Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Pig'

War Pig is a series of short stories and poems that follow the protagonist, Christopher Lambert, as he embarks on training exercises and multiple deployments. It culminates with Lambert coming home and reintegrating into civilian life.

The aim of this study was to find out about the Swedish pig farmers strategies to keep up with the competition against the import of pork from Denmark and at the same time be able to satisfy the pigs need of acting out their natural behavior. This study is based on in-depth interviews with the company "MinFarm" and eight Swedish pork producers. The result of the study was several different strategies for the Swedish pork producers to maintain in the competition against the imported meat and farmers opinions about animal welfare. One of the pork producers pointed out that it is not possible to create a completely natural environment because the pigs live in stables. The concept about animal welfare is not easy to define but pigs that are healthy, gets its social needs satisfied and doesn't suffer from any diseases has a better life and higher welfare than animals who does not live under those conditions. For the farmers to make it worth the extra cost of the higher welfare, customers must be willing to prioritize the animal’s welfare and be willing to pay the extra money that will provide for the production. At present, it is not possible to have an effective meat production and high economic viability while ensuring animal welfare. To secure the Swedish meat production financial compensation will be needed for higher welfare. The market for locally produced products might be limited as it doesn't involve all kind of customers.

MapReduce is a wide-spread programming model for processing big amounts of data in parallel. PACT is a generalization of MapReduce, based on the concept of Parallelization Contracts (PACTs). Writing efficient applications in MapReduce or PACT requires strong programming skills and in-depth understanding of the systems’ architectures. Several high-level languages have been developed, in order to make the power of these systems accessible to non-experts, save development time and make application code easier to understand and maintain. One of the most popular high-level dataflow systems is Apache Pig. Pig overcomes Hadoop’s oneinput and two-stage dataflow limitations, allowing the developer to write SQL-like scripts. However, Hadoop’s limitations are still present in the backend system and add a notable overhead to the execution time. Pig is currently implemented on top of Hadoop, however it has been designed to be modular and independent of the execution engine. In this thesis project, we propose the integration of Pig with another framework for parallel data processing, Stratosphere. We show that Stratosphere has desirable properties that significantly improve Pig’s performance. We present an algorithm that translates Pig Latin scripts into PACT programs that can be executed on the Nephele execution engine. We also present a prototype system that we have developed and we provide measurements on a set of basic Pig scripts and their native MapReduce and PACT implementations. We show that the Pig-Stratosphere integration is very promising and can lead to Pig scripts executing even more efficiently than native MapReduce applications.
Att skapa effektiva applikationer i MapReduce eller PACT kråver goda programmeringskunskaper och djup förståelse utav systemens arkitektur. Flera högnivå-språk har utvecklats för att göra de kraftfulla systemen tillgängliga för icke-experter, för att spara utvecklingstid och för att göra applikationernas kod lättare att förstå. Ett utav de mest populära systemen för högnivå-dataflöden är Apache Pig. Pig överkommer Hadoops ett-input och tvånivå-begränsningar och låter utvecklaren skriva SQL-liknande skript. Dock är Hadoops begränsningar fortfarande närvarande i backend-systemet och lägger till ett synligt tillägg till exekutionstiden. Pig är för nuvarande implenterat ovanpåHadoop, dock har det designats för att vara modulärt och oberoende utav exekutionsmotorn. I det här exjobbs-projektet presenterar vi integration utav Pig med ett annat framework för parallel dataprocessering, Stratosphere. Vi visar att Stratosphere har önskade egenskaper som signifikant förbättrar Pigs prestanda. Vi presenterar en algoritm som översätter Pig Latin-skript till PACT-program som can köras påNepheleexekutionsmotorn. Vi presenterar ocksåett prototypsystem som vi har utvecklat och vi bidrar med mätningar utav ett set av grundläggande Pigskript och deras MapReduce och Pact-implementationer. Vi visar att Pig-Stratosphere-integrationen är väldigt lovande och kan leda till att Pigskript exekuteras mer effektivt än MapReduce applikationer.

Pigs transgenic for hDAF were created by microinjection of human DNA into fertilized pig oocytes. Ten control hearts, eight heterozygous hDAF transgenic hearts and one homozygous hDAF transgenic heart, were transplanted heterotopically into the abdomen of non-immunosuppressed cynomolgus monkeys. Fifteen heterozygous transgenic and five control hearts were then transplanted heterotopically into the abdomen of immunosuppressed cynomolgus monkeys. Of the transgenic hearts ten were immunosuppressed with a high cyclophosphamide (CyP) regimen (group I) and five were immunosuppressed with a low CyP regimen (group 2). All control hearts were immunosuppressed with the high CyP regimen. The hDAF transgenic hearts in the high CyP group had a median beating time of 40 days (range 6-62 days) compared with 9 days (range 8-34 days) for those in the low CyP group. This difference was statistically significant (p <0.05). The control grafts had a median beating time of 55 minutes (range 2-180 minutes). The difference between the control grafts and the high CyP transgenics was statistically highly significant (p <0.001). The difference between the control grafts and the low CyP transgenics was also statistically significant (p <0.05). All control hearts were hyperacutely rejected. Only two hearts in the high CyP group were lost due to AVR, on days 6 and 62: all other hearts showed no evidence of rejection. All hDAF transgenic hearts in the low CyP group underwent AVR. These results confirm that HAR can be abrogated with the hDAF transgene in this pig-to-primate model and that prolonged survival can be achieved. Perioperative CyP would appear to be an essential component of this regimen, without which, graft loss due to antibody-mediated AVR is encountered. Finally, hDAF transgenic pig hearts were transplanted both heterotopically, and orthotopically into immunosuppressed baboons. No graft underwent HAR and survival of heterotopic pig-to-baboon heart xenografts for up to 21 days was achieved.

The study seeks to find a baseline of Twitter usage of traditional media. Findings suggest that traditional media are using Twitter (a non-traditional medium) in a traditional way. The study explores why a tool like Twitter needs to be approached by journalists in ways to which they may not be accustomed. The study additionally finds that newsrooms are underutilizing Twitter's potential for audience interactivity and have not established guidelines for journalists in the use of Twitter for work purposes. Conclusions include the need for more understanding of Twitter on the part of managers, a usage of Twitter that fits the medium, rather than traditional journalism models and more study in the future so that the journalism business can stay ahead of the curve when new communication technologies are introduced.

This thesis is the results of a research activity performed during the Industrial Ph.D. program with the National Pig Breeders Association (ANAS). The first study takes advantage of already available knowledges related to molecular marker affecting coat color (MC1R gene) together with knowledge of genetic markers that control vertebrae number variability (NR6A1 p.P192L) in European domestic pigs and in Mora Romagnola breed. We investigated polymorphisms at these two genes to implements the use of these DNA markers and redefine the Mora Romagnola Herd Book breed standard. Furthermore, these DNA markers could be used for food traceability and authentication, improving economic sustainability of low-productivity breeds, whose products are often subject to frauds. The other two parts of the thesis take advantage from the morphological heterogeneity of Casertana breed to study phenotypic traits that cannot be genetically characterized using cosmopolitan pig breeds populations. In the second study of this thesis, we considered Casertana different ears conformation and phenotypic variability of other exterior traits (wattles and coat colours) to perform genome wide association study (GWAS) and a genome FST analyses. The study provides preliminary information about candidate genes involved in effecting monogenic traits not yet fixed in this population. In the third study, we considered the important variability of the tail shape in Casertana breed. We run a GWAS comparing the genome of curly-tailed and strait-tailed animals in order to identify genomic regions associated with the tail shape phenotype. Considering the potential relationship between tail shape and pig’s behavior and tail biting damages, the results of this study could help to develop further studies aimed at responding to animal welfare. This theme is a current topic in pig breeding, and it is considered also in ANAS new breeding programs for improve sustainability of Italian pig breeds for PDO and PGI productions.

Aquesta tesi se centra en l’estructura de cadena de subministrament plantejada en el sector porcí on les petites empreses i els productors de porcs estan integrats verticalment, s'especialitzen i treballen junts sota el paraigua de grans empreses o cooperatives. Aquestes cadenes de suministrament tenen avantatges competitius. No obstant això, els gerents han de considerar els nous problemes inexistent fins ara. Per tant, aquesta tesi desenvolupa un conjunt de models de decisió basats en Optimització per ajudar en el procés de presa de en 1) Balancejar l'impacte de les emissions en el sistema de producció porcina mitjançant el desenvolupament d'un model de decisió sota una perspectiva econòmica 2) Desenvolupar un model de decisió multiperíode i multigranja per a la planificació de la producció tenint en compte les característiques del procés de producció, i 3) desenvolupar un model de decisió per a planificar decisions tàctiques en el procés de producció de porcs per augmentar l'eficiència. Aquesta tesi demostra que l'ús de models desenvolupats brinda beneficis en el procés de presa de decisions, emfatitza la complexitat computacional de modelar un sistema integrat i obre noves oportunitats de recerca en el sector porcí.
Esta tesis se centra en la estructura de cadena de suministro planteada en el sector porcino donde las pequeñas empresas y los productores de cerdos están integrados verticalmente, se especializan y trabajan juntos bajo el paraguas de grandes empresas o cooperativas. Estas cadenas de suministro tienen ventajas competitivas. Sin embargo, los gerentes deben considerar los nuevos problemas inexistente hasta ahora. Por tanto, esta tesis desarrolla un conjunto de modelos de decisión basados ​​ en Optimización para ayudar en el proceso de toma de en 1) Balancear el impacto de las emisiones en el sistema de producción porcina mediante el desarrollo de un modelo de decisión bajo una perspectiva económica 2) desarrollar un modelo de decisión multiperíodo y multigranja para la planificación de la producción teniendo en cuenta las características del proceso de producción, y 3) desarrollar un modelo de decisión para planificar decisiones tácticas en el proceso de producción de cerdos para aumentar la eficiencia. Esta tesis demuestra que el uso de modelos desarrollados brinda beneficios en el proceso de toma de decisiones, enfatiza la complejidad computacional de modelar un sistema integrado y abre nuevas oportunidades de investigación en el sector porcino.
This thesis focuses on the structure of supply chain raised in the pig sector where small pig companies and producers are vertically integrated, specialized and work together under the umbrella of large companies or cooperatives. These supply chains have competitive advantages. However, managers have to consider the new problems. Therefore, this thesis develops a set of decision-making models based on Optimization to help in the decision-making process to 1) Balance the impact of emissions on the pig production system by developing a decision model under a economic perspective 2) Develop a multi-period and multisite decision model for production planning taking into account the characteristics of the production process, and 3) develop a decision model to plan tactical decisions in the pig production process for increasing the efficiency. This thesis shows that the use of developed models provides benefits in the decision-making process, emphasizes the complexity of computing modeling an integrated system and opens new research opportunities in the pig sector.

The objective of these studies was to evaluate the effect of supplying mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) to pig diets on both weanling pig and sow performances. Nursery pigs challenged with LPS to stimulate an immune challenge had increased body temperature and respiratory rate as well as elevated serum cortisol and TNF-α concentration, MOS-supplemented pigs had a lower rectal temperature and respiratory rate which implied that MOS improves some aspect of the immune function of piglets. MOS supplementation in sow diets during late gestation and lactation had no effect on litter size, but the piglets from MOS-fed sows were heavier at birth (P = 0.04), at weaning (P = 0.03), and during the entire nursery period (P < 0.01). Moreover, milk fat and protein levels as well as the Ig concentrations in milk from MOS-fed sows were numerically higher (2 – 12%; P > 0.10) than control sows. Overall, MOS supplementation in the nursery diet may have limited effects on the growth performance, but may have some beneficial influence on pigs under immune challenge. Furthermore, including MOS to the sow diet during late gestation and lactation can potentially improve piglet body weight as well as growth during the suckling and nursery periods.

The U.S. hog industry's shift to vertically-integrated, intensively-managed operations brought about a variety of management systems for breeding herds, including batch farrowing. In this system, groups of sows are weaned in 2- to 5- week intervals, making estrus synchronization of new gilts and sows critical to maintaining reproductive efficiency in the herd. The use of commercially available hormones to synchronize estrus in this system has not been extensively studied. This experiment was conducted to determine whether the use of commercially available hormones (MATRIX® and P.G. 600®; Merck Animal Health, De Sota, KS) in a 5-week batch management system had a positive impact on reproductive efficiency in gilts and sows over the course of 3 parities. Gilts were allocated to an Entry Group (A, B, or D) and then assigned to a treatment, Hormone-Assisted (HA) (5 mL P.G. 600 injection 5 days and/or fed 15 mg/day of MATRIX for 14 consecutive days prior to the breeding week) or Control (no exogenous hormones). Gilts and sows were checked daily for estrus with a mature boar, and a group was bred using AI during a 7-day breeding period every 5 weeks and allowed to farrow up to 3 parities. Among groups, there was a tendency (P = 0.08) for more HA than control gilts to display estrus and be mated on schedule. For gilts within Group A, more (P < 0.01) HA than control females displayed estrus and were mated. Body weight at first service for gilts in Groups A and B were higher than Group D (P < 0.01). Overall, there was no effect of treatment on (P = 0.20) non-productive days. There was a strong tendency for HA sows to have a greater (P = 0.07) number of parities completed than control sows; Total pigs born (P < 0.05) and total pigs born alive (P < 0.05) were greater for HA sows than control sows. In Parity 1, Group D sows had a lesser number of pigs born (P < 0.01) and pigs born alive (P < 0.02) than Groups A and B; The number of pigs weaned differed between entry groups (P < 0.05) (Group B > Group A > Group D); Control sows weaned more pigs (P < 0.02) and had a greater litter weaning weight (P < 0.01) than HA sows; HA sows had a lower (P < 0.05) wean-to-estrus interval than control sows. No significant effects of group or treatment were observed in Parities 2 and 3. The use of exogenous hormones to synchronize estrus had a positive impact on reproductive efficiency in HA gilts/sows in a 5-week batch management system.
Master of Science

Tail biting in pigs has been identified as a behavioural problem for decades. It has serious consequences for animal welfare and for the income of the farmers The inability to prevent occurrence of this adverse behavior under commercial farm conditions has resulted in the majority of pig producers considering necessary to dock the tails of all piglets as a preventative measure. This management choice, represents both an animal welfare and an ethical issue, as highlighted in the EU Directive 2008/120 on pig welfare which constrains routine tail docking and emphasizes the need to find alternative preventative strategies. Tail biting prevalence studies have been conducted in most of the UE Countries, but cross-study comparisons appear difficult for the different populations considered. Moreover, most of the data did not concern heavy pig production, with a lack of a complete description of the problem in a prolonged rearing context. The first step of this thesis was to identify the real prevalence of tail biting in Italy, completing an European picture. Moreover, an epidemiological approach was adopted in order to identify the management and housing factors influencing tail biting in the specific heavy pig rearing context. The study highlighted a low incidence of lesions in Italy (0.15% of affected animals on a sample of 79,780 animals). This could be related to the great percentage, (close to 100%), of docked pigs, but at the same time suggested that rearing heavy pigs in a prolonged fattening cycle does not seems to worsen the risk of tail biting. Furthermore, were identified several risk factors for tail biting on heavy pig commercial farms. Results could be relevant to the pig industry in order to reduce the economical losses due to tail biting, giving emphasis to the respect of animal welfare legislation regarding space allowance, the availability of adequate environmental enrichment and environmental parameters such as ammonia concentration and temperature. Once a causal risk factor has been demonstrated on farm, measures should be taken to minimize the incidence of tail biting, thereby enhancing animal welfare. A second step was to evaluate the welfare of undocked pigs in the specific heavy pig rearing context, investigating the feasibility to avoid tail docking in a prolonged fattening phase. Gender and the presence of straw were also considered in their effect on tail biting by evaluating welfare indicators such as blood parameters, culling rate, behavior, and lesions at ears and tail. Further investigations were conducted on mortality rate, causes of death, and the presence of lung lesions and oesophago -gastric ulcer (OGU) at slaughter. The outcome of the study suggests that the combined use of solid floors, compliance with the parameters established by EU legislation on the protections of pigs in terms of space allowance, environment parameters, and presence of chains and sawdust as enrichments seems to allow the fattening of heavy pigs without performing tail docking with no outbreak of injurious tail biting. Straw therefore seems to be an important tool in both increasing explorative behavior and preventing biting and lesions, particularly in the early stage of fattening. Furthermore, results at slaughter reveal the beneficial effects of straw on the susceptibility to gastric ulcer in the heavy pigs production system, for which very few data are available on this topic. The straw was beneficial, despite the fact that only a relatively small quantity was provided to pigs, allowing management problems due to slurry outflow obstruction or excessive farmer workload to be avoided. In a further field study, tail biting was evaluated throughout a entire producing cycle of heavy pigs, starting from weaning to slaughter. The aim was to investigate welfare and tail biting outbreaks also in the weaning phase, having available data of individually marked animals during their whole growth. Slatted floor was chosen as the most common floor type used in the heavy pig production, but even recognized as one of the mayor risk factors for tail biting. The outcome of the weaning phase was that undocked tails could represent an alternative recipient for exploration behavior in weaning pigs, with the consequence of greater incidence of tail lesions. However, seems that the higher level of lesions was related especially to the age. Probably, the social stress related to the progressive reduction of the space allowance due to the increasing size of the growing animals could be a relevant factor in display of tail biting. During the fattening phase, to avoid tail docking in pigs with a prolonged rearing cycle as for the heavy pig production, seems to provoke the rise of tail lesions. However, this finding, with the combined use of slatted floors, compliance with the parameters established by EU legislation in terms of space allowance and environmental parameters, and presence of chains and straw in a rack as enrichments, seems not associated to the variation of blood parameters and behavior, suggesting an insufficient intensity to cause severe welfare problems. Nevertheless, potential economical losses due to the injured tails should be considered even if not accompanied by evident poor welfare.
La morsicatura della coda nel suino è considerata un serio problema comportamentale da decenni. Le conseguenze sono sia a scapito del benessere animale che a scapito dei guadagni economici dell’allevatore. L’incapacità di prevenire l’insorgenza del problema in condizioni di allevamento intensivo ha portato alla scelta, adottata dalla maggioranza degli allevatori, di effettuare il taglio della coda sistematico come sistema di prevenzione. Questa scelta manageriale, al centro di questioni di benessere animale ed etiche, è affrontata dalla Direttiva Europea 2008/120 sul benessere dei suino, che enfatizza la necessità di trovare delle strategie alternative alla pratica. Studi sulla prevalenza della morsicatura della coda sono stati condotti in molti Paesi Europei, ma comparazioni tra i vari studi sembrano difficili per le differenze tra le popolazioni suine considerate. Inoltre, la maggior parte dei dati non coinvolge il suino pesante, con la completa mancanza di una descrizione dettagliata del problema in un ciclo di allevamento prolungato. La prima parte di questa tesi è stata dedicata all’identificazione della reale prevalenza del problema in Italia, completando il quadro Europeo. Inoltre, è stato adottato un approccio epidemiologico per identificare i fattori manageriali e d’allevamento che maggiormente influenzano la morsicatura della coda nel contesto specifico del suino pesante. Lo studio ha sottolineato una bassa incidenza di lesioni in Italia (0,15% di animali affetti su un campione di 79.780 animali). Questo potrebbe essere correlato all’alta percentuale (vicino al 100%) di animali soggetti alla mutilazione della coda, allo stesso tempo potrebbe anche suggerire che l’allevamento del suino pesante in un prolungato ciclo di ingrasso non peggiori i rischi di morsicatura. Inoltre, sono stati identificati diversi fattori di rischio negli allevamenti commerciali del suino pesante. I risultati potrebbero avere rilevante importanza nella produzione industriale fornendo uno strumento in più per tentare di ridurre maggiormente le perdite economiche dovute alla morsicatura della coda. Resta comunque importante il rispetto della normativa in materia di benessere, soprattutto per quanto riguarda la densità di allevamento, la disponibilità di adeguati arricchimenti ambientali ed il controllo dei parametri ambientali come i livelli di ammoniaca e la temperatura. Una volta individuato un fattore di rischio in allevamento, è importante mettere in atto gli accorgimenti necessari per ridurre l’incidenza della morsicatura della coda, migliorando il benessere animale. Una seconda parte della tesi è stata dedicata alla valutazione del benessere in suini a coda lunga nel contesto specifico dell’allevamento del suino pesante, indagando la reale fattibilità manageriale di non mutilare la coda degli animali anche in un prolungato ciclo di ingrasso. Stati considerati gli effetti di sesso e di presenza di paglia nello sviluppo della morsicatura della coda, analizzando parametri sierici, tasso di scarto, comportamento e lesioni a coda e orecchie come indicatori di benessere. Ulteriori indagini hanno valutato il tasso di mortalità e le cause di morte, mentre al macello sono state raccolti i punteggi relativi alle lesioni polmonari e alle ulcere gastriche. I risultati hanno suggerito che l’allevamento del suino pesante, rispettando le norme imposte dalla legislazione sul benessere in termini di densità, parametri ambientali, presenza di arricchimenti ambientali ed in presenza di una pavimentazione piena, sembri permettere di mantenere sotto controllo l’insorgenza della morsicatura della coda anche senza la mutilazione. La somministrazione di paglia è stato uno strumento importante sia per lo sviluppo di una maggiore attività esplorativa che per la conseguente prevenzione di morsicature e lesioni, soprattutto nello stadio iniziale dell’ingrasso. Inoltre, i risultati ottenuti al macello rivelano un effetto positivo della paglia nel prevenire le ulcere gastriche nel suino pesante, per le quali fino ad ora erano disponibili dati molto limitati. Questo effetto positivo si è ottenuto anche con la somministrazione di quantità limitate di paglia, permettendo di evitare i problemi manageriali legati alle possibili ostruzioni causate ai sistemi di allontanamento dei reflui, e limitando la manodopera. In un successivo studio di campo, la morsicatura della coda è stata valutata durante l’intero ciclo di produzione del suino pesante, iniziando dallo svezzamento fino al macello. Lo scopo è stato indagare il benessere e l’insorgenza di morsicatura alla coda anche nella fase di svezzamento, avendo a disposizione anche dati individuali tramite animali marcati con trasponder auricolari. Un pavimento grigliato è stato selezionato per la prova in quanto quello maggiormente rappresentato nell’allevamento del suino pesante ed indicato dalla bibliografia quale ulteriore fattore di rischio per la morsicatura della coda. Durante la fase di svezzamento, la coda lunga è sembrata rappresentare per i suini quasi un aggiuntivo arricchimento ambientale, attirando l’attenzione degli animali con la conseguenza di una maggiore incidenza di lesioni. Tuttavia, questa alta incidenza di morsicatura è sembrata più dovuta all’età che alla presenza di code lunghe. È probabile che lo stress sociale relativo alla progressiva riduzione dello spazio per la crescita degli animali possa aver rappresentato un fattore rilevante nell’insorgenza del problema. Durante la fase di ingrasso, eliminare il taglio della coda nel suino pesante ha sembrato portare ad un aumento delle lesioni alla coda. Ad ogni modo, rispettando i parametri imposti dalla legislazione ed in presenza di un pavimento grigliato, questo aumento di lesioni non è stato affiancato da variazioni dei parametri sierici e comportamentali osservati, suggerendo un’intensità del problema insufficiente a causare gravi problemi di benessere. In ogni caso, le potenziali perdite economiche dovute alle lesioni alle code andrebbero considerate anche se non accompagnate da altri indicatori di ridotto benessere.

La domesticación animal es un proceso realmente importante en la historia del hombre en el cual se seleccionaron diferentes rasgos de interés de los animales, como puede ser un crecimiento más rápido o una mayor docilidad. Para estudiar la domesticación a nivel genético es necesario identificar una serie de marcadores relacionados con este proceso evolutivo. Los avances en las tecnologías de secuenciación han mejorado considerablemente la investigación de la genómica de la domesticación, pudiendo determinar los cambios genéticos que causan esa transformación de especie salvaje a doméstica. El objetivo principal de esta tesis es la evaluación del efecto de la domesticación en el genoma del cerdo mediante el análisis de la diversidad genética en poblaciones domésticas y salvajes. En la primera parte se ha realizado un análisis de la diferenciación y del desequilibrio de ligamiento para detectar las diferencias entre cerdos domésticos y salvajes, utilizando la vía metabólica como unidad de análisis. Mediante el estudio de la diferenciación, utilizando el estadístico Fst, obtenemos una serie de rutas significativas relacionadas con el comportamiento y el desarrollo, que fueron algunos de los primeros rasgos seleccionados en cerdo. Sin embargo, al realizar el análisis del desequilibrio, mediante el estadístico nSL, detectamos diferencias en rutas relacionadas con la reproducción del animal, rasgo seleccionado recientemente. Por otro lado, realizamos una red de co-asociación entre todas las vías metabólicas significativamente diferentes entre cerdos domésticos y salvajes, obteniendo 3 clústeres diferenciados, uno relacionado con el crecimiento y la regulación hormonal, otro con el sistema nervioso simpático y el último con la reproducción. En la segunda parte, realizamos un análisis de la fuerza de la selección a nivel genómico en cerdos domésticos y salvajes, utilizando dos poblaciones domésticas, Ibérico y Large White, las cuales son muy diferentes entre ellas. Mientras que Ibérico es una raza autóctona que ha sufrido recientemente una gran reducción del tamaño poblacional, Large White es una raza comercial internacional que ha sido mejorada de manera artificial, además de introgresada con cerdos asiáticos. Para analizar la fuerza de la selección utilizamos el parámetro α, que estima la proporción de sustituciones no-sinónimas que son adaptativas, utilizando cuatro estimadores diferentes de la variabilidad, cada uno enfocado a una parte del espectro de frecuencias: Fu&Li (solo singletons), Watterson (todo el espectro dando más peso a las bajas frecuencias), Tajima (todo el espectro de manera uniforme) y Fay&Wu (incrementa el peso de manera proporcional a la frecuencia). Sin embargo, al analizar los patrones de selección no encontramos más señales comunes entre las razas domesticadas que al compararlas con la salvaje. En cambio, encontramos un mayor efecto de la demografía en la selección, Ibérico tiene una variabilidad muy baja debido a su bajo tamaño poblacional, lo cual se muestra en los patrones de selección obtenidos, que se asemejan a una reducción poblacional; mientras que Large White tiene una mayor variabilidad debido posiblemente a la presencia de alelos asiáticos en su genoma, obteniendo patrones explicados por la presencia tanto de mutaciones deletéreas como beneficiosas, además de una expansión poblacional y/o migración. Por último, hemos desarrollado una aplicación web para poder analizar archivos VCF, la cual puede ayudarnos a identificar posibles errores o sesgos, principalmente relacionados con la cobertura del SNP.
Animal domestication is an important process in the human history in which different traits of the animals were selected, such as faster growth or greater docility. To study domestication at the genetic level it is necessary to identify the markers related to this evolutionary process. Advances in sequencing technologies have improved the investigation of the genomics of domestication, which has allowed to determine the genetic changes that cause this transformation from wild to domestic species. The main goal of this thesis is the evaluation of the domestication effect in the pig genome through the analysis of genetic diversity in domestic and wild populations. In the first part, analyses of differentiation and linkage disequilibrium were performed to detect differences between domestic and wild pigs, using the pathway as the unit of analysis. Through the study of differentiation, using the Fst statistic, we obtained significant pathways related to behavior and development, which were some of the first selected traits in pigs. On the other hand, when performing the disequilibrium analysis, using the nSL statistic, we detected differences in pathways related to the reproduction of the animal, a recently selected trait. Besides, we made a co-association network using all pathways that are significantly different between domestic and wild pigs, obtaining three differentiated clusters, one related to growth and hormonal regulation, another with the sympathetic nervous system and the last with the reproduction. In the second part, we performed an analysis of the strength of selection at the genome level in domestic and wild pigs, using two very different domestic populations, Iberian and Large White. Iberian breed is an autochthonous breed that has recently suffered a strong reduction in the effective population size, Large White is an international commercial breed that has been artificially improved and introgressed with Asian pigs. To analyze the strength of the selection we use the parameter α, which estimates the proportion of non-synonymous substitutions that are adaptive, using four different estimators of variability, each focused on a part of the frequency spectrum: Fu&Li (only singletons), Watterson (whole spectrum giving more weight at low frequencies), Tajima (whole spectrum weighted uniformly) and Fay&Wu (increases the weight proportionally with the frequency). However, when analyzing the selection patterns, we did not find more common signals between the two domestic breeds than between domestic and wild ones. Instead, we found a larger effect of demography on the selection, Iberian has a very low variability due to its low population size, which is shown in the obtained selection patterns, which resemble a population reduction; while Large White has a larger variability, possibly due to the presence of Asian alleles in its genome, obtaining patterns that can be explained by the presence of both deleterious and beneficial mutations, together with a population expansion and/or migration. Finally, we have developed a web-based application to analyze VCF files, which can help identify possible errors or biases, mainly related to the SNP coverage.

This report is about continuous temperature measurements of pig-iron at tapping from blast furnace 2 in Oxelösund, SSAB. Nowadays the temperature is only checked once at every tapping. The purpose of this project is to see if the process stability increases by continuously knowing the temperature and to compare the costs of this new technique with the technique used today. Possible savings due to less consumption of coke/coal if the silicon amount and the temperature are closer to their aim values will be regarded and if as little steam consumption as possible are used. The process stability can be divided into different sub goals. The ordinary measuring techniques were investigated as a part of the main goal; such as the ordinary measured temperature, the pig-iron and slag samples. The new continuous temperature measuring technique was compared with the ordinary temperature measurement and investigations of the life length were done. How representative the pig-iron and slag samples are, when taking them at the time they are today, are also looked into. The continuous measured temperature showed around 0,37 % higher temperature than the ordinary measured temperature. The pig-iron and slag samples should be taken as they are today, for mainly safety aspects. By using continuous temperature measurement, some of the sub goals can be achieved for a more stable process. The economy on the other hand has shown that large savings can be done by using this continuous temperature method due to a more stable process. This is mainly because of a decrease in steam usage in the experimental period. By regarding only the material of the methods the continuous temperature equipment is a bit more expensive, but the savings are much larger so the continuous temperature method is beneficial. With time this method could probably improve the process stability even more since the operators will deal with the information and the probe better.

This thesis describes the analysis of transgenic pigs expressing the human regulatory protein decay-accelerating factor (HDAF). The first part of this research was aimed at proving the success of the genetic manipulation undertaken, by demonstrating the existence of HDAF in these transgenic pigs. These studies, conducted on PBMC from founder animals, provided evidence that both lymphocytes and monocytes from most transgenic pigs analysed express the HDAF protein. As altered expression and function of human proteins in transgenic pigs had previously been reported, the HDAF was further characterised by immunoprecipitation and epitope mapping. Together these experiments demonstrated the integrity of HDAF expressed by these transgenic pigs. To test the efficacy of the transgene, HDAF transgenic pig hearts were heterotopically transplanted into cynomolgus monkeys. None of these organs underwent HAR demonstrating the capacity of HDAF to protect the xenograft from complement mediated damage. HDAF transgenic pig kidneys were also transplanted into immunosuppressed and splenectomised cynomolgus monkeys. This led to a prolongation in the survival time of primates receiving a life-supporting porcine renal xenograft. The final part of this thesis provides insight into the xenogeneic antibody repertoire believed to be responsible for the vascular rejection of these transgenic organs. In conclusion, the detailed characterisation of the recently developed HDAF transgenic pig lines has led to the identification of pigs whose organs are not hyperacutely rejected when transplanted into primates. Together with growing insight into the humoral mechanisms responsible for the onset of delayed graft rejection, these studies have led to the longest survival reported to date for recipients of life-supporting pig-to-primate renal transplants.

In this thesis, forecasting models for the UK pigmeat sector are built using various methodologies with particular interest being paid to the relative forecasting ability of time series models compared with the performance of biological and econometric methodologies. The main determinant of the supply of pigmeat in the UK is the size of the breeding herd, the quantity of meat itself being directly attributable to the number of fat pigs slaughtered and to a lesser extent cullings of older sows and boars from the breeding herd. These three key variables are the ones modelled in this thesis. Prior to building forecasting models an explanation is given of the system underpinning the pig sector, in terms of the biology of the breeding herd pig, the mechanism of how supply responds to prices, and consideration of the well documented 'pig cycle'. Thus, the workings of the biological and economic mechanisms are described in the context of an equilibrium framework before the relevant models are built. Having built the various models, their relative forecasting performance is measured by consideration of the size of the forecast errors and the ability of the models to forecast the directional movements of the actual series in a specified out-of-sample period. In the concluding chapter, suggestions are made as to how the models might be developed further and how the various approaches might be combined into a single forecasting model. The availability of data has an important influence on much of the model building methodology and forecasting analysis. Consideration is given at various points in the thesis to circumventing these restrictions.

The weaning process is a problem in the pig industry as piglets exhibit a halt in growth; known as the post-weaning growth check. This is a result of a change in piglet diet from milk to feed, exposure to a novel environment, removal from the sow and mixing with non-litter mates. These factors result in the disruption of gastrointestinal microbiota, and proliferation of pathogens such as rotavirus, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and Salmonella. Probiotics are reported to have general beneficial effects on pig health and performance. In addition, Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii (SCB) has reported specific antagonistic activities against Clostridium difficile, Escherichia coli and rotavirus. The newly developed enrichment PCR method was shown to be more sensitive for ETEC detection than current methods, although less so for Salmonella detection. The semi-quantitative RAPD PCR based yeast method, also developed here, was highly effective at enumerating and distinguishing probiotic SCB from pig faeces. Probiotic effect on piglet performance was highly variable as pig performance was improved (feed conversion efficiency, time to reach slaughter), but not consistently. SCB supplementation was able to decrease the enteric coliform load in the pig postweaning, although these effects were transitory. Probiotic effects on diversity were limited; although there were some shifts in the bacterial populations post-weaning. However, there is potential for control of the post-weaning growth check via gender as this affected both performance and the enteric microbiota. The most profound effect on pigs was the process of weaning as it resulted in delayed weight gain, decreased lactobacilli, a shift in the enteric microbiota and high levels of ETEC and Salmonella. A prevalence of bacterial pathogens was preceded by the presence of rotavirus. This suggests there is an exacerbation of infection with multiple infectious agents. Understanding the dynamics of disease has the potential to facilitate control of these pathogens in pig herds.

COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
Tubulações industriais são a maneira mais segura, rápida e econômica de se transportar diferentes produtos, principalmente aqueles relacionados com a industria do petróleo. Essas tubulações sempre envolvem altos investimentos financeiros sendo, portanto, fundamental a garantia de um funcionamento contínuo, com o mínimo de interrupções. Para isso são usados Pigs. Pigs são dispositivos utilizados com muita frequência e com várias finalidades, tais como limpeza e desobstrução de tubulações, retirada de água, vedação de linhas, separação de diferentes produtos, remoção de condensado, inspeção e em testes hidrostáticos. O modelo aqui desenvolvido utiliza as equações unidimensionais da conservação de massa e da quantidade de movimento linear, para simular o movimento transiente do fluido. A equação de conservação de quantidade de movimento para o Pig é resolvida simultaneamente. Uma equação auxiliar para prever a vazão de fluido através do by-pass é proposta e acoplada ao sistema. Vários casos típicos são estudados, obtendo-se excelentes resultados.
Industrial pipelines are the safest, fastes and the most economical way to transport a large range of products, mostly those related to the oil industry. Pipeline systems are usually associated with huge financial investiments, being of fundamental importance to sustain their continuous operation, and maintainning them, reducing the number of interruptions or accidents at a minimum level. To accomplish that, pigs are used. Pigs are devices frequently used for many different purposes, a few of them are clemaming and dewatering a pipeline, sealing of a papeline, transport of different products, inspection and hydraulic tests all of them being accomplished without the interruption of the production lines. The developed model uses the unidimensional conservation equation of mass and linear momentum to simulate the transient movement of the fluid. The conservation of linear momentum of the Pig is also solved, Auxiliary equation to predict the by-pass flow is also incorporated into the system. several special cases are studied with very good results.

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the features that underpin the Group Nucleus breeding scheme for pigs in which the population is subdivided into several herds. With Best Linear Unbiased Prediction it is possible to directly assess response. The estimation is, however, dependent on the underlying variance components used. In general, estimating breeding values with an inflated heritability in the model results in a high predicted response, whilst having much less of an effect on the actual response. Additionally, the reduction in the weight of family information results in more unrelated animals being selected. A method to utilise this effect in order to reduce inbreeding is presented. As the population is subdivided across farms, analyses were undertaken to determine genetic and phenotypic parameters both within and across farms; little heterogeneity of variance occurred for litter size. The low heritability of the trait does however confirm the need for specialised selection methods in order to achieve satisfactory response. The production traits also showed low heritabilities, but with up to twofold differences between farms. Further analyses of the data indicated that this heterogeneity of variance was due in part both the environmental differences and a sire by farm environment interaction. The effect of altering the proportion of artificial insemination (AI) to link farms was investigated. In general, the rate of response is robust to changes in proportion of AI matings for all but the lowest proportion AI, mainly because both AI boars and natural service boars (only used in a single herd) are highly selected. Moveover, the increased number of boars associated with natural service, for example at 90% compared to 100% AI, can yield greater responses in the long term due to a lower rate of inbreeding and consequently a larger available additive genetic variance. In summary, the theoretical studies indicate that a Group Nucleus population is a robust system in which to implement genetic selection with alternative testing procedures, proportion AI or parameter use effective for all but the most extreme cases. In practice, however, additional factors can cause low heritability estimates and subsequently low rates of predicted responses, and these are discussed.

This research project addressed pain at parturition in pigs using three different approaches. Firstly, a survey study explored UK pig farmer and veterinarian attitudes to pain and the use of pain relief in order to understand the commercial context behind decisions relating to pain and its management. Secondly, an observational study was conducted to investigate the use of behaviour to assess pain associated with the process of giving birth (or farrowing) in pigs. A final experimental study was used to investigate the administration of a pain relief drug post-farrowing to improve pig welfare and increase productivity. In a questionnaire to farmers and veterinarians, individuals were asked to identify the anti-inflammatory drugs they used or prescribed and how often for selected conditions in pigs. They were also asked to rate the painfulness of different conditions and indicate their level of agreement with statements about pain and the use of pain relief. Results showed anti-inflammatories were widely used, with high agreement that pigs recovered better when given these drugs. Farmers and vets gave similar scores for painful conditions but females and younger respondents scored higher for specific conditions. The results suggest that potential barriers to the increased use of pain relief include a lack of up to date knowledge and communication between farmers and vets about pain and how best to treat it. A preliminary investigation was conducted to identify novel behavioural measures to assess pain in sows over the periparturient period. A set of spontaneous putative pain behaviours were characterised and quantified, using observations of sows before, during and after farrowing. These potential behavioural pain indicators were rare or absent before farrowing and the highest levels were seen during farrowing. For the post-farrowing observations, levels were highest for the immediate post-farrowing period and remained higher than pre-farrowing values up to 24 hours after the last piglet was born. Positive correlations between behavioural variables measured during and after farrowing indicate the individual consistency in the expression of these behaviours. Putative pain behaviours, along with other measures of welfare and productivity were then used to test the benefits of administering the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ketoprofen, compared with a saline placebo, 1.5 hours post farrowing in primiparous and multiparous sows. No clear treatment differences were observed for the sow welfare measures, including the putative behavioural indicators of pain. For primiparous sows treated with ketoprofen, fewer piglets died, but this could be due to an unexpected treatment difference in piglet birth weight, which is strongly linked with piglet mortality. Further research is needed to validate the spontaneous behaviours used in this study as indicators of pain in periparturient sows.

Spelifiering har funnits genom historien, utan att det tidigare har definierats. Spår av användning av begreppet finns på Internet sedan 2004, men begreppet blev populärt först runt 2010. Spelifiering kan beskrivas som en process där det lånas komponenter och upplägg från spelvärlden som appliceras på verksamheter som traditionellt inte hör samman med spelande. I vår undersökning riktar vi in oss på kopplingen mellan spelifiering och lärande, alltså spelifierat lärande. Syftet med denna studie är att ur ett diskursanalytiskt perspektiv beskriva vad det är som kännetecknar spelifierat lärande. Skulle skolan kunna lära sig något av spelkulturen? Studien tar sin empiriska utgångspunkt i bloggar och artiklar som skriver om ämnet och vi har undersökt vilka möjligheter och begränsningar som där presenteras. Analysen talar för att det både finns likheter och skillnader i hur spelifierat lärande tolkas och hur det talas om begreppet i förhållande till forskning. Gemensamt är att vi har funnit teman och mönster som varit centrala i texterna så som; att utgå från eleverna, piskor och morötter, flow, den sociala aspekten och berättelser, vilka utgör fokus i vår diskursanalys.

Non-typhoidal serotypes of Salmonella enterica remain important foodborne pathogens worldwide and the frequent emergence of epidemic strains in food-producing animals is a risk to public health. In recent years, Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- isolates expressing only the first phase of the two flagellar antigens (FliC) have emerged and increased in prevalence worldwide. In Europe, the majority of 4,[5],12:i:- isolates belong to phage types DT193 and DT120 of Salmonella Typhimurium and pigs have been identified as the reservoir species. In this study, a number of pig-derived monophasic (4,[5],12:i:-) and biphasic DT193 isolates were characterised for phenotypes relating to virulence, to improve understanding of their ecological success. Additionally, their ability to invade a porcine intestinal epithelial cell line (IPEC-1) and stimulate a pro-inflammatory response from the host cells was investigated, to determine the infection biology of these strains. Monophasic and biphasic isolates were compared throughout, with the aim of identifying an explanation for the selective pressure behind the loss of flagellar phase variation. It was found that the panel of DT193 isolates possessed a heterogeneous repertoire of virulence-related phenotypes and genotypes. A number of isolates demonstrated the ability to form biofilms, however the optimum temperature and time for expression of this phenotype varied among the isolates, which may have implications for bacterial survival in the environment and in the host. Another variation was in the presence of sopE, the gene for an important SPI-1 secreted effector protein associated with virulence, in the genomes of the isolates. The 4,[5],12:i:- isolates exhibited comparable adhesion and invasion to that of the virulent S. Typhimurium isolate 4/74, suggesting that these strains may be capable of colonising the small intestine of pigs in vivo. Infection with 4,[5],12:i:- and biphasic DT193 isolates resulted in approximately the same level of TLR-5 (a flagellin receptor) and IL-8 (a pro-inflammatory chemokine) mRNA upregulation, except in the case of one 4,5,12:i:- isolate that elicited significantly greater upregulation of these genes. The monophasic variants also elicited similar levels of caspase activation and cytotoxicity to the phase variable DT193 isolates. These results suggest that monophasic Salmonella display a similar infection biology to phase variable S. Typhimurium during colonisation of the porcine intestinal tract. Consequently, failure of 4,[5],12:i:- isolates to express a second phase of flagellar antigen (FljB) is unlikely to hamper their pathogenicity during colonisation of the porcine intestinal tract in vivo.

Early pregnancy losses characterise the autumn infertility in pigs. At this time luteinizing hormone (LH) pulses are irregular and have lower amplitude when compared with those in spring. It has been hypothesized that inadequate pituitary LH support for the corpora lutea (CL) would induce disruption of pregnancy. However, there is no consensus about the mechanism causing the cessation of pregnancy during the less fertile period of the year. It has been assumed that the mechanism could be progesterone mediated. On the other hand, there is evidence that liberal feeding improves the conception or farrowing rates in gilts during the same period, despite the reported detrimental effects of abundant feeding on embryonic survival in early pregnancy. The mechanism involved has yet to be determined. The first objective of this study was to investigate the endocrinological mechanism of the early disruption of pregnancy, concentrating on the role of LH. A gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist was used in three experiments to suppress LH-pulses for a shorter period than required to cause a direct regression of the CL. The second objective was to examine a possible difference in progesterone concentrations between the peripheral venous blood and blood in the vena cava in early pregnant gilts and to determine whether an episodic pattern of progesterone secretion occurs in pigs. Furthermore, three feeding regimens were applied to detect assumed beneficial effects of abundant feeding on progesterone production and, on the other hand, detrimental effects on progesterone concentrations in the peripheral blood.

The petroleum industry faces problems in transportation of crude petroleum be- cause of the deposition of paraffins, hydrates and asphaltenes on the insides of the pipeline. These are conventionally removed using either chemical inhibitors or mechani- cal devices, called pigs, which travel through the pipeline and mechanically scrape away the deposits. These pigs are propelled by the pipeline product itself and hence travel at the same velocity as the product. Research has indicated that cleaning would be better if the pigs are traveling at a relatively constant velocity of around 70% of the product velocity. This research utilizes the concept of regulating the bypass flow velocity in order to maintain the pig velocity. The bypass flow is regulated by the control unit based on the feedback from the turbine flowmeter, which monitors the bypass flow. A motorized butterfly valve is used for actually controlling the bypass flow. In addition to cleaning, the proposed pig utilizes on-board electronics like accelerom- eter and pressure transducers to store the data gathered during the pig run. This data can then be analyzed and the condition of the pipeline predicted. Thus, this research addresses the problem of designing a pig to maintain a constant velocity in order to achieve better cleaning. It also helps gather elementary data that can be used to predict the internal conditions in the pipe.

Master of Science
Department of Animal Sciences and Industry
Joel M. DeRouchey
Five experiments using a total of 4,470 pigs were used to determine the effects of dietary Cu and Zn source and finishing pig space allowance. Experiment 1 evaluated increasing dietary Zn from Zn hydroxychloride or ZnSO4 for finishing pigs. Increasing dietary Zn up to 100 mg/kg Zn maximized ADG and HCW with the greatest response observed during the last 37 d period when ractopamine was included in the diet. Pigs fed diets with Zn hydroxychloride had greater HCW compared to those fed ZnSO4. Experiment 2 evaluated increasing dietary Cu from either CuSO4 or a 50:50 blend of CuSO4:Cu-AA for finishing pigs. Pigs fed Cu from CuSO4 alone consumed more feed and tended to have poorer feed efficiency than those fed a 50:50 blend of Cu from CuSO4:Cu-AA. Pigs fed a 50:50 blend of CuSO4:Cu-AA had improved HCW G:F but ADG was unchanged on a live and HCW basis. Experiments 3 and 4 evaluated increasing dietary Cu from tri-basic copper chloride or a Cu-chelate for nursery pigs. In Exp. 3, increasing Cu from Cu-chelate to 150 mg/kg Cu increased ADG and ending BW. Increasing Cu to 150 mg/kg Cu increased ADFI and improved G:F. Pigs fed Cu from Cu-chelate had greater ADG, ADFI and ending BW than those fed Cu from tri-basic copper chloride. In Exp. 4, increasing Cu to 225 mg/kg Cu increased ADG and ending BW. Because ADFI was unchanged, G:F tended to be improved as Cu level increased. There were no differences detected between Cu sources for growth performance. Experiment 5 was conducted to determine the effects of increasing space allowance by pig removal or gate adjustment during the finishing period. Pigs provided 0.91 m2 had increased ADG compared with those allowed 0.63 m2 with pigs from pens provided increased space intermediate. Pigs provided 0.91 m2 had increased ADFI compared with pigs allowed 0.63 m2 and those where a pig was removed; however, pigs from pens where the gate was adjusted were intermediate. As pigs grew to the minimum predicted space requirement and were subsequently allowed more space, performance was greater than those initially provided 0.61 m2 but less than those allowed 0.91 m2.

This dissertation examines the evolution of pig husbandry during the period in which complex societies developed in northern Mesopotamia. Pigs were unique in the ancient Middle East because they were particularly well suited for smallholder production as opposed to elite control. In tracking the evolution of pig husbandry practices over this long period of time, this dissertation asks two questions. The first question is: when did pig husbandry practices intensify? In other words, when did northern Mesopotamian communities begin penning and stall-feeding their pigs? The second question is: why? Was there a correlation between intensification and the development class conflict, a critical part of the emergence of complex societies? Did smallholders intensify pig production to resist elite control over the agricultural sector? After developing a theoretical framework informed by previous zooarchaeological research and Marxist scholarship, this dissertation focuses on reconstructing pig husbandry at 10 archaeological sites dating to the 7th-3rd millennia BC. This research uses the assemblage of hunted wild boar at Epipaleolithic (11th millennium) Hallan Çemi as a control. The 3rd-millennium site of Tell Leilan, which included recognizable elite and non-elite areas, provides a means of testing the hypothesis that smallholders intensified pig husbandry in order to resist economic domination. This study employs a battery of standard and specialized zooarchaeological techniques to provide multiple lines of evidence for determining three aspects of pig husbandry: control over diet, mobility, and reproduction. These methods include: geometric morphometrics, survivorship analysis, biometrics, analysis of pathologies (including linear enamel hypoplasia and dental calculus), dental microwear, and analysis of starch granules and phytoliths embedded in calculus. Special attention is paid to developing appropriate statistical models to make sense of the numerous datasets. The results indicate that pig husbandry underwent region-wide intensification before or during the Halaf (6th millennium BC), and thus intensification predated the development of complex societies by about 2000 years. The Halaf is a relatively unknown period in the long-term history of the region, and it remains unclear why pig husbandry may have changed at this time. There was no detectable correlation between the emergence of complex societies and pig husbandry change despite the fact that the development of social inequality radically changed the nature of food production and consumption in the region. Moreover, there were few differences between pig husbandry practices in the elite and non-elite areas of Tell Leilan. These results, although plagued by a high degree of statistical uncertainty, suggest that the connections between pigs and power are not reducible to the single axis of husbandry as a form of class-based resistance. The concluding chapter offers alternative methods and theoretical frameworks for archaeologists to investigate both class conflict and pig husbandry.
Anthropology

The welfare of farm animals is currently a topic of both scientific investigation and public concern. The aim of this thesis was to investigate motivational factors affecting the expression of foraging behaviour in domestic pigs. This topic was chosen because a number of recent scientific investigations have implicated commercial feeding regimes as being causal in reducing pig welfare. Most of the experiments reported in this thesis used operant methodology in which pigs had to learn to perform a behavioural response to receive food reinforcement. The main aspects investigated were: the effects of social constraints on feeding behaviour; the effect of information associated with reinforcer delivery on contrafreeloading (where the same food is simultaneously offered free and contingent on an operant response); the effect of operant design on food intake and on operant choice; the effect of food level and a foraging device ('The Edinburgh Foodball') on pigs' time budget; and the effect of reinforcement rate from the Foodball on the time budget. The results showed that: pigs are highly adaptable and flexible foragers able to overcome social constraints associated with feeding by altering the expression and temporal patterning of feeding variables (e.g., feeding rate); that information associated with reinforcer delivery had little effect on contrafreeloading and that pigs at least under these experimental conditions preferred free food over operant contingent food; that the design of an operant device can significantly influence the level of operant responding and the level of food intake; that given the opportunity food motivated pigs express their feeding motivation as complex and variable foraging behaviour; and that pigs respond to a decrease in the rate of food reinforcement by increasing both the proportion of time they forage for, and the frequency of their foraging responses.

The thesis presents work evaluating performance of an Argentinian outdoor pig production system based on later weaning, induction of lactational oestrus and rearing of growing and finishing pigs at pasture. In experiment 1 the effect of hut type (straw bale huts or conventional corrugated metal huts) and season (summer and winter), on the extent of, and factors affecting, pre-weaning piglet mortality, piglet growth, sow lactational feed intake and weight loss were evaluated. Straw bales huts had lower levels of piglet mortality than control huts from birth to weaning probably due to lower summer temperatures and a larger area of floor space for the sow. High summer temperatures reduced piglet growth probably due to reduced milk production in the sow. Sow feed intake and sow weight loss during lactation were not different between seasons probably because of the availability of wallows during summer. Neonatal competition within litters for teats and colostrum/milk was the primary cause of a high proportion of outdoor piglet deaths. In experiment 1 the effect of sow mixing, boar presence and season (summer or winter) on the occurrence of lactational oestrus in outdoor sows was evaluated. Sow mixing (groups of 2) had no effect on lactational oestrus induction probably due to a low suckling disruption in mixed sows and litters. Sows exposed to the boar (either with full physical or fence-line contact), farrowing during winter and losing little weight between farrowing and weaning were more likely to show oestrus before weaning. In experiment 3, pasture intake, pig growth, concentrate intake, concentrate feed conversion rate and pneumonic lesions of outdoor protein restricted growing and finishing pigs with or without access to an alfalfa + fescue based pasture were evaluated in spring and summer. Pasture can improve growth during spring in protein restricted pigs, especially in pigs of higher body weight, but can have a detrimental effect on concentrate intake and FCR during summer due to its low digestibility, especially if composed of highly mature grass. FCR can deteriorate in outdoor growing pigs during winter-spring due to a climate penalty associated with higher heat loss. However, this appears not to impair their health status. In conclusion, the results of these studies indicate the potential under Argentinian conditions for benefits from outdoor pig production systems involving simple straw bale farrowing huts, extended lactations, lactational breeding and deployment of pasture as part of the feeding regime for growing-finishing pigs. These potential benefits relate to pig welfare aspects as well as economic considerations.