322 research outputs found
Behavioural Ecology of Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) In Panna National Park, Central India
No full textNot availabl
Fundamental Fields of: Post-Schumpeterian Evolutionary Economics
No full textAlthough the branch of economics that deals with economic evolution has become established during the last couple of decades, its aims and potentials can most easily be understood on the background of the work of early pioneers. Joseph A. Schumpeter’s contribution not only analysed capitalist economic evolution as a process of the innovative renewal of business routines. He also explored the idea that the development of economics requires coordinated efforts within the “fundamental fields” of theory, history, statistics, and economic sociology. The paper applies this idea in an analysis of the development of modern evolutionary economics. The focus is on the characteristics and interdependencies of evolutionary history, evolutionary theory, and evolutionary statistics.Evolutionary economics; fundamental fields; Joseph A. Schumpeter
Technical note : validation and comparison of 2 commercially available activity loggers
No full textTo validate the accuracy of 2 commercially available activity loggers in determining lying, standing, walking, and number of steps in dairy cows, 30 cows were fitted with the CowScout Leg (GEA Farm Technologies, Bönen, Germany) system and the IceTag (IceRobotics Ltd., Edinburgh, Scotland) system. The CowScout Leg logger reports standing and lying in 15-min periods, whereas the IceTag logger reports standing and lying every second. To make data comparable, the IceTag data were therefore also summarized over 15-min periods corresponding to the paired CowScout Leg sensor. These data from the 2 systems were then analyzed (more than 1,000 cow days in total). Video recordings of a total of 29.5 h were used for labeling the behaviors of the selected cows (n = 10) and these labels were used as a gold standard to determine the accuracy with which these 2 loggers can record behavioral states lying, standing, walking, and the behavioral event number of steps. A concordance correlation coefficient analysis showed that both the standing and lying durations obtained with the 2 systems were almost perfectly correlated with the video labeling (IceTag: ρc = 0.999 and 0.999, respectively; CowScout Leg: ρc = 0.995 and 0.996, respectively). However, both loggers performed poorly regarding number of steps (classified as an event; IceTag: ρc = 0.629; CowScout Leg: ρc = 0.678) and CowScout Leg did not detect walking (classified as a state) very accurately (ρc = 0.860). The IceTag system does not measure walking behavior. When comparing the 2 loggers, the correlation between them for standing and lying was substantial (ρc = 0.953 and ρc = 0.953, respectively). The number of steps poorly correlated between the 2 loggers (ρc = 0.593), which might be due to the CowScout Leg logger being attached to the front leg and the IceTag logger being attached to the hind leg. We conclude that both the IceTag and the CowScout Leg logger are able to record standing and lying almost perfectly, but the step counting by both loggers and the walking recording by the CowScout Leg logger are not very accurate
Cyber Buddy is Better than No Buddy: A Test of the Köhler Motivation Effect in Exergames.
No full textObjective: Although exergames are popular, few people take advantage of the potential of group dynamics to
motivate play (and achieve associated health bene?ts). One motivation gain phenomenon has shown promise for
motivating greater effort in partnered exergames: The Koehler effect (working at a task with a more capable partner
where one’s performance is indispensable to the group). This article examines whether a Koehler effect can be
demonstrated in an exergame by exercising with a moderately superior humanoid, software-generated partner.
Materials and Methods: Male and female (n = 120; mean age, 19.41 years) college students completed a series
of plank exercises using ‘‘CyBuddy Exercise,’’ a program developed speci?cally for this study. In a lab in an
academic building, participants completed the exercises individually and, after a rest, were randomly assigned
to complete the same exercises again, but with a ‘‘live’’ human partner (HP) presented virtually, a nearlyhuman-like,
humanoid partner (NHP), a hardly human-like, software-generated partner (HHP), or a no-partner
control condition (IC), with equal numbers in each group (i.e., n = 30). Exercise persistence, perceived exertion,
self-ef?cacy beliefs, enjoyment, and intentions to exercise were recorded and analyzed.
Results: A 4X2 analysis of variance on the (Block 2 – Block 1) difference scores showed that a signi?cant
Koehler motivation gain was observed in all partner conditions (compared with IC), but persistence was signi?cantly
greater with HPs than with either NHP or HHP humanoid partners (P < 0.05). By the conclusion of the
study, there were no signi?cant differences among the partnered conditions in perceived exertion, self-ef?cacy,
enjoyment, or future intentions to exercise.
Conclusions: These results suggest that a software-generated partner can elicit the Koehler motivation gain in
exergames, but not as strongly as a partner who is thought to be human
Technical note : Validation of a commercial system for the continuous and automated monitoring of dairy cow activity
No full textCurrent farm sizes do not allow the precise identification and tracking of individual cows and their health and behavioral records. Currently, the application of information technology within intensive dairy farming takes a key role in proper routine management to improve animal welfare and to enhance the comfort of dairy cows. An existing application based on information technology is represented by the GEA CowView system (GEA Farm Technologies, Bönen, Germany). This system is able to detect and monitor animal behavioral activities based on positioning, through the creation of a virtual map of the barn that outlines all the areas where cows have access. The aim of this study was to validate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of data provided by the CowView system. The validation was performed by comparing data automatically obtained from the CowView system with those obtained by a manual labeling procedure performed on video recordings. Data used for the comparisons were represented by the zone-related activities performed by the selected dairy cows and were classified into 2 categories: activity and localization. The duration in seconds of each of the activities/localizations detected both with the manual labeling and with the automated system were used to evaluate the correlation coefficients among data; and subsequently the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the automated monitoring system were calculated. The results of this validation study showed that the CowView automated monitoring system is able to identify the cow localization/position (alley, trough, cubicles) with high reliability in relation to the zone-related activities performed by dairy cows (accuracy higher than 95%). The results obtained support the CowView system as an innovative potential solution for the easier management of dairy cows
Addressing Interoperability in Open Hypermedia: the Design of the Open Hypermedia Protocol
No full textValidation of a commercial system for the continuous and automated monitoring of dairy cows activity
No full textIn order to improve animal welfare and enhance the comfort of dairy cows, the application of information technology (IT) within the intensive livestock farming takes a key role in a proper routine management.
This study aims to compare localisation and activity data provided by the CowView system, an automatic indoor localisation system for dairy cattle, with those obtained by a manual labelling procedure, twice within an observation period of minimum 25 hours per dataset.
Data from five selected dairy cows were represented by behaviours performed in relation to the occupied zones, and were classified in two categories: activity and localisation.
The identified activities performed by the dairy cows were standing, walking (both considered as being in the alley), resting (being in the cubicle) and feeding (being at the feeder). Indeed, the zone considered in the analysis were alley, in bed and feeding zone. Data automatically and manually classified (used as a reference) were compared.
Among all the behaviours detected by the automated software, the most reliable results are those related to the activity of feeding (accuracy higher than 95%). The results showed that the CowView automatic monitoring system is able to identify activity zone classification (ALLEY, THROUGH, CUBICLES) with higher reliability compared to the specific activities performed by dairy cows. The results obtained support the CowView system as an innovative and effective solution for an easier management of dairy cows
Effects of frequent feed pushes of mixed feed on feeding behaviour, feed intake, and milk production in an AMS herd
No full textPrecision Livestock Farming offers new technologies to substitute man hours spent on feeding management in intensive dairy farming, including automated feed pusher robots. Value of the technology may be more than just labour replacing if it creates increased feeding activity leading to higher feed intake and milk production. A trial was set up in a commercial dairy herd with an automatic milking system (AMS). The experimental treatments in terms of three versus ten feed pushes per day were performed twice in one large group of lactating dairy cows during July-August 2015. Mixed models were used to evaluate the effect of the applied feed pushing frequencies on three feed event-based feeding behaviours and three meal-based feeding behaviours, dry matter and energy intake, daily milk yield and milking attendance. Results from this study could not support increasing number of feed pushes in this herd in order to improve production as ten feed pushes did not as expected increase feeding activity of the cows. Instead it resulted in significantly longer duration of feed events, fewer meals and less total meal time compared to three feed pushes per day. Furthermore, feed intake and daily milk yield were significantly lower during experimental periods with ten feed pushes. Parity, days in milk and repetition included as fixed effects in the mixed models all proved to be important factors for the response variables
Behavioural effects of noise on Linnaeus's two-toed sloth (
No full textAnthropogenic noise has been related to stress in captive animals; despite this there have been few studies on animal welfare assessment in walk-through zoo enclosures. We aimed to investigate the behavioural effects of noise on a male-female pair of two-toed sloths ( ), housed in a walk-through enclosure in a zoo in the UK. The animals were filmed for 24 h per day, during three days per week, including days with potential low and high flow of visitors, for three weeks. Sound pressure measurement was performed four times each collection day (twice in the morning, once at noon and once in the afternoon), for 15 min per session, using a sound level meter. The number of visitors passing the enclosure during each session was also recorded. The videos were analysed using focal sampling, with continuous recording of behaviour. Correlations between noise and the behaviours expressed during, and in the 24 h after the acoustic recording, were investigated. The number of visitors correlated with the acoustic parameters. At the moment of exposure, higher levels of noise correlated with decreased inactivity, and longer expression of locomotion and maintenance behaviours for the male; the female spent more time inside a box in these moments. During the 24 h hours after exposure to loud noise, the female showed no behavioural changes while the male tended to reduce foraging. The behavioural changes observed in both individuals have already been reported in other species, in response to stressful events. Our study indicates the need for a good acoustic management in walk-through zoo enclosures where sloths are housed. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s) 2023.
Microsoft Smart Tags: Support, ignore or condemn them?
No full textThis paper describes the latest instantiation of the open hypermedia concept of the generic link as it appears in Microsoft™ Office products – the Smart Tag. We review the background to generic linking and the technology involved in Smart Tags and discuss the reaction to this application in the computing press. Recommendations are made on how the system design could be improved for our purposes
- …
