scholarly journals The Relation between Hair-Cortisol Concentration and Various Welfare Assessments of Dutch Dairy Farms

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 821
Author(s):  
Frank J. C. M. van Eerdenburg ◽  
Tessa Hof ◽  
Benthe Doeve ◽  
Lars Ravesloot ◽  
Elly C. Zeinstra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Hair Cortisol ◽  
Farm Animal Welfare ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Welfare Quality

Many protocols have been developed to assess farm animal welfare. However, the validity of these protocols is still subject to debate. The present study aimed to compare nine welfare assessment protocols, namely: (1) Welfare Quality© (WQ), (2) a modified version of Welfare Quality (WQ Mod), which has a better discriminative power, (3) WelzijnsWijzer (Welfare Indicator; WW), (4) a new Welfare Monitor (WM), (5) Continue Welzijns Monitor (Continuous Welfare Monitor; CWM), (6) KoeKompas (Cow Compass; KK), (7) Cow Comfort Scoring System (CCSS), (8) Stall Standing Index (SSI) and (9) a Welfare Index (WI Tuyttens). In addition, a simple welfare estimation by veterinarians (Estimate vets, EV) was added. Rank correlation coefficients were calculated between each of the welfare assessment protocol scores and mean hair cortisol concentrations from 10 cows at 58 dairy farms spread over the Netherlands. Because it has been suggested that the hair cortisol level is related to stress, experienced over a long period of time, we expected a negative correlation between cortisol and the result of the welfare protocol scores. Only the simple welfare estimation by veterinarians (EV) (ρ = −0.28) had a poor, but significant, negative correlation with hair cortisol. This correlations, however, failed to reach significance after correction of p-values for multiple correlations. Most of the results of the different welfare assessment protocols had a poor, fair or strong positive correlation with each other, supporting the notion that they measure something similar. Additional analyses revealed that the modified Welfare Quality protocol parameters housing (ρ = −0.30), the new Welfare Monitor (WM) parameter health (ρ = −0.33), and milk yield (ρ = −0.33) showed negative correlations with cortisol. We conclude that because only five out of all the parameter scores from the welfare assessment protocols showed a negative, albeit weak, correlation with cortisol, hair cortisol levels may not provide a long term indicator for stress in dairy cattle, or alternatively, that the protocols might not yield valid indices for cow welfare.

scholarly journals Welfare assessment in dairy cows using hair cortisol as a part of monitoring protocols

2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (S1) ◽  
pp. 72-78
Author(s):  
Urška Vesel ◽  
Tea Pavič ◽  
Jožica Ježek ◽  
Tomaž Snoj ◽  
Jože Starič
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Cortisol Concentration ◽  
Hair Cortisol ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Potential Marker ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
Monitoring Protocols

AbstractWelfare of dairy cows can be assessed using welfare assessment protocols consisting of resource, management and animal-based measures. Welfare Quality® Assessment Protocol is one of the best-known protocols, which depends almost entirely on animal-based measures. To gain more objective and rapid welfare assessment, new techniques have been developed to measure welfare of animals, such as hair cortisol concentration. As cortisol is released in response to stress, it has long been used as a biomarker of stress in animals. While the precise mechanism of cortisol incorporation into hair is unknown, hair cortisol concentration seems to be a marker of long-term systemic cortisol concentration. Hair cortisol is, therefore, a potential marker of chronic stress and is not likely to be affected by acute stress. Studies on cattle show connections between hair cortisol concentration and factors such as pregnancy, parity, diseases, ectoparasites, body condition score, environmental changes, stocking density and milk yield. Hair cortisol concentration appears to be affected by time of sampling, cow age and breed, UV radiation, season, body region of sampled hair and hair colour. Its concentration also depends on sampling and analytical methods. Hair cortisol is a promising non-invasive tool to evaluate welfare of dairy cows, however, more research is needed to determine the extent of effects on its concentration and the appropriate method of sampling and analysis. Correlations between Welfare Quality® Assessment Protocol scores and pooled hair cortisol concentrations have not yet been found, and more research is needed with larger sample size, a standardized protocol of hair sampling, processing and analysis. With proper attention to detail, hair cortisol levels in pooled hair samples might come to be used as a reliable indicator of dairy animal welfare.

scholarly journals A New, Practical Animal Welfare Assessment for Dairy Farmers

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 881
Author(s):  
Frank J. C. M. van Eerdenburg ◽  
Alice M. Di Giacinto ◽  
Jan Hulsen ◽  
Bert Snel ◽  
J. Arjan Stegeman
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Category Score ◽  
Poor Welfare

The Welfare Quality® assessment protocol (WQ) is the most extensive way to measure animal welfare. This study was set up to determine if resource-based welfare indicators, that are easier and faster to measure, could replace the more time consuming, animal-based measurements of the WQ. The WQ was applied on 60 dairy farms in the Netherlands, with good, moderate and poor welfare. The WQ protocol classified most farms (87%) as ‘acceptable’. Several of the animal-based measures of WQ correlated well with measures in the environment. Using these correlations, an alternative welfare assessment protocol (new Welfare Monitor) was designed, which takes approximately 1.5 h for a farm with 100 dairy cows. Because the opinion of farmers about welfare assessment is important if one wants to improve conditions for the cows at a farm, another objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the new Welfare Monitor for the farmer. Over two years, the farms were visited, and advice was given to improve the conditions at the farm. After the first welfare assessment and advice, farmers improved the conditions for their cows substantially. Farms where the category score had increased made more improvements on average than those that did not upgrade.

scholarly journals Funding patterns for biomedical research and infectious diseases burden in Gabon

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olouyomi Scherif Adegnika ◽  
Yabo Josiane Honkpehedji ◽  
Fabrice Mougeni Lotola ◽  
Selidji Todagbe Agnandji ◽  
Ayola Akim Adegnika ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomedical Research ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
World Health ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Research Partnerships ◽  
Malaria Burden ◽  
Burden Of Diseases

Abstract Background Biomedical research plays an important role in improving health. There seems to exist a negative correlation between the amount of biomedical research funding and disease burden from all Sub-Saharan African countries. In this study, we describe funding patterns for biomedical research, explore the correlation between funding and burden of diseases, and quantify inequalities in funds distribution across diseases in Gabon over the period 2005–2015. Methods Data on medical research funds from 2005 to 2015 were retrieved through a structured questionnaire distributed to Gabonese biomedical research institutions and by consulting online databases. Data on the burden of diseases were gathered from the World Health Organization and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. We used Kendall rank correlation coefficient to explore the correlation between cumulative funds over time and the burden of disease. The inequality distribution of funding across diseases was assessed through Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve. Results Biomedical research funding was characterized by a remarkable growth from 2005 to 2010 and a decline from 2010 to 2014. Funds were mostly from external sources and from partnerships. There was inequality in research funds allocation across diseases and malaria was far the most funded disease. There was a significant negative correlation between cumulative funding and the burden of HIV, tuberculosis, and of Helminthiasis (from 2006 to 2010) suggesting that research may be contributing to the management of such diseases. A positive, although not significant, correlation was found between cumulative funds and malaria burden. Conclusions The negative correlation between HIV and tuberculosis cumulative funding and burden suggests that research may be contributing to the management of such diseases but further research is needed to assess the causal direction of such as relationship. As the burden of non-communicable diseases is increasing, more research funds should be focused on those. While research partnerships have been and will remain fundamental, Gabon should increase the amount of national funds to overcome periods of reduced research funding flows from abroad.

RELATION ENTRE LE DEGRE DE POURRITURE, L’IMPEDANCE DES TISSUS ET LA DENSITE OPTIQUE D’UN EXTRAIT A L’ACETATE D’ETHYLE CHEZ LA RACINE DE LA LUZERNE

1976 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-61
Author(s):  
C. RICHARD ◽  
C. GAGNON
Keyword(s):  
Ethyl Acetate ◽  
Optical Density ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Practical Method ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Root Tissue ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Coefficient Of Correlation ◽  
Ethyl Acetate Extracts

The impedance of blocks of root tissue of several different rot indices was measured in alfalfa. In addition, optical density readings of ethyl acetate extracts of these blocks were made at 275 and 350 nm. Calculation of the coefficient of correlation between impedance and rot indices 2 to 5 indicates a significant negative correlation. On the other hand, a strong positive correlation was observed between high optical densities and elevated rot indices. While greater precision is achieved with optical density principally for low level of rot, experience indicates that a rot index estimated visually is the most rapid practical method.

scholarly journals Test−Retest Reliability of the ‘Welfare Quality® Animal Welfare Assessment Protocol for Sows and Piglets’. Part 1. Assessment of the Welfare Principle of ‘Appropriate Behavior’

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedrich ◽  
Krieter ◽  
Kemper ◽  
Czycholl
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Appropriate Behavior ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Smallest Detectable Change ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
Animal Welfare Assessment ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

The present study’s aim was to assess the test−retest reliability (TRR) of the ‘Welfare Quality® animal welfare assessment protocol for sows and piglets’ focusing on the welfare principle ‘appropriate behavior’. TRR was calculated using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (RS), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), smallest detectable change (SDC), and limits of agreement (LoA). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for deeper analysis of the Qualitative Behavior Assessment (QBA). The study was conducted on thirteen farms in Northern Germany, which were visited five times by the same observer. Farm visits 1 (F1; day 0) were compared to farm visits 2 to 5 (F2–F5). The QBA indicated no TRR when applying the statistical parameters introduced above (e.g., ‘playful‘ (F1–F4) RS 0.08 ICC 0.00 SDC 0.50 LoA [−0.62, 0.38]). The PCA detected contradictory TRR. Acceptable TRR could be found for parts of the instantaneous scan sampling (e.g., negative social behavior (F1–F3) RS 0.45 ICC 0.37 SDC 0.02 LoA [−0.03, 0.02]). The human−animal relationship test solely achieved poor TRR, whereas scans for stereotypies showed sufficient TRR (e.g., floor licking (F1–F4) RS 0.63 ICC 0.52 SDC 0.05 LoA [−0.08, 0.04]). Concluding, the principle ‘appropriate behavior’ does not represent TRR and further investigation is needed before implementation on-farm.

scholarly journals Comparing welfare indicators in dairy cattle under different loose housing systems (deep litter vs cubicle barns) using recycled manure solids for bedding

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. e0501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Molina ◽  
Estrella I. Agüera ◽  
Carlos C. Pérez-Marín ◽  
Francisco Maroto-Molina
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Housing System ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
The Impact

Aim of study: Dairy farmers in Southern Spain are continuously investing in the modernization of their facilities and frequently ask technicians about the type of housing they should choose for their farms. Although some studies have analysed the economic impact of different housing systems, there are no reports evaluating the impact of these systems on animal wellbeing. To remedy this deficit, a study was carried out to analyse animal welfare status in two types of loose housing conditions: deep litter (DL) and cubicle (CU) barns.Area of study: This study was conducted in Cordoba (Spain).Material and methods: A total of 1,597 cows from nineteen commercial dairy farms were involved in this study, of which twelve had CU barns and seven had DL barns. Welfare Quality assessment was used to evaluate animal wellbeing, inn order to compare both housing systems.Main results: The study found some weaknesses for feeding and health indicators of animal welfare in both types of housing systems. The overall welfare assessment based on feeding, housing and health indicators showed no differences between farms with DL or CU barns.Research highlights: A good welfare status could be reached under any type of housing system.

scholarly journals Hubungan Penggunaan Sumber Informasi Kampanye Dan Partisipasi Politik Pada Kasus Pilpres 2014 Di Kecamatan Cibinong Bogor

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Layung Paramesti Martha ◽  
Amiruddin Saleh ◽  
Parlaungan Adil Rangkuti
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Information Use ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Political Campaign ◽  
Source Of Information

Indonesian presidential election campaigns had been held by the candidates and the campaign team respectively from June, 4th-July, 5th 2014. This study was aimed to know the extent of utilization of communication channels both mass media and social media (new media) as source of information, compared with interpersonal communication channel, and how the level of utilization of the information sources by voters during the political campaign influenced the level of political participation in Cibinong. This study had been conducted in September-Oktober 2014 at Sub-District of Cibinong, Bogor Regency. A number of 200 people were chosen as respondents by using purposive sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed with Spearman’s Rank correlation test. Results showed that political participation in the engagement of campaigns as well as the surveillance were poor, while the participation in voting was quite good. In the variable of demographic characteristics, a negative significant correlation was found between political affiliation and the campaign engagement and so between the birthplace and voting engagement. On the contrary, the variable of age, income, and education had no correlation with all dimensions of the campaigns engagement. All dimensions of demographic characteristics including sex, birthplace, and environment had  a significant negative correlation with political participation. The indicator of sex and birthplace had a significant negative correlation with the amount of source of information use. The in dicator of birthplace also had a significant negative correlation with the frequent of accessing campaign sources of information. The utilization of campaign sources of information had a significant positive correlation with political participation in the dimension of the engagement in the campaign, voting, and surveillance for the election. Keywords: Political participation, source of information use, political campaign

scholarly journals Identification of Suitable Animal Welfare Assessment Measures for Extensive Beef Systems in New Zealand

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Kaurivi ◽  
Richard Laven ◽  
Rebecca Hickson ◽  
Kevin Stafford ◽  
Tim Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Farm Animal Welfare ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Assessment Measures ◽  
Animal Welfare Assessment ◽  
Cow Calf ◽  
Cattle Systems

Farm animal welfare assessment protocols use different measures depending on production systems and the purpose of the assessment. There is no standardized validated animal welfare protocol for the assessment of beef cattle farms in New Zealand, despite the importance of beef exports to the country. The aim of this study was therefore to identify welfare measures that would be suitable for an animal welfare assessment protocol for use in extensive pasture-based cow–calf beef cattle systems in New Zealand. The proposed animal welfare assessment measures were selected from the Welfare Quality protocol and the rangeland-based UC Davis Cow–Calf Health and Handling assessment protocol. Measures that were deemed impractical and/or unsuitable were excluded from the protocol. After testing the applicability of selected measures at one farm, additional measures that were deemed to be practical to undertake in New Zealand were identified and incorporated into the protocol. The intention was to identify animal welfare indicators that were assessable in the yard during a single farm visit, a questionnaire guided interview, and a farm resource assessment visit that evaluated cattle health and management. Further testing of the 50 measures that were identified as being appropriate will be undertaken on commercial beef farms to develop a practicable welfare protocol for extensive pasture-based beef systems.

scholarly journals Information Technologies for Welfare Monitoring in Pigs and Their Relation to Welfare Quality®

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 692
Author(s):  
Mona L. V. Larsen ◽  
Meiqing Wang ◽  
Tomas Norton
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Drinking Behaviour ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Pig Production ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
On Farm

The assessment of animal welfare on-farm is important to ensure that current welfare standards are followed. The current manual assessment proposed by Welfare Quality® (WQ), although being an essential tool, is only a point-estimate in time, is very time consuming to perform, only evaluates a subset of the animals, and is performed by the subjective human. Automation of the assessment through information technologies (ITs) could provide a continuous objective assessment in real-time on all animals. The aim of the current systematic review was to identify ITs developed for welfare monitoring within the pig production chain, evaluate the ITs developmental stage and evaluate how these ITs can be related to the WQ assessment protocol. The systematic literature search identified 101 publications investigating the development of ITs for welfare monitoring within the pig production chain. The systematic literature analysis revealed that the research field is still young with 97% being published within the last 20 years, and still growing with 63% being published between 2016 and mid-2020. In addition, most focus is still on the development of ITs (sensors) for the extraction and analysis of variables related to pig welfare; this being the first step in the development of a precision livestock farming system for welfare monitoring. The majority of the studies have used sensor technologies detached from the animals such as cameras and microphones, and most investigated animal biomarkers over environmental biomarkers with a clear focus on behavioural biomarkers over physiological biomarkers. ITs intended for many different welfare issues have been studied, although a high number of publications did not specify a welfare issue and instead studied a general biomarker such as activity, feeding behaviour and drinking behaviour. The ‘good feeding’ principle of the WQ assessment protocol was the best represented with ITs for real-time on-farm welfare assessment, while for the other principles only few of the included WQ measures are so far covered. No ITs have yet been developed for the ‘Comfort around resting’ and the ‘Good human-animal relationship’ criteria. Thus, the potential to develop ITs for welfare assessment within the pig production is high and much work is still needed to end up with a remote solution for welfare assessment on-farm and in real-time.

scholarly journals Penetrometer tests on 109 pit latrines in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya

Water SA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (3 July) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Seal ◽  
RT Bown ◽  
AH Parker
Keyword(s):  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Liquid Layer ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Depth Of Penetration ◽  
Spearman’S Rank Correlation ◽  
Spearman’S Rank Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Pit Latrine ◽  
Thick Crust

Pit latrine contents can have varying consistencies that make the pits challenging to empty. It has been assumed that solids sink to the bottom of the pit with a more liquid layer above this and a scum on the top. This implies that it would be possible to remove the uppermost layers with a pump. However, recent studies have found alternative sludge profiles, including a thick crust on the top. This paper presents penetrometer data from a large number (109) of pit latrines in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. The penetrometer consists of a weight, dropped onto an anvil that drives a cone into the pit. The depth of penetration following each impact was measured. This was converted into plots of depth in the pits against penetration. Each pit was analysed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, and categorised into positive or negative correlation, significant or non-significant. Significant, negative correlation was assumed to correspond to pits where the solids had sunk to the bottom. 38% of pits were classified in this way, which suggested that while it is common that the number of impacts required to penetrate the sludge increases with depth in the pit, this is not always the case. Pit emptiers should be prepared to deal with pits with a variety of sludge profiles, including those with a solids layer at the top.

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