scholarly journals Genetic Parameters of Effort and Recovery in Sport Horses Assessed with Infrared Thermography

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 832
Author(s):  
Ester Bartolomé ◽  
Davinia Isabel Perdomo-González ◽  
María José Sánchez-Guerrero ◽  
Mercedes Valera
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Thermography ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Genetic Line ◽  
Sport Competition ◽  
Ranking Position ◽  
Eye Temperature

The way a horse activates (effort phase-EP) and recovers (recovery phase-RP) during a sport event can affect its sport performance. The aim of this manuscript was to test horses’ adaptation to sport performance and its genetic basis, using eye temperature assessed with infrared thermography. EP and RP were measured in 495 Spanish Sport Horses, during a performance test, considering sex (2) and genetic lines (5) as fixed effects. The ranking position obtained on an official sport competition was also collected. Differences in variables due to genetic line and sex effects were found, showing that, regardless of the genetic line, stallions tended to recover better than mares after the sport test developed. High positive intra-class correlations (p < 0.001) were found between EP and RP for both fixed effects, so that the higher the EP, the higher the RP. However, for the ranking position, a low negative correlation (p < 0.01) was found, so that the higher the eye temperature increase, the better the position. Heritabilities showed medium–high values with a medium positive genetic correlation between them. Thus, breed origins and sex influence horses’ effort and recovery during sport performance, showing a genetic basis adequate for selection.

scholarly journals PSV-16 Infrared thermography technology as a promising tool for assessing temperament of water buffaloes

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 220-221
Author(s):  
Caroline L Francisco ◽  
André M Castilhos ◽  
Daiane C Marques da Silva ◽  
Fabiola Martinez da Silva ◽  
Aline S Aranha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Thermography ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Thermal Imager ◽  
Initial Body Weight ◽  
Water Buffaloes ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Genetic Groups ◽  
Body Regions ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Positive Correlations

Abstract This study evaluated the use of the infrared thermography (IT) as a tool to identify the temperament of 75 non-castrated water buffaloes (390±32 days of age; 310±61.27 kg of initial body weight) of 3 genetic groups (GG:Jafarabadi, Mediterranean, and Murrah; n = 25 for each GG). The animals were classified for temperament through the temperament score (TSc) obtained by the mean of the sum of the scores of the time of entry into the squeeze chute (1 to 5: 1=greater time spent for entry; 5=less time spent for entry) and the exit velocity score (1 to 5: 1=lower speed; 5=higher speed) calculated after the period of adaptation to the feedlot (d0). The animals were categorized into adequate (ADQ; TSc≤3) or excitable (EXC; TSc &gt;3) temperaments. The rectal temperature was measured and IT images were obtained (Testo 882 Thermal Imager, Testo, Inc, Germany) from regions of the chest, eye, snout, cheek, foreleg (left side), ribs, hind legs, rear area (left side), and scrotum on d0. Data were analyzed using MIXED procedure in SAS, considering the GG, temperament, and the resulting interaction as fixed effects. Correlation was analyzed using the CORR procedure of SAS. There were no effects of interactions (P ≥ 0.14). ADQ animals showed lower rectal (P = 0.02) and ribs (P = 0.05) temperatures than EXC animals (Table1). Tendencies for temperament effect were detected for chest (P = 0.06) and rear area (P = 0.07). There was no effect of temperament for other variables (P = 0.19). Positive correlations were verified between the TSc and rectal (r=0.36; P &lt; 0.01), chest (r=0.35; P &lt; 0.01), and rear area (r=0.33; P &lt; 0.01) temperatures. Tendency for a positive correlation was detected between TSc and scrotum (r=0.23; P = 0.07). In conclusion, the temperament causes changes in the temperature of some body regions suggesting the IT technology may be a promising tool for assessing the temperament of water buffaloes. Supported by FAPESP (#2018/25939-1; #2014/05473-7).

PSVIII-5 Genetic parameters of thrombin as a proxy for horn fly abundance in beef cattle

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 239-239
Author(s):  
Ashley S Ling ◽  
Taylor Krause ◽  
Amanda Warner ◽  
Jason Duggin ◽  
Bradley Heins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Threshold Model ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Small Data ◽  
Horn Fly ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Highest Posterior Density

Abstract Horn flies (Haematobia irritans) are a major nuisance to cattle, especially in warm, humid regions, and are estimated to cause economic losses in excess of $1 billion annually to the U.S. beef cattle industry. Variation in horn fly tolerance has been reported within and across breeds, and heritability estimates ranging between 10 and 80% show a clear genetic basis. However, collecting fly abundance phenotypes is costly and logistically demanding, which precludes large-scale implementation. Consequently, finding correlated phenotypes and endo-phenotypes that are heritable and relatively easy to measure would facilitate implementation of horn fly tolerance genetic improvement programs. Thrombin (TH), a blood coagulation precursor, has a reported association with horn fly count variation within and across cattle breeds. In this study, the genetic basis of thrombin in beef cattle was investigated. Blood samples and horn fly count were collected on 360 cows and heifers twice during the summer of 2019 (June and August). Due to uncertainty associated with assessment of horn fly abundance and thrombin and the fact that economic losses occur only when fly abundance exceeds a certain threshold, thrombin was categorized into 4 classes (1=TH &gt; 500 ng/ml; 2=250&lt; TH&lt; 500 ng/ml; 3=100&lt; TH&lt; 250 ng/ml; and 4=TH&lt; 100 ng/ml). The trait was analyzed using linear (continuous) and threshold (discrete) mixed models. Both models included farm, pregnancy status, and cow age as fixed effects and additive and permanent environment random effects. The pedigree included 642 animals. Estimates of heritability were 0.24 and 0.29 using linear and threshold models, respectively. Estimates of repeatability were slightly higher using the threshold model (0.21 vs 0.19). Despite the small data size, all estimates were non-zero based on their respective highest posterior density intervals. These results indicate reasonable genetic variation for thrombin that could be harnessed for improvement of horn fly tolerance in cattle.

scholarly journals PSII-13 Providing on-farm handling tools to move grow-finish pig cadavers

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 232-232
Author(s):  
Ella E Akin ◽  
Anna K Johnson ◽  
Cassandra Jass ◽  
Jason W Ross ◽  
Suzanne T Millman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Oxygen Saturation ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Smooth Transition ◽  
Genetic Line ◽  
Lower Heart Rate ◽  
Parametric Data ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Saturation Difference

Abstract During the grow-finish phase of production some pigs become non-ambulatory and/or die requiring the need to provide caretakers with handling tools to move them safely. The goal of this study was to identify handling tools suitable for moving non-ambulatory grow-finish pig cadavers. Five caretakers on a commercial grow-finish site were asked to move three commercial crossbred (PIC) genetic line pig cadavers (59 kg, 91 kg and 98 kg), using three handling tools (sked - SKED; deer sled - SLED; modified deer sled - MDS). Outcomes included latency to move cadaver from home-pen to hospital pen, differences in caretaker heart rate (bpm) and oxygen saturation (%), and caretakers’ subjective effort score (1 = very difficult to 5 = very easy). Data were analyzed using mixed model methods for parametric data with fixed effects of caretaker, cadaver and handling tool. PDIFF was used to separate means. Caretakers differed for latency, heart rate and oxygen saturation difference (P < 0.01). The smallest cadaver was associated with shortest latency (P < 0.01) and least caretaker oxygen saturation difference (P < 0.001). The MDS was associated with shortest latency (P < 0.01), and lower heart rate differences than the SKED (P = 0.01). Oxygen saturation did not differ for handling tool. Interestingly, caretakers scored SKED and SLED as easiest for moving all cadavers. In conclusion, the MDS did not have any restraints, so when moving the cadavers they would slide off, and legs and heads became impeded in the alley gates preventing smooth transition. Therefore, the SKED and SLED would be recommended as practical handling tools to move grow-finish pig cadavers on-farm.

Global brands in sports: identifying low-risk business opportunities

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-83
Author(s):  
Alice Aguiar-Noury ◽  
Pedro Garcia-del-Barrio
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Team Sport ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sports Industry ◽  
Global Brands ◽  
Business Opportunities ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to accomplish several goals. First, it studies the relevance of the sports sector as part of the entertainment industry. Second, it identifies promising markets within the sports industry, paying special attention to the relative importance of soccer in the context of team-sport leagues. Finally, the paper helps entrepreneurs to recognized market opportunities in the sports industry by identifying the soccer clubs that were found to be low-risk global brands. Design/methodology/approach To evaluate the relevance of the entertainment and sports industries, both in the USA and EU-28, the authors rely on their respective contribution to the domestic product and to employment. Two procedures are proposed for establishing the status of global sport leagues: one is based on the annual revenues and the other on the degree of interest that the public shows for each professional sport league. (The latter is performed by comparing the intensity with which internet users search for contents related to each of the Top-10 sports leagues worldwide.) Finally, by estimating the fixed effects of a model in which sport performance is filtered out, we calculate the expected low-risk revenues that clubs generate due to their heterogeneous brand value. Findings This paper reaches some few relevant results. First, we find that the greater employment opportunities in the European sport industry are concentrated in the UK, Spain, France and Germany, which may orientate entrepreneurs to start projects in promising sport markets. Then, data on annual revenues is used to rank the main team-sport leagues worldwide: NFL, MLB, NBA, Premier League and NHL. Another rank is based on the degree of interest of fans (as captured by Google Trends) yields a different result, where the NFL, NBA and the UEFA Champions League are, respectively, at command. Besides, the paper also ranks clubs as valuable assets by identifying which of them are low-risk soccer brands. The empirical study provides insights to select business opportunities by targeting the less-risky clubs or leagues, by calculating the expected annual revenues of clubs regardless of their recent sports performances. Originality/value This paper is innovative in two ways. First, it develops an analysis based on Google Trends to establish the comparative status of team-sport leagues worldwide. Second, by adopting an original empirical approach, it identifies markets and brands to carry out low-risk entrepreneurial projects. The expected potential revenues derived from this procedure are not contingent to the risk due to poor sport achievements in a particular season. To our knowledge, researchers have not computed in the past such calculations as that we name here low-risk revenues.

89 Effect of embryo transfer and recipient breed on offspring performance in equine show jumping

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
E. Palmer ◽  
M. Robles ◽  
A. Ricard ◽  
P. Chavatte-Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Embryo Transfer ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Additional Contribution ◽  
Maternal Environment ◽  
Offspring Performance ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Genetic Value ◽  
Show Jumping

Maternal preconceptional, gestational, and postnatal environments alter offspring phenotype in humans and animals. In particular, embryo technologies were shown in horses and other species to affect offspring growth and metabolism. Quantitative genetic calculations in a database containing genealogy and a measured trait (performance) of individuals enable geneticists to estimate the respective contribution of (A) genetic aptitude for the trait (inherited from all parents), (B) genetic maternal aptitude (additional contribution of the mother and her ancestors, acting through pregnancy, lactation, and nursing), and (C) the permanent maternal environment (similarities between the offspring of a dam that are not attributed to genetics) to the variability of this trait in this population. Additionally, fixed effects can be introduced and estimated to take into account additional factors acting on individual performance. The aim of this project was to apply this method to estimate the respective contributions of A, B, and C as well as the fixed effects of maternal parity (D), age at foaling (E), foaling interval (F), embryo transfer (G), and breed of recipient mare (for ET recipients) on the adult offspring sport performance in show jumping horses. The data came from the French Horse Database established in 1976 for genealogy and performance; calculation was done using WOMBAT® software. The performance of 207,984 horses (4.5 years per horse), born to 90,438 dams (of which 4187 were ET recipients, the others being bred by AI or natural service), were studied. Performance was expressed as follows. For each event, points were distributed depending on the horse’s rank within the event and the event’s difficulty. The logarithm of the sum of points of the year has a Gaussian distribution and is then normalised to mean=0 and standard deviation=1. The genetic maternal aptitude and permanent maternal environment showed a small but significant contribution to the variance of performance (1.4 and 1.5%, respectively) compared to a direct genetic contribution of 24.4%. Within each age class of dam, offspring of primiparous mares have a handicap (−0.04 to −0.06) compared to multiparous mares. Within multiparous mares, a foaling interval of 1 year only provided a small advantage (+0.01, nonsignificant) compared to longer intervals (&gt;2 years). The effect of embryo transfer was strong and significant (+0.24), which could reflect the better management of the horses produced by embryo transfer because of their genetic and financial value rather than a physiologic effect. The performance of offspring born to draft and warmblood recipients (+0.27v. +0.24, nonsignificant) were not different. In conclusion, although jumping performance occurs several years after birth, maternal effects are still measurable and embryo transfer is associated with a strongly increased performance independent of genetic value, probably due to better management of these horses. No effect of recipient mare’s breed was found.

scholarly journals Body-Cooling Paradigm in Sport: Maximizing Safety and Performance During Competition

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 382-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
William M. Adams ◽  
Yuri Hosokawa ◽  
Douglas J. Casa
Keyword(s):  
Exercise Performance ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sport Competition ◽  
Improve Exercise Performance ◽  
Body Cooling ◽  
And Performance

Context:Although body cooling has both performance and safety benefits, knowledge on optimizing cooling during specific sport competition is limited.Objectives:To identify when, during sport competition, it is optimal for body cooling and to identify optimal body-cooling modalities to enhance safety and maximize sport performance.Evidence Acquisition:A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify articles with specific context regarding body cooling, sport performance, and cooling modalities used during sport competition. A search of scientific peer-reviewed literature examining the effects of body cooling on exercise performance was done to examine the influence of body cooling on exercise performance. Subsequently, a literature search was done to identify effective cooling modalities that have been shown to improve exercise performance.Evidence Synthesis:The cooling modalities that are most effective in cooling the body during sport competition depend on the sport, timing of cooling, and feasibility based on the constraints of the sports rules and regulations. Factoring in the length of breaks (halftime substitutions, etc), the equipment worn during competition, and the cooling modalities that offer the greatest potential to cool must be considered in each individual sport.Conclusions:Scientific evidence supports using body cooling as a method of improving performance during sport competition. Developing a strategy to use cooling modalities that are scientifically evidence-based to improve performance while maximizing athlete’s safety warrants further investigation.

scholarly journals Relationship between Sports Experience and Anthropometric Indices and Sport Performance in World Women’s Handball Championship’2009

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (84) ◽  
Author(s):  
Audinga Kniubaitė ◽  
Antanas Skarbalius
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Anthropometric Indices ◽  
Match Play ◽  
Elite Level ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Ranking Position

Research background and hypothesis. The increasing demand for ever higher top level has meant greater interest and research into the factors which influence performance and sporting achievements.  Handball is a complex sport whereby performance can be analyzed and presented in a variety of ways. We hypothesized that teams with players with higher anthropometric indices  and greater sporting experience had better possibilities in winning a match-play. Research aim was to assess the interaction between players’ height, body mass, body mass index (BMI), age, sports experience and sport performance in the World Women’s Handball Championship’2009 (WWHC’2009). Research methods. The data sets were collected from the IHF website (http//www.ihf.info). We analyzed the height, body mass, body mass index (BMI), sporting experience (international matches played and goals scored) of 390 players as well as their influence on winning points (Pearson’s correlation) and final ranking position (Spearman’s Correlation) of WWHC’2009.Research results. Champions from Russia, the first four seat players and European women players were greater in body size (height, body mass), and sports experience. Discussion and conclusions. Teams composed of players with greater experience had more possibilities to win (r = 0.719; p < 0.001; Y = 0.1571x + 4.9104; r² = 0.5183), but body mass had negative influence (r = 0.317;  Y = 0.5353x – 25.598; r² = 0.1008) as well as BMI (r = –0.3300.; Y = –2.0762x + 57.273; r² = 0.1089). The height of players had moderate influence (r = 0.551; p < 0.001) on wining a match-play. It should be noted that the players in the last elite-level competition (European Women’s Handball Championship’2010) showed the same tendency and were taller and heavier than the players of WWHC’2009.Keywords: Women’s Handball, body mass, height.

scholarly journals Testing eye temperature assessed with infrared thermography to evaluate stress in meat goats raised in a semi-intensive farming system: a pilot study

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-204
Author(s):  
Ester Bartolomé ◽  
Florencia Azcona ◽  
María Cañete-Aranda ◽  
Davinia I. Perdomo-González ◽  
Joana Ribes-Pons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Infrared Thermography ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farming System ◽  
High Positive Correlation ◽  
Intensive Farming ◽  
Meat Goats ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
Eye Temperature

Abstract. The Blanca Serrana goat is selected for meat production and usually raised in an extensive farm system. The meat goat industry is getting bigger in Spain, evolving to more intensive farming systems. The negative influence of stress produced by daily management on animal welfare is even bigger in these animals as they are not used to getting so close to humans. Eye temperature has recently appeared as an appropriate and noninvasive tool for welfare assessment in cattle, but no previous studies have been developed in goats. Thus, the main aim of this pilot study was to test eye temperature as a noninvasive tool to explore stress levels associated with a semi-intensive farming system for meat goats in comparison with the standard measurements of stress. For that, 24 Blanca Serrana goats were used. Heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and eye temperature (ET), assessed with infrared thermography samples, were collected just before and just after a stressful situation created to check how the routine management of semi-intensive farming systems affected this species. A factorial ANOVA, least square means and Scheffé post hoc comparison analyses found statistically significant differences due to the stress test moment for RR (p < 0.05) and ET (p < 0.001) with higher values shown after the stress test than before it. Differences due to age were found just for HR (p < 0.05) and RR (p < 0.01) stress parameters, with kids showing higher results than adults. Pearson correlations between HR, RR and ET parameters showed a medium–high positive correlation of 0.56 between RR and ET. Thus, ET appears as an appropriate and noninvasive tool to explore stress levels associated with a semi-intensive farming system for meat goats.

scholarly journals Using eye temperature and heart rate for stress assessment in young horses competing in jumping competitions and its possible influence on sport performance

animal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 2044-2053 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Bartolomé ◽  
M.J. Sánchez ◽  
A. Molina ◽  
A.L. Schaefer ◽  
I. Cervantes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Stress Assessment ◽  
Young Horses ◽  
Eye Temperature
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