52 research outputs found
Free-choice pasture access for dry cows: Effects on health, behavior, and milk production
No full textAllowing dairy cattle to access pasture or outdoor areas is known to be beneficial for cows' welfare and is considered important by the general public. However, in confinement-based operations with high-yielding cows, pasture access may be difficult to implement, especially for lactating animals. Providing pasture access to heifers and dry cows seems a more feasible option for most farms. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of providing high yielding dairy cows with free-choice pasture access during the dry period on their health, behavior and milk production. Over the study period, a total of 78 Holstein cows were assigned to 1 of 2 treatments during the dry period (51 ± 8 d): housing with free-choice access to the pasture (PAST) or housing continuously without any access to the outdoors (CTRL). After calving, all cows from both treatments were mixed and housed continuously. To assess the effects of the treatment on cows' performance, all animals enrolled were monitored both before calving and during the first 100 d in milk (DIM) of the following lactation. The behavior of all cows involved was monitored continuously during the whole observation period using collar-based sensors. All cows were inspected monthly to assess lameness, hock lesions, cleanliness, and body condition score (BCS). During the period after calving (0-100 DIM), milk production and composition were also monitored. Results showed that free-choice pasture access affected cows' feeding behavior. Before calving, the animals in PAST spent more time feeding than in CTRL and, interestingly, this difference tended to persist for several weeks after calving. During the dry period, cows in PAST were cleaner than in CTRL but no differences in locomotion and BCS were found between the 2 groups. Free-choice pasture access during the dry period also affected milk production during the following lactation. The cows that spent the dry period in PAST produced more milk than CTRL counterparts, particularly for the animals that calved during summer. In the current study we have found that providing free-choice pasture access during the dry period can positively affect the performance of dairy cattle and represents a desirable practice in confinement-based dairy production systems
Body measurements from selective hunting: biometric features of red deer (Cervus elaphus) from Northern Apennine, Italy
No full textThe 12-item Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease Questionnaire: Construct Validity, Reliability, and Interpretability in a Clinical Setting
No full textIn 144 consecutive patients with PsA (81 men and 63 women, mean age of 51.4 ± 12.8 yrs, and 77 receiving biologic treatment), the PsAID-12 and other patient-reported outcomes (PRO) were collected, such as the Dermatology Life Quality Index. Each patient underwent articular and skin assessment.
Construct validity: Factor analysis revealed a 2-factor result defined as the PsAID Symptom Score and the PsAID Skin Score. In determining convergent validity, significant correlations were found between the PsAID-12 and the clinical Disease Activity index for Psoriatic Arthritis (cDAPSA; ρ = 0.867, p < 0.0001). Multivariable analysis showed that the PsAID-12 is determined by the articular disease activity (cDAPSA, p < 0.0001), severity of psoriasis (PsO; physician's global assessment, p < 0.0001), and the presence of a coexisting fibromyalgia (FM; p < 0.0001). Reliability: Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.93 for the total PsAID-12. Interpretability: Applying the cDAPSA categorization of disease activity states, the PsAID-12 cutoff values resulted in 1.4 between remission and low disease activity (LDA), 4.1 between LDA and moderate disease activity (MDA), and 6.7 between MDA and high disease activity. The PsAID-12 is an excellent PRO to evaluate the effect of PsA. It should be carefully handled in patients with coexisting FM
The Expanded Risk Score in Rheumatoid Arthritis (ERS-RA): performance of a disease-specific calculator in comparison with the traditional prediction scores in the assessment of the 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
No full textAIMS OF THE STUDY:
To assess the performance of the Expanded Risk Score in Rheumatoid Arthritis (ERS-RA), a disease-specific cardiovascular disease (CVD) prediction score, in evaluating the 10-year risk, in comparison with other traditional algorithms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
METHODS:
Consecutive RA patients, aged 40-75 years, without established CVD, were included. We calculated the disease-specific ERS-RA and four traditional CVD prediction scores: the modified Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (mSCORE), the Framingham Risk Score using body mass index (FRS BMI), the calculator developed by the American College of Cardiology / American Heart Association in 2013 (ACC/AHA 2013) and the QRISK3. Subjects also underwent ultrasound assessment of the carotid arteries. The presence of a carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) >0.90 mm or of carotid plaques identified the high-risk patients.
RESULTS:
Of the 84 patients evaluated, 33 (39.3%), 16 (19.0%), 24 (28.6%), 25 (29.8%) and 33 (39.3%) subjects were defined as having high CVD risk according to ACC/AHA 2013, mSCORE, FRS BMI, QRISK3 and ERS-RA, respectively. Compared with the ultrasound results, all the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC-ROC) showed good discrimination properties (0.848 - FRS BMI, 0.816 - mSCORE, 0.828 - ACC/AHA 2013, 0.844 - QRISK3, 0.869 - ESR-RA). Comparison of the AUC-ROCs did not show that discriminative ability for detecting subclinical atherosclerotic damage was improved with ESR-RA.
CONCLUSIONS:
Using a surrogate marker of subclinical atherosclerotic organ damage as indicator of CVD burden, the newly ERS-RA risk score that incorporates specific aspects of RA performs as well as ACC/AHA 2013, mSCORE, FRS BMI and QRISK3 estimators
Activity data from accelerometers in GPS collars: classification of behaviour and activity patterns in free-ranging ungulates
No full textKnowledge cycle for GHG emission mitigation: the cases of climate care cattle farms in the EU
No full textSimplified method developed for estimating the on-farm EF GHG and NH3 – presentation & results
No full text
Environmental Impacts of the Brazilian Egg Industry: Life Cycle Assessment of the Battery Cage Production System
No full textBrazil stands as one of the world’s leading producers of animal protein, ranking sixth in global egg production. However, estimated growth in production demand, along with environmental impacts, represents a potential threat to the sustainability of the food system. Methods for assessing and quantifying the environmental impacts generated by Brazilian egg production remain scarce, lacking current reports on comparative effects or guiding standards. The objective of this study was to conduct a life cycle assessment from cradle to farm gate, adhering to ISO 14040 and 14044 standards, for the battery cage egg production systems and associated products in Brazil, with the aim of supporting and promoting sustainability improvements in the Brazilian egg industry. The entire life cycle modeling and process sustainability analysis were executed using the openLCA software, integrated with the Ecoinvent database. Emissions related to egg production yielded results of 65.06 kg SO2 eq., 27.74 kg N eq., 3086.71 kg CO2 eq., 75,152.66 CTUe, 2.75 × 10−5 CFC-11 eq., and 10,044.68 kg MJ eq. per ton of eggs produced. These findings can serve as comparative benchmarks for future studies and for analyzing data across different egg production systems in Brazil.This article is published as Maciel, Fabiane de Fátima, Richard Stephen Gates, Ilda de Fátima Ferreira Tinôco, Nathan Pelletier, Maro A. Ibarburu-Blanc, Natalia dos Santos Renato, Fernanda Campos de Sousa, Rafaella Resende Andrade, Guilherme Moreira de Melo Silva, and Valentina Becciolini. 2024. "Environmental Impacts of the Brazilian Egg Industry: Life Cycle Assessment of the Battery Cage Production System" Animals 14, no. 6: 861. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14060861.© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Inferring behaviour of grazing livestock: opportunities from GPS telemetry and activity sensors applied to animal husbandry
No full text- …
