called “3S” (stride signal symmetry), which quantifies the half wave symmetry of the force trace peaks. Although mice are capable of using both symmetric and asymmetric gaits throughout their speed range, the continuum of gaits can be divided into regions based on the frequency of symmetric and asymmetric gaits; these divisions are further supported by the fact that mice run less frequently at speeds near the boundaries between regions. The boundary speeds correspond to gait transition speeds predicted by the hypothesis that mice move in a dynamically similar fashion to other legged animals.
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Podberscek, A. L. "Illuminating Issues of Companion Animal Welfare Through Research into Human-Animal Interactions." Animal Welfare 6, no. 4 (November 1997): 365–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0962728600020078.
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Companion or pet animals are an integral part of many societies. Ownership rates of at least one pet for every two households (50%) have been reported in numerous countries, including the UK (Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association 1996), The Netherlands (Endenburg et al 1990), Poland (Fogle 1994), the USA (Rowan 1992), France (Anon 1995a) and Australia (Anon 1995b). While on one hand the animals gain from their close association with humans by being sheltered, fed and loved, they can also suffer neglect, cruelty, abandonment, unnecessary euthanasia, and may develop behaviour problems. The quality of our relationships with these animals is indeed variable.
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Canar, Jorge, Prima Manandhar-Sasaki, and Jill Bargonetti. "Mutant C. elegans p53 Together with Gain-of-Function GLP-1/Notch Decreases UVC-Damage-Induced Germline Cell Death but Increases PARP Inhibitor-Induced Germline Cell Death." Cancers 14, no. 19 (October 8, 2022): 4929. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cancers14194929.
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The TP53 gene is mutated in over 50% of human cancers, and the C. elegansp53-1(cep-1) gene encodes the ortholog CEP-1. CEP-1 is activated by ultraviolet type C (UVC)-induced DNA damage and activates genes that induce germline apoptosis. UVC treatment of gain-of-function glp-1(ar202gf)/Notch tumorous animals reduces germline stem cell numbers (and overall tumor size), while UVC treatment of double-mutant cep-1/p53(gk138);glp-1/Notch(ar202gf) increases DNA damage adducts and stem cell tumor volume. We compared UVC-induced mitotic stem cell death and animal lifespans for the two different C. elegans tumorous strains. C. elegans stem cell compartment death has never been observed, and we used engulfed small stem cells, notable by green fluorescent puncta, to count cell death events. We found UVC treatment of glp-1(ar202gf) animals increased stem cell death and increased lifespan. However, UVC treatment of double-mutant cep-1/p53(gk138);glp-1/Notch(ar202gf) animals decreased stem cell death, increased tumor volume, and decreased animal lifespan. There are pharmacological agents that induce p53-independent cell death of human cells in culture; and two notable protocols are the PARP-trapping agents of temozolomide plus talazoparib and the nucleoside analogue 8-amino-adenosine. It is important to determine ways to rapidly test for pharmacological agents able to induce p53-independent cell death. We tested feeding cep-1/p53(gk138);glp-1/Notch(ar202gf) nematodes with either 8-amino-adenosine or temozolomide plus talazoparib and found both were able to decrease tumor volume. This is the first comparison for p53-independent responses in cep-1/p53(gk138);glp-1/Notch(ar202gf) animals and showed UVC DNA damage increased tumor volume and decreased lifespan while PARP inhibition decreased tumor volume.
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Mercier, Catherine, Meyke Roosink, Jason Bouffard, and Laurent J. Bouyer. "Promoting Gait Recovery and Limiting Neuropathic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury." Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair 31, no. 4 (December 13, 2016): 315–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1545968316680491.
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Most persons living with a spinal cord injury experience neuropathic pain in the months following their lesion, at the moment where they receive intensive gait rehabilitation. Based on studies using animal models, it has been proposed that central sensitization in nociceptive pathways (maladaptive plasticity) and plasticity related to motor learning (adaptive plasticity) share common neural mechanisms and compete with each other. This article aims to address the discrepancy between the growing body of basic science literature supporting this hypothesis and the general belief in rehabilitation research that pain and gait rehabilitation represent two independent problems. First, the main findings from basic research showing interactions between nociception and learning in the spinal cord will be summarized, focusing both on evidence demonstrating the impact of nociception on motor learning and of motor learning on central sensitization. Then, the generalizability of these findings in animal models to humans will be discussed. Finally, the way potential interactions between nociception and motor learning are currently taken into account in clinical research in patients with spinal cord injury will be presented. To conclude, recommendations will be proposed to better integrate findings from basic research into future clinical research in persons with spinal cord injury.
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DelCurto, Timothy, and Sam Wyffels. "183 Designing Research for Beef Cattle Production in Extensive Environments." Journal of Animal Science 99, Supplement_3 (October 8, 2021): 98–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab235.177.
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Abstract Designing research for beef cattle production in rangeland environments is an ongoing challenge for researchers worldwide. Specifically, creating study designs that mirror actual production environments yet have enough observations for statistical inference is a challenge that often hinders researchers in efforts to publish their observations. Numerous journals will accept “case study” or observational results that lack valid statistical inference. However, these journals are limited in number and often lack impact. Approaches are available to gain statistical inference by creating multiple observations within a common group of animals. Approaches to increasing statistical observations will be discussed in this presentation. Modeling animal behavior and performance on extensive rangeland landscapes is commonly practiced in wildlife ecology and, more recently, has been published in Animal Science journals. Additionally, new technology has made it possible to apply treatments (e.g., supplementation studies) to individual animals on extensive environments where large, diverse herds/flocks of cattle/sheep are managed as a single group. Use of individual animal identification (EID) and feed intake technology has opened a wide range of research possibilities for beef cattle production systems research in rangeland environments. Likewise, global positioning system (GPS) collars and activity monitors have created the opportunity to evaluate animal grazing behavior in remote and extensive landscapes. The use of multiple regression models to evaluate resource use in extensive environments will, in turn, help managers optimize beef cattle production and the sustainable use of forage/rangeland resources. Embracing new technologies such as GPS, activity monitors, EID tags, and feed intake monitors combined with multiple regression modeling tools will aid in designing and publishing beef cattle production research in extensive rangeland environments.
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Jahan, Reza, Timothy D. Solberg, Daniel Lee, Paul Medin, Satoshi Tateshima, Antonio De Salles, James Sayre, Harry V. Vinters, and Fernando Viñuela. "An Arteriovenous Malformation Model for Stereotactic Radiosurgery Research." Neurosurgery 61, no. 1 (July 1, 2007): 152–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1227/01.neu.0000279736.07683.1e.
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Abstract OBJECTIVE To introduce the utilization of a swine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) model for stereotactic radiosurgery research and to describe the morphological changes in the vessels after radiation. METHODS The model was created in six animals by creation of a right-sided carotid-jugular fistula. Pre- and postsurgical hemodynamic evaluation was performed. The left rete was radiated in four animals; two animals were not radiated. All animals were sacrificed 4 months after surgery, and the bilateral retia were obtained at autopsy. RESULTS There were no procedure-related complications. A pressure gradient of 20 mmHg across the nidus was obtained after surgery. The peak velocity in the arterial feeder increased from 18.5 to 83 cm/s. Microscopic examination of the control animals showed intimal hyperplasia and disrupted internal elastic lamina, similar to human AVMs. The radiated retia showed more prominent intimal hyperplasia. This was confirmed by histometric studies showing greater luminal occlusion in radiated specimens. Adventitial fibrosis was prominent in the radiated retia and was absent in the control animals. Immunohistochemical studies showed proliferating smooth muscle cells in the intima. The adventitial fibrosis consisted of smooth muscle cells surrounded by collagen Type IV extracellular matrix. CONCLUSION The nidus component and high-flow vasculopathy make this an attractive model for stereotactic radiosurgery research. Histology of the radiated models is similar to those described in radiated human AVMs. Further studies of the model are warranted to gain a better understanding of the cellular and molecular events in AVM vessels after stereotactic radiosurgery.
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Wu, Shi Wei, Guo De Li, Yan Wang, Na Li, Li Hua Hou, and Si Qi Zhang. "Advances in Research of Botanical Insecticide." Applied Mechanics and Materials 733 (February 2015): 395–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.733.395.
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Botanical insecticides have advantages of wide range of sources, easily made with local materials, low-cost, cost savings, useful and safe to people, animals and crops, etc. The compound of botanical insecticide is an effective way to improve the efficacy of such pesticides. With the development of green agriculture, it will gain more and more attention.
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Kumar, Ashwin, Mihir Singh Kothari, and Santanu Mitra. "Novel Bio-inspired Inverse Kinematics for Fault-Tolerant Multilegged Robots." International Journal of Robotics and Automation Technology 8 (December 30, 2021): 48–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.31875/2409-9694.2021.08.5.
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Abstract: Nature has the best design, which has evolved over millennia for sustainability. The current research aims to provide a generalized algorithm for multi-legged fault-tolerant walking robots with 3 degrees of freedom per leg. An inverse-kinematics-based model has been implemented for strategic foot placement. Animals walk over rough ground and move each leg separately, often falling in a non-standard gait. The present work allows a provision for the designed robot to move over uneven terrain in a controlled manner, using adaptive gaits while maintaining a constant hip height. One of the key features of the developed algorithm is the ability to adapt locomotion and continue functioning even if some legs are injured. An experimental study was carried out in order to validate the effectiveness and applicability of the current algorithm. As far as the present knowledge of the authors goes, there is no systematic study of developing a generalized algorithm for fault-tolerant multi-legged robots available in the open literature.
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Coe, Jon, and Julia Hoy. "Choice, Control and Computers: Empowering Wildlife in Human Care." Multimodal Technologies and Interaction 4, no. 4 (December 14, 2020): 92. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mti4040092.
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The purpose of this perspective paper and technology overview is to encourage collaboration between designers and animal carers in zoological institutions, sanctuaries, research facilities, and in soft-release scenarios for the benefit of all stakeholders, including animals, carers, managers, researchers, and visitors. We discuss the evolution of animal-centered technology (ACT), including more recent animal-centered computing to increase animal wellbeing by providing increased opportunities for choice and control for animals to gain greater self-regulation and independence. We believe this will increase animal welfare and relative freedom, while potentially improving conservation outcomes. Concurrent with the benefits to the animals, this technology may benefit human carers by increasing workplace efficiency and improving research data collection using automated animal monitoring systems. These benefits are balanced against cultural resistance to change, the imposition of greater staff training, a potential reduction in valuable animal-carer interaction, and the financial costs for technology design, acquisition, obsolescence, and maintenance. Successful applications will be discussed to demonstrate how animal-centered technology has evolved and, in some cases, to suggest future opportunities. We suggest that creative uses of animal-centered technology, based upon solid animal welfare science, has the potential for greatly increasing managed animal welfare, eventually growing from individual animal enrichment features to facility-wide integrated animal movement systems and transitions to wildlife release and rewilding strategies.
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Gogula, Sreenivasulu, M. Rajesh Khanna, Neelappa Neelappa, Ajith Sundaram, E. Rajesh Kumar, and Sravanth Kumar R. "Modernized Wildlife Surveillance and Behaviour Detection using a Novel Machine Learning Algorithm." International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication 10, no. 2s (December 31, 2022): 50–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.17762/ijritcc.v10i2s.5911.
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In a natural ecosystem, understanding the difficulties of the wildlife surveillance is helpful to protect and manage animals also gain knowledge around animals count, behaviour and location. Moreover, camera trap images allow the picture of wildlife as unobtrusively, inexpensively and high volume it can identify animals, and behaviour but it has the issues of high expensive, time consuming, error, and low accuracy. So, in this research work, designed a novel wildlife surveillance framework using DCNN for accurate prediction of animals and enhance the performance of detection accuracy. The executed research work is implemented in the python tool and 2700 sample input frame datasets are tested and trained to the system. Furthermore, analyze whether animals are present or not using background subtraction and features extracted is performed to extract the significant features. Finally, classification is executed to predict the animal using the fitness of seagull. Additionally, attained results of the developed framework are compared with other state-of-the-art techniques in terms of detection accuracy, sensitivity, F-measure and error.
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Morozenko, Dmytro, Yevheniia Vashchyk, Andriy Zakhariev, Nataliia Seliukova, Dmytro Berezhnyi, and Kateryna Gliebova. "Diabetes mellitus in domestic cats: clinical cases from veterinary practice." ScienceRise: Biological Science, no. 4(33) (December 30, 2022): 31–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.15587/2519-8025.2022.266536.
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The aim: to analyze clinical cases of diabetes mellitus in cats and establish the effectiveness of clinical and laboratory research and treatment of animals with the help of insulin therapy.
Materials and methods. The material for the study were domestic cats admitted to the veterinary medicine clinic "Doctor Vet" (Lviv).
Results. Clinical case 1. Cat Bonya, age 10 years, body weight 4 kg. symptoms: polyuria/polydipsia and weight loss. Examination: cachexia, weakness, pale mucous membranes, unsteady gait. Blood glucose - 20.4 mmol/l, urine analysis - pH=6.0, glucose ++++, no ketones detected. Diagnosis: diabetes. For glycemic control - caninsulin at 0.25 IU/kg every 12 hours. After the start of insulin therapy, the animal's condition improved, after 2 months - an attack of hypoglycemia, blood glucose 3.0 mmol/l. The introduction of insulin was stopped for 10 days, after 10 days the cat's appetite is normal, polyuria and polydipsia are not observed, body weight gain is 300 g, blood glucose without insulin therapy is 8.0 mmol/l.
Clinical case 2. Cat Eva, age 12 years, body weight 6.7 kg, symptoms: polyuria/polydipsia during the last two weeks, increased appetite, diet - raw meat, meatballs, buckwheat porridge, boiled carrots, beets. Blood glucose 22.9 mmol/l, urine analysis – pH = 6.0, glucose ++++, ketones +. Diagnosis: diabetes. Treatment: Lantus 2 IU subcutaneously every 12 hours. After the start of insulin therapy, the condition improved, after 2 months, blood glucose was 9.00 - 13.0 mmol/l; 15.00 – 8.0 mmol/l, 21.00 – 12.0 mmol/l, glucose and ketones are absent in the urine.
Conclusions. In the first clinical case, the cat there was a decrease in demand in insulin “Caninsulin” on the background of insulin therapy. In the second clinical case, insulin therapy with the help of "Lantus" insulin allows you to reach a level of glycemia at which diabetes stops progressing, the clinical condition of the animal normalizes, which indicates the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment. Thus, we can say that diabetes in small domestic animals is a rather severe endocrine pathology, which has typical clinical and laboratory symptoms and can be successfully treated with the help of a complex medical and diagnostic approach, based on insulin therapy
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Hayati, Hasti, Fatemeh Mahdavi, and David Eager. "Analysis of Agile Canine Gait Characteristics Using Accelerometry." Sensors 19, no. 20 (October 10, 2019): 4379. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s19204379.
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The high rate of severe injuries associated with racing greyhounds poses a significant problem for both animal welfare and the racing industry. Using accelerometry to develop a better understanding of the complex gait of these agile canines may help to eliminate injury contributing factors. This study used a single Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) equipped with a tri-axial accelerometer to characterise the galloping of thirty-one greyhounds on five different race tracks. The dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior accelerations were analysed in both the time and frequency domains. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) and Morlet wavelet transform were applied to signals. The time-domain signals were synced with the corresponding high frame rate videos of the race. It was observed that the acceleration peaks in the dorsal-ventral accelerations correspond to the hind-leg strikes which were noted to be fifteen times the greyhound’s weight. The FFT analysis showed that the stride frequencies in all tracks were around 3.5 Hz. The Morlet wavelet analysis also showed a reduction in both the frequency and magnitude of signals, which suggests a speed reduction throughout the race. Also, by detecting abrupt changes along the track, the wavelet analysis highlighted potentially hazardous locations on the track. In conclusion, the methods applied in this research contribute to animal safety and welfare by eliminating the factors leading to injuries through optimising the track design and surface type.
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Velesyk, T. A., and V. V. Moisiievych. "Analysis of the state of development of breeding livestock in Ukraine." Scientific Messenger of LNU of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies 24, no. 99 (November 27, 2022): 45–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.32718/nvlvet-e9908.
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Breeding of agricultural animals in Ukraine is a complex system consisting of many stages. Successful selection work includes a whole set of very important measures. In the conditions of wartime, the issue of animal husbandry development, in the direction of tribal affairs, acquires special relevance and requires further research. Therefore, the aim of the work was to study aspects of the territorial distribution of breeding animals in Ukraine. Research has established that the share of agriculture in the country's GDP has a tendency to grow: from 12.26% in 2017 to 16.87% in 2021. This is due to the reduction in the rate of GDP growth and the increase in the rate of volume growth agricultural activity. Over the last 10 years, crop production prevailed (more than 70%), while livestock production occupied less than 30%, respectively. The largest share of animal husbandry was recorded in 2010 – 29.48%, and the smallest in 2019 – 20.89%. In 2020, there was an increase in live weight of farm animals, compared to 2019, but compared to 2015, there was a reduction of more than 12%. According to research, in 2020 there was an increase in live weight of farm animals, compared to 2019, but compared to 2015, there was a reduction of more than 12%. The organization of reproduction of the herd is of great national economic importance, since the acceleration of the intensification of animal husbandry depends on it. One of the main issues in the reproduction of animal husbandry is the systematic replacement of animals culled due to disease, old age or low productivity with younger and more productive animals, i.e. herd repair. In recent years, 6 regional selection centers and 64 inter-district own breeding enterprises, 1516 posts for artificial insemination of cows and heifers in the individual sector were created in Ukraine. In addition, based on the report of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, it was established that the genetically guaranteed level of productivity of animals of these breeds is: milk productivity in 305 days of lactation, 5200-6400 kilograms of milk, average daily gain of young meat breeds – 1200 grams, pigs – 790-980 grams, sheared wool in pure fiber – 4.5-5.3 kg, which is 3 times higher than the average indicators for Ukraine. Further research will be the next stage in the development of measures for the development of animal husbandry in the Rivne region and Ukraine in particular.
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Sayyad, Ajij, B. Seth, and P. Seshu. "Single-legged hopping robotics research—A review." Robotica 25, no. 5 (September 2007): 587–613. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0263574707003487.
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SUMMARYInspired by the agility of animal and human locomotion, the number of researchers studying and developing legged robots has been increasing at a rapid rate over the last few decades. In comparison to multilegged robots, single-legged robots have only one type of locomotion gait, i.e., hopping, which represents a highly nonlinear dynamical behavior consisting of alternating flight and stance phases. Hopping motion has to be dynamically stabilized and presents challenging control problems. A large fraction of studies on legged robots has focused on modeling and control of single-legged hopping machines. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of developments in the field of single-legged hopping robots. We have attempted to cover development of prototype models as well as theoretical models of such hopping systems.
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Ferris, C. P., T. W. J. Keady, F. J. Gordon, and D. J. Kilpatrick. "Comparison of Calan gate and easy feed systems on the intake of dairy cows." Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2002 (2002): 114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1752756200007705.
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In many Research Centres in the UK, dairy and beef cattle access their daily allowance of forage, and perhaps concentrates, through Calan gate type feeding systems. As up to four animals may share one feed unit in these systems, only a proportion of animals can gain access to feed at any one time. This may have a negative effect on food intake and subsequent animal performance. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects on intake from offering food through a Calan gate type system, compared to a conventional easy feed system.
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Jukna, V., C. Jukna, N. Peciulaitienė, and E. Meskinytė-Kausilienė. "The body constitution type influence on charolais breeds cattle meat production and quality." Biotehnologija u stocarstvu 27, no. 3 (2011): 357–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/bah1103357j.
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The article presents data the most common body constitution types and their impact on meat production and quality on Charolais breed. Four body constitution types were researched in the breed: large, small, muscular and lightweight (commercial) type. For each type were selected in 15-16 uncastrated bulls, which were reared Control feeding station in identical feeding and storage conditions of up to 500 days age. Feeding control has been carried out from 210 days to 500 days of age. After the fattening from each group were slaughtered in 8 bulls. Investigated types of animals were marked differences in body measurement sizes. At the end research of large body constitution type bulls weighed 622.5 kg, small type 590.5 kg, muscular type 612.0 kg and of lightweight type 606.7 kg (P<0.05, P> 0.05). The animal of small type for 1 kg of weight gain consumed for 6.1 MJAE or 8.4 percent feed more than a large type animals. Other types of animal feed costs were only 1.2 to 1.7 percent higher than the large type animals. Carcass yield was the highest muscular type animals and was composed 59.8 percent, 58.9 percent of large type, 56.4 percent of lightweight (commercial) type and 54.2 percent was of small type animals (P<0.01 - > 0.05). Different types of body constitution animals were unequal of carcase hip thigh part mass and soft parts yield. The type of body constitution animal did not influence on the majority meat quality characteristics. The small type of animals meat was significantly hardness than of other types body constitution animals (P<0.05). It was concluded that for meat production purposeful to grow animals it's best to focus on the large and muscular body constitution types by increasing the number of such animal types.
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Caba, I. L., E. A. Laza, M. Constantinescu, O. D. Radu, O. A. Boiu-Sicuia, and C. Popescu. "EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON THE KNIFE BLADES USED TO CUTTING AND SHREDDING FIBROUS FODDER." INMATEH Agricultural Engineering 59, no. 3 (December 20, 2019): 263–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.35633/inmateh-59-29.
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In the process of harvesting fibrous fodder an important and negligible requirement is the appropriate shredding of the fiber feed directly or indirectly into the composition of animal feed, whether it be fresh fodder, high moisture or fodder feed or even dried. The degree of comminution of feeding stuffs decisively influences the speed of assimilation by animals of the administered feed, implicitly their weight gain, the profitability of the respective cattle farm and not only. In the paper are presented the possibilities of technically obtaining a finest shredding of fibrous fodder, especially by using multirow knives in the feed channel of self-loading hay trailer. However, these technical solutions also have certain disadvantages in the daily operation of such machines.
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Jones, Barbara, I. Ching Tsai, Yu-Mei Chang, and Jeffrey Bewley. "Weighting the relative importance of behaviors affecting gait score." Journal of Dairy Research 89, no. 1 (February 2022): 57–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022029922000206.
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AbstractThis research communication evaluates experts’ opinions on the importance and weights of six gait aspects. In 2016, a Qualtrics (Qualtrics LLC., Provo, Utah) survey was distributed to lameness experts. Six gait aspects – general symmetry, tracking, spine curvature, head bobbing, speed and abduction as well as adduction were included. Respondents were asked to rank the gait aspects from 1 (most important) to 6 (least important), and to indicate which weight each gait aspect should receive when assessing lameness. For each gait aspect, frequency (percentage %) was used to describe the distribution of rank, and medians as well as 25th and 75th percentiles were used to summarize assigned weights. Thirty-nine percent of respondents ranked general symmetry first, followed by 32% for tracking, and 19% ranked spine curvature third. Head bobbing ranked fourth with 10% whereas, speed, abduction and adduction were not ranked. The median, 25th and 75th percentiles weight for each gait aspect were: general symmetry (25, 15, and 30), tracking (20, 10, and 30), spine curvature (20, 10, and 21), head bobbing (15, 10, and 20), speed (10, 5, and 20), and abduction and adduction (10, 5, and 10). General symmetry and tracking were deemed the most important gait aspects. A composite gait score can be calculated based on weighted importance of different gait aspects to indicate possible lameness.
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Younsi, Alexander, Guoli Zheng, Lennart Riemann, Moritz Scherer, Hao Zhang, Mohamed Tail, Maryam Hatami, Thomas Skutella, Andreas Unterberg, and Klaus Zweckberger. "Long-Term Effects of Neural Precursor Cell Transplantation on Secondary Injury Processes and Functional Recovery after Severe Cervical Contusion-Compression Spinal Cord Injury." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22, no. 23 (December 3, 2021): 13106. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms222313106.
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Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a devastating event without adequate treatment options despite decades of research. In this context, the usefulness of common preclinical SCI models has been criticized. We, therefore, aimed to use a clinically relevant animal model of severe cervical SCI to assess the long-term effects of neural precursor cell (NPC) transplantation on secondary injury processes and functional recovery. To this end, we performed a clip contusion-compression injury at the C6 level in 40 female Wistar rats and a sham surgery in 10 female Wistar rats. NPCs, isolated from the subventricular zone of green fluorescent protein (GFP) expressing transgenic rat embryos, were transplanted ten days after the injury. Functional recovery was assessed weekly, and FluoroGold (FG) retrograde fiber-labeling, as well as manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI), were performed prior to the sacrifice of the animals eight weeks after SCI. After cryosectioning of the spinal cords, immunofluorescence staining was conducted. Results were compared between the treatment groups (NPC, Vehicle, Sham) and statistically analyzed (p < 0.05 was considered significant). Despite the severity of the injury, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality during the experiment, long-term survival of the engrafted NPCs with a predominant differentiation into oligodendrocytes could be observed after eight weeks. While myelination of the injured spinal cord was not significantly improved, NPC treated animals showed a significant increase of intact perilesional motor neurons and preserved spinal tracts compared to untreated Vehicle animals. These findings were associated with enhanced preservation of intact spinal cord tissue. However, reactive astrogliosis and inflammation where not significantly reduced by the NPC-treatment. While differences in the Basso–Beattie–Bresnahan (BBB) score and the Gridwalk test remained insignificant, animals in the NPC group performed significantly better in the more objective CatWalk XT gait analysis, suggesting some beneficial effects of the engrafted NPCs on the functional recovery after severe cervical SCI.
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Costa, Joao. "8 Precision dairy cattle welfare: use of technology for individual measures, record keeping and early disease detection." Journal of Animal Science 97, Supplement_3 (December 2019): 13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skz258.024.
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Abstract Precision Dairy Farming (PDF) technologies measure physiological or behavioral parameters from individual cows with the objective of enhancing animal health and welfare. Continuous monitoring of individual animals allows for detailed data record keeping and offers an opportunity to tailor management to the individual. Here we present some of the available technologies related to some of the key animal welfare measures on dairy farms, such as lying and rumination behavior, lameness and BCS monitoring. Generally, changes associated with lying time and rumination behavior are precise at the individual level but still not able to be generalized between herds, regions and productions systems. Automated gait scoring and BCS of individual cows are commercially available and becoming more accessible, allowing for increased opportunity for use on commercial dairy farms and in dairy research. Any use of PDT should understand the precision, accuracy and bias of the devices used, especially when interpreting herd summaries and regional averages. Most technologies evaluated are highly precise, but many fail to be accurate. In addition to their uses for farmers, PDT with high accuracy also aid researchers and processors to collect comprehensive data sets and reliable records. Overall, the potential uses of precision technology tools are likely to become more common on farms, and consequently improve dairy cattle management strategies, aid in herd monitoring, and improve animal welfare at the individual level.
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Gamzu, E. R., and S. I. Gracon. "Drug Improvement of Cognition : Hope and Reality." Psychiatry and Psychobiology 3, S2 (1988): 115s—123s. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0767399x00002121.
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SummaryRecent research aimed at discovering and developing new drugs for diseases of cognition focuses heavily on Alzheimer’s disease and emphasizes mechanistic/biochemical approaches. Originally, research was based on a pragmatic search for compounds that would protect animals front disruptors of learning and memory. A series of compounds called nootropics do protect animals against these disruptions and offer hope that cognitive deficits may be amenable to pharmacological treatment. However, clinical development of these compounds is complicated by a number of factors. Among these is the poor correlation between animal models of cognitive loss and clinical disease states, a notable exception being the amnesic effects of benzodiazepines. Moreover, the inverted U-shaped dose-response function obtained in animal models and the lack of standard clinical outcome measures further complicate the development process. Tests that are beginning to gain acceptance as “standards” need to be characterized in terms of their validity, variability, and stability. There is a dearth of normative, especially longitudinal, data on cognitive decline. However, the great efforts being made in basic and applied research warrant cautious optimism.
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Issayeva, Zh. "Influence of seasonal pasture rotation on animal productivity in Zhambyl region." Bulletin of the Innovative University of Eurasia 80, no. 4 (December 25, 2020): 131–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.37788/2020-4/131-136.
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Complex research is carried out on the rational use of natural pastures with seasonal use in a specific area. The research was conducted in 2015-2017 on the lands of “Batyr” farm in Korday district of Zhambyl region. The pasture lands of the farm consists of 5 independent sites and are located in 3 geographical areas:foothill-steppe (950 hа), foothill-dry steppe (1370 hа) and foothill-semi-desert (1880 hа). The total area of distant pastures is 4.200 hectares. As a result of conducting of geobotanical researches, the farm territory of peasant farm "Batyr" in Korday district of Zhambyl region was divided into seasons (spring-summer-autumn) of their use, the yield of natural herbage and live weight gain of animals was determined. Results of accounting of productivity of natural herbages on zones, seasons of year are given in article and the gain of livemass of animals for the pasturable period is defined. When determining efficiency of sheep it is revealed that higher additional weight of a liveweight is received in experimental group of animal. The seasonal pasture on average in three years of researches at the end of the pasturable period provided an increase of a live weight of rams on 3.370 kg/head at ewes on 8.020 kg/head and lambs of birth year on 8.640 kg/head is more in comparison with control groups of animals. It should be noted that for the pasturable period the increase of alive mass of animals in experimental group in 2017 is higher than a research in comparison with previous years. In 2017 at a pasture of animals on seasonal sites it was applied intra seasonal pasture turnover at which unproductive driving of animals in search of a forage on the grazing square is practically reduced three times, besides degradation of the pasturable territory is completely excluded. It was found that the use of seasonal use of pastures provides more weight gain studied animals compared to animals that graze in one place with an unsystematic manner of grazing. The implementation of the results created the conditions for the restoration of degraded pastures with an increase in the growth and development of vegetation cover up to 15-18 % and an increase in livestock production through rational grazing up to 12 %.
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Dosay-Akbulut, Mine, Alan Trudgett, and Michael Stanhope. "Understanding Genetic Diversity of the Liver Fluke Fasciola hepatica." Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C 60, no. 9-10 (October 1, 2005): 774–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/znc-2005-9-1018.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Economical breeding is important to obtain maximum gain from the breeding in the animal sector. The economic loss has to be eliminated or should be minimized. The liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica, present mostly in sheep and dairy cattle affect the yield of animals and even cause their death. To eliminate or minimize the impact of these parasites on the animals, it is important to understand the genetic diversity of the liver fluke populations and the relationship between parasite and host at regional bases. This research was carried out to determine diversity by sequence analysis of the mitochondrial ND1 gene and ribosomal ITS1 region.
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Ghita, E., C. Lazar, R. Pelmus, and I. Voicu. "Comparative research on the fattening aptitudes of the growing lambs of local Romanian breeds." Biotehnologija u stocarstvu 26, no. 1-2 (2010): 13–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/bah1002013g.
Full textAbstract:
In Romania, suckling lamb meat is on demand during the Easter, but growing suckling lambs just for this purpose is not profitable. The paper performed a comparative study of the fattening aptitudes of the lambs from three local sheep breeds to produce carcasses demanded on the international market. The research was done on three groups (Carabash, Tsigai and Tsurcana breeds) of 16 weaned lambs each, with an initial weight between 21-27 kg and continued until the animals reached an weight of 35-38 kg. The experiment started after a period of accommodation to the experimental maintenance and feeding conditions. The animals were kept indoors under similar conditions of feeding and microclimate. The body weight of the animals was measured at the beginning and end of each fattening period, as well as the average daily gain and the total weight gain for each breed. During the late period of fattening, control weighing was performed until the target weight has been achieved. The Carabash lambs, which had the highest lambing weights of all the investigated breeds, proved to be the most precocious as weight gain. Over 44 fattening days they recorded an average daily gain of 0.258?0.016 kg, reaching a slaughtering weight of 38.46?1.178 kg with a feed conversion ratio of 4.66 FU. The Tsigai lambs, less precocious than the Carabash lambs, recorded an average daily gain of 0.191?0.043 kg, over 86 days 86, reaching a slaughtering weight of 37.16?0.130 kg, with a significantly higher feed conversion ratio, of 6.35 FU. The Tsurcana lambs, on the bottom position as fattening aptitudes, reached and average daily weight of 0.154?0.0142 kg over 91 days, reaching a slaughtering weight of 35.25?1.445 kg with a feed conversion ratio of 6.44FU.
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PRASAD, RAJENDRA, and YASHBIR SINGH SHIVAY. "Selenium in human and animal nutrition and need for selenium fertilization of crops." Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 92, no. 4 (May 18, 2022): 431–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v92i4.123862.
Full textAbstract:
Selenium is an essential micronutrient for humans and animals, required to increase immunity, protect cells from free radical damage and inflammation, and support a healthy metabolism. The typical manifestations of selenium deficiency in humans are loss of appetite, fatigue after even mild exercise, cardiac arrhythmia and palpitations, cardiac insufficiency, cardiomegaly, and congestive heart failure, swelling in the joints of arms and legs in children aged 5–13 years resulting in structural shortening of the fingers and long bones resulting in growth retardation and stunting. Clinical signs of selenium deficiency in cattle include mastitis, perinatal death and abortions, suboptimal fertility in adult cattle and suboptimal milk production, acute nutritional muscular dystrophy in young calves, sudden collapse or death of calves within 2–3 days of birth, stiff-legged gait, weakness and inability to stand or walk in young calves.Being a micronutrient for humans and animals, the margin between deficiency and toxicity of selenium are small and selenium supplementation has to be carefully planned. Agronomic biofortification by fertilizing crops on selenium deficient soils is the safest way and has been successfully tried in China and Finland. It is now practised in Australia and several other countries. However, the research work on selenium in soils, plants, animals and humans is of recent origin in India and needs utmost attention and priority considering its importance in the food chain.
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Chudak, R. "THE PRODUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF HYBRID PIGLETS AT GROWING WHEN USING BETAINE." Topical issues of processing of meat and milk raw materials, no. 14 (June 4, 2021): 242–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.47612/2220-8755-2019-14-242-247.
Full textAbstract:
The results of studies of the productive
characteristics of hybrid piglets at growing with the addition of different amount of the feed additive betaine into the diet are given. During the equalizing period the productive characteristics of animals in research groups were close to the animals in the control group, their average daily
gains range of 248-250 g and the absolute gain is from 71.6 to 72.3 kg. However, the introduction of betaine into the diet in the amount of 1 kg per 1 ton of feed increased the consumption of feed by 4.18% in the third research group of animals. It is established that when using the feed additive betaine in the pigs’diet, the highest characteristics of growth were observed in the third research group of animals, where the average daily gain was 743 g and the absolute one - 378.8 kg. Throughout the period of research the piglets’ survival was 100%. The optimal amount of betaine for feeding piglets at
growing is established. It is 1 kg per 1 ton of feed.
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Suárez P., Emiro, Sony Reza G., Fredy García C., Iván Pastrana V., and Eliecer Díaz A. "Comportamiento ingestivo diurno de bovinos de ceba en praderas del pasto Guinea (Panicum maximum cv. Mombasa." Corpoica Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria 12, no. 2 (November 23, 2011): 167. http://dx.doi.org/10.21930/rcta.vol12_num2_art:228.
Full textAbstract:
<p>El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de la carga animal sobre la conducta de alimentación diurna y el rendimiento productivo de los novillos de engorde. La investigación se llevó a cabo durante 107 días, a partir de julio hasta octubre de 2010, en el Centro de Investigación Turipaná de Corpoica (Cereté, Colombia). Ganado Bovinos de ceba Cebú comercial con un peso promedio de 314 ± 29 kg que pastorearon en una pradera de Guinea cv. Mombasa (Panicum maximum). Se utilizaron dos diseños experimentales. El primero empleó un diseño de bloques completos al azar (DBCA) con submuestreo, con tres tratamientos (5, 6 y 7 animales/ha) y dos repeticiones para el análisis de la producción de la calidad del forraje y la ganancia diaria de peso vivo. El segundo fue un DBCA con tres tratamientos y tres repeticiones, correspondientes a nueve unidades experimentales, diseñados para el análisis de las variables de comportamiento ingestivo diurno. Se encontraron diferencias entre el rendimiento de materia seca y la ganancia diaria de peso vivo (P ≤ 0,05), con la carga de 5 animales/ha (5.070 ms/ha y 0,730 kg días-1, respectivamente). En cuanto a las variables de pastoreo diurno, la rumia total y la rumia parada se encontraron diferencias (P ≤ 0,05) entre las diferentes unidades. La tasa media de 7 animales/ha tuvo el mayor tiempo de pastoreo (7,53 horas), em comparación con los tratamientos de 5 y 7 animales/ha, que mostró 6,81 y 6,37 horas, respectivamente. La tasa de bocados no varió (P ≤ 0,05) entre las cargas. Las variables de comportamiento ingestivo evaluadas, al igual que la ganancia diaria de peso vivo y rendimiento de forraje, fueron influenciadas por la carga animal.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Diurnal ingestive behavior of beef cattle on Guinea grass (Panicum maximum cv. Mombasa)</strong></p><p>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of stocking rate on the diurnal feeding behavior and productive performance of fattening steers. The research was carried out over 107 days, from July until October 2010, at the Turipaná research center of Corpoica (Cereté, Colombia). Beef cattle comercial zebu with an average weight of 314 ± 29 kg grazed in a pasture of Guinea cv. Mombasa (Panicum maximum) grass. We used two experimental designs. The first employed a randomized complete block design with subsampling, with three treatments (5, 6, y 7 animals/ha) and two replicates for the production analysis of forage quality and daily live weight gain. The second was a randomized complete block design with three treatments and three repeats, corresponding to nine experimental units, designed for the analysis of diurnal feeding behavior variables. Differences were found between the dry matter yield and daily live weight gain (P ≤ 0.05) with the load of 5 animals/ha (5,070 kg ms/ha and 0,730 kg/day-1, respectively). As for the diurnal grazing variables, total rumination, and standing ruminating, the study also resulted in disparities (P ≤ 0.05) between the different units. The stocking rate of 7 animals/ha had the highest grazing time (7.53 hours), compared to the treatments of 5 and 6 animals/ha, which showed 6.81 and 6.37 hours, respectively. The biting rate did not vary (P ≤ 0.05) between loads. Ingestive behavior variables assessed, as well as the daily live weight gain and yield were influenced by stocking rate.</p>
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KOROTKY, V. P., V. A. RYZHOV, D. M. BOGDANOVICH, V. F. RADCHIKOV, M. V. JUMKOVA, N. A. SONICH, and E. V. SADYKOV. "EFFECTIVENESS OF USING A PHYTO ADDITIVE IN CALF FEEDING." Zootechnical science of Belarus 57, no. 1 (September 25, 2022): 227–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.47612/0134-9732-2022-57-1-227-234.
Full textAbstract:
Due to the reduction of sources of traditional natural fodder in animal husbandry, it becomes relevant to use non-traditional feed components, in particular the pine, which has a positive effect on growth and development of calves, provides them with
carotene, increases the average daily live weight gain, reduces feed costs per unit of weight gain and thereby improves the economic efficiency of fattening. The purpose of our research was to study the effectiveness of phyto additive produced by LLC STC
“Khiminvest” in feeding calves. It was found that its use in the diets of animals aged 3-6 months had a positive effect on the physiological state of the animals, which provided an increase in gross live weight gain by 11.3-15.5 % with a decrease in EFU
cost to obtain it by 10.3-13.3 %. The most effective scheme of feeding phyto additive to calves was 400 mg per 1 kg of live weight.
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Radovic, Cedomir, M. Petrovic, N. Parunovic, N. Brkic, B. Zivkovic, M. Gogic, and N. Stanisic. "The effect of genotype and year on traits of performance tested gilts." Biotehnologija u stocarstvu 28, no. 3 (2012): 463–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/bah1203463r.
Full textAbstract:
Objective of this research was to establish the effect of animal genotype, year of measuring and birth on traits of performance tested gilts: age at the end of the test (AET), life daily gain (LDG), back fat thickness 1 and 2 (BFT1 and BFT2), depth of back muscle (MLD) and assessed share of meat in carcass. Of total number of animals (n=3600) included in the research, 1709 animals were of genotype SL and 1891 of genotype ?SLx?LY. In regard to the birth year of tested gilts, the distribution was following: n2006=296, n2007=895, n2008=934, n2009=803, n2010=589 and n2011=83 gilts. In regard to testing year, the distribution of gilts was as follows: n2007=682, n2008=875, n2009=962, n2010=697 and n2011=384 gilts. The effects of test year and birth year were established (P<0.001) for all studied traits, whereas the effect of genotype was not established (P>0.05).