bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On GVC and innovation: the moderating role of policy
Authors: Eissa Yasmine , Zaki Chahir
Published: January 2023

This paper empirically investigates the association between global value chains (GVC) participation and countries’ innovation performance. Highlighting the learning effect of foreign knowledge embedded in imported intermediate goods counters the argument that GVC participation is biased towards developed countries with skilled labor abundance. We construct a GVC knowledge spillovers index by merging data on GVC from the EORA26 dataset with R&D of the trade partner. Results show positive association between the GVC knowledge spillovers index and innovation measured by resident patent per capita. Likewise, we show that trade policy, intellectual property rights’ agreements, and competition policy constitute moderating factors in the nexus between GVC participation and innovation. Our results remain robust when we use alternative measures for our two variables of interest and when we control for foreign knowledge spillovers in imported final goods.
Coupling Effects of Potassium Fertilization Rate and Application Time on Growth and Grain Yield of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Plants Grown Under Cd-Contaminated Saline Soil
Authors: El-Mageed Taia A. Abd , Semida Wael M. , Abdou Nasr M. , El-Mageed Shimaa A. Abd
Published: January 2023

Potassium is an essential macronutrient, where its availability regulates numerous biochemical, phenological, and physiological responses in plants. Synchronizing potassium supply with plant demand is a key factor to enhance growth and grain production of wheat grown in cadmium-contaminated saline soils. Field experiments were conducted in El Fayoum province, Egypt, between latitudes 29° 02′ and 29° 35′ N and longitudes 30° 23′ and 31° 05′ E, during the cropping seasons of 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 to determine the influence of different applied potassium rates and times on nutrient uptake and wheat yield grown under Cd-contaminated saline soil (ECe = 8.53 dS m−1and Cd = 18 mg kg−1soil). Four K levels (K0, K40, K80, and K120representing 0, 40, 80, and 120 kg ha−1) were applied at different application times [full dose (basal) at sowing (100% S), two equal split doses at sowing and flowering stage (50% S + 50% F), and full dose at flowering stage (100% F)]. The experimental treatments were arranged in a randomized split complete block design and replicated three times. The applied K rates, times, and their interaction induced significant differences in nutrient uptake and physiological responses which in turn improved the growth and yield of the wheat crop. Potassium addition with 120 kg ha−1at two equal split doses (50% S + 50% F) resulted in the highest values of plant height (97 cm), Fv/Fm (0.83), PI (5.49), SPAD (58.63), MSI (34.57), seed yield (5.04 t ha−1), straw yield (9.04 t ha−1), and water productivity (0.99 kg m−3). Similarly, the uptake of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, and Zn was increased, while the uptake of Na and Cd decreased as the K supply increased under the split application. The addition of potassium by 120 kg ha−1in two equal split doses at the sowing and flowering stage could be a valuable approach to improve yield and yield quality of wheat crop grown under cadmium-contaminated saline soils.
Role and Clinical Significance of Monocarboxylate Transporter 8 (MCT8) During Pregnancy
Authors: Thomas Jinsu , Sairoz  , Jose Anmi , Poojari Vidyashree G. , Shetty Sahana , K Shama Prasada , Prabhu R V Krishnananda , Rao Mahadev
Published: January 2023

The review aims to summarize the available research focusing on the importance of monocarboxylate transporter (MCT8) in thyroid hormone trafficking across the placenta and fetal development. A systematic search was carried out in PubMed; studies available in English related to “monocarboxylate transporter”, “adverse pregnancy”, “fetal development,” and “thyroid hormone” were identified and assessed. The references within the resulting articles were manually searched. MCT8 is a highly active and selective thyroid hormone transporter that facilitates the cellular uptake of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), reverse triiodothyronine (rT3), and diiodothyronine (T2) in different tissues. MCT8 is expressed in the placenta from the first trimester onwards, allowing the transport of thyroid hormone from mother to fetus. Mutations in MCT8 cause an X-linked disorder known as Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS), characterized by severe psychomotor impairment and peripheral thyrotoxicosis. Hence, any maternal thyroid dysfunction may cause severe consequences for the fetus and newborn. Further research regarding MCT8 gene expression, polymorphic variation, and adverse pregnancy outcomes must be done to establish that MCT8 is a novel prognostic marker for the early detection of pregnancy-related complications.
A strengthened Orlicz–Pettis theorem via Itô–Nisio
Authors: Sussman Ethan
Published: January 2023

In this note, we deduce a strengthening of the Orlicz–Pettis theorem from the Itô–Nisio theorem. The argument shows that given any series in a Banach space which is not summable (or more generally unconditionally summable), we can construct a (coarse-grained) subseries with the property that—under some appropriate notion of “almost all”—almost all further subseries thereof fail to be weakly summable. Moreover, a strengthening of the Itô–Nisio theorem by Hoffmann–Jørgensen allows us to replace ‘weakly summable’ with ‘$$\tau$$
τ
-weakly summable’ for appropriate topologies $$\tau$$
τ
weaker than the weak topology. A treatment of the Itô–Nisio theorem for admissible $$\tau$$
τ
is given.
A fundamental limit on energy savings in controlled channel flow, and how to beat it
Authors: Floryan Daniel
Published: January 2023

We derive a limit on energy savings in controlled channel flow. For flow in a channel driven by pressure, shear or any combination of the two, and controlled via wall transpiration or spanwise wall motion, the uncontrolled laminar state requires the least net energy (accounting for the energetic cost of control). Thus, the optimal control solution is to laminarize the flow. Additionally, we raise the possibility of beating this limit. By simultaneously applying wall transpiration and spanwise wall motion, we show that it may be possible to attain sustained sub-laminar energy expenditure in a controlled flow. We provide a necessary design criterion for net energy savings.
“The Ancestral Line is through the Father”: The Gendered Production of Statelessness in Rural Myanmar
Authors: McAuliffe Erin L.
Published: January 2023

Myanmar’s citizenship law is stratified by ethnic membership, but, on the books, it is gender neutral. Much attention has therefore focused on ethnic discrimination codified in the law. But individuals whose ethnic identities should provide them with a legitimate claim to citizenship continue to face barriers. Why is this the case? This article examines the additional obstacles that women face legitimating their ethno-national membership and conferring citizenship on their children, despite the gender neutrality of the citizenship law. I argue that the patriarchal structure of evidentiary documentation and patrilineal understandings of ethnic membership transmission shared by village leaders operating as key gatekeepers influence which parent’s claim—father’s or mother’s—to taingyintha (Indigenous or national ethnicity) membership can strengthen or weaken an individual’s chances of obtaining citizenship. The ethno-national identity of women is not evaluated equally to that of men, challenging women’s ability to capitalize on their taingyintha identity for citizenship purposes and contributing to the reproduction of statelessness across generations. I focus on this intersection of gender and ethnicity in establishing ethno-national membership and citizenship across variation in regional geopolitical environments to expand socio-legal knowledge on how formal and informal discrimination together exacerbate inequalities beyond the letter of the law.
Petrology of Palaeoarchaean mafic–ultramafic rock suites of the western Iron Ore Group, Singhbhum Craton, eastern India, using the chemistry of minerals
Authors: Paul Madhuparna , Ray Jyotisankar , Koeberl Christian , Patel Suresh C. , Sheikh Janisar M. , Manikyamba C. , Gayen Moumita , Bhattacharjee Nibedita
Published: January 2023

The petrogenesis of Palaeoarchaean mafic–ultramafic rock suites from the western Iron Ore Group, Singhbhum Craton, eastern India, has been evaluated based on the chemistry of constituent mineral phases. The rock suites include basaltic rocks and mafic (gabbro) to ultramafic (serpentinized peridotite) intrusive rocks, which occur in host rocks covering phyllite, ferruginous shale, banded haematite quartzite and jasper. The constituent clinopyroxene shows dominant uralitization, whereas plagioclase grains are generally saussuritized, being marked by relatively tiny granular aggregates of albite, chlorite, epidote and K-feldspar. The ultramafic intrusive rocks are overwhelmingly serpentinized. Clinopyroxene compositions are augitic, whereas relict plagioclase is typically bytownite. Amphiboles of the investigated rock suites are divisible into the ‘uralite’ type (occurring peripherally to clinopyroxene) and the ‘completely changed-over amphibole’ type (with no traces of initial clinopyroxene). Both the amphibole types belong to the ‘calcic group’, showing a compositional spectrum from actinolite–magnesiohornblende–ferrohornblende–ferroactinolite. Opaque minerals include magnetite (both Cr-magnetite and Al-magnetite), chromite (Al-chromite) and ilmenite, whereas serpentine (belonging to the ultramafic intrusive rocks) corresponds to lizardite. Looking at the mineral compositions of the pyroxene, glass and amphibole, the studied rock suites show a wide equilibration temperature–pressure domain range (∼750 °C to ∼1400 °C at ∼0.26 kbar to ∼21 kbar), which corresponds to an ascending magma that underwent a ‘hydration event’ at a shallow level. The assessment of the clinopyroxene and spinel chemistry characteristically suggests an arc setting for the parent magma that has undergone both equilibrium and fractional crystallization in the course of magmatic evolution. During differentiation, the magmatic density remains almost constant, with variable oxygen fugacity.
L'Indispensabile Apparenza: Le Prospettive Del Marketing Politico
Authors: Mellone Angelo
Published: January 2023

Starting with the review of the three books examined, this article aims to delineate a general overview about political marketing, a subject which is located somewhere among political science, communication, psychology, and marketing, and which is still not well known in the Italian academic and professional panorama. On the contrary, this approach is quite developed in the Anglo-Saxon countries, especially after Downs' book on the «economic democracy». This contribution distinguishes between two different approaches to the political marketing: the first one, «reductionist», confines political marketing to the use of sophisticated technologies of communication and polling for the electoral campaign; the second one, «holistic», considers instead the political marketing as a completely new paradigm, through which one can «read» and understand the entire complex of political phenomena. The article ends with the analysis of chances and risks regarding the application of marketing principles in the political arena.
IL GOVERNO ELETTRONICO: VISIONI, PRIMI RISULTATI E UN'AGENDA DI RICERCA
Authors: Calise Mauro , De Rosa Rosanna
Published: January 2023

Introduzione

Sul governo elettronico (e-government per gli addetti ai lavori) pesa, dalle origini, un'ambivalenza — e ambiguità. Terminologica ma, al tempo stesso, politologica. Nella quasi totalità degli studi, sia di presentazione che di implementazione, l'e-government viene indicato come un processo di trasformazione tecnologica (più o meno radicale) di alcune prassi amministrative, con l'obiettivo principale (dichiarato) di rendere più trasparente, efficiente e interattiva l'erogazione di alcuni servizi e l'accesso a molte informazioni. In tale accezione, l'e-government si collocherebbe tra i processi di ammodernamento della macchina burocratica rientrando nell'affollata categoria dei tentativi di riforma della pubblica amministrazione. Coerentemente con tale impostazione, numerose definizioni sottolineano l'ambito strettamente implementativo e policy-oriented dei principali progetti di e-government, collegandoli — e condizionandoli — alle potenzialità tecnologiche offerte dallo sviluppo delle ICT e di Internet in particolare.
UNA BIOGRAFIA INTELLETTUALE E DI VITA DEL «MAESTRO-COMPOSITORE» JUAN J. LINZ
Authors: Schmitter Philippe
Published: January 2023

Introduzione

Se per «maestro» intendiamo qualcuno che mette insieme un ampio gruppo di subordinati e fa eseguire loro la musica di qualcun altro, Juan José Linz non è, e non è mai stato tale. È sempre stato un «compositore» — qualcuno che scrive e suona la propria musica. E, tuttavia, dato che ha spesso riunito un certo numero di collaboratori, e scritto e diretto musica insieme a loro, chiamiamolo il «maestro-compositore» della scienza politica.
Quantifying proper nouns’ influence on L2 English learners’ reading fluency
Authors: Nicklin Christopher , Patterson Allie , McLean Stuart
Published: January 2023

Proper nouns constitute a lexical class with special properties and are thus treated differently from other words by second language acquisition researchers. An assumption exists that even low-proficiency learners will find them unproblematic, yet research suggests this assumption might be misplaced. The present study involved two self-paced reading experiments designed to investigate proper nouns’ influence on Japanese university students’ reading fluency. In Experiment 1, participants were presented with 60 decontextualized sentences containing 30 proper nouns and 30 common nouns to determine whether they are processed in a similar manner. In Experiment 2, participants read another 60 sentences comprising a book chapter to explore the effects of repeated exposure to a set of proper nouns. The results indicated that proper nouns are processed in a similar manner to common nouns in terms of disrupting reading fluency. The implications for language learning pedagogy, in particular extensive reading, are discussed.
A stochastic topology optimization algorithm for improved fluid dynamics systems
Authors: Furrokh Fox , Zhang Nic
Published: January 2023

The use of topology optimization in the design of fluid dynamics systems is still in its infancy. With the decreasing cost of additive manufacture, the application of topology optimization in the design of structural components has begun to increase. This paper provides a method for using topology optimization to reduce the power dissipation of fluid dynamics systems, with the novelty of it being the first application of stochastic mechanisms in the design of 3D fluid–solid geometrical interfaces. The optimization algorithm uses the continuous adjoint method for sensitivity analysis and is optimized against an objective function for fluid power dissipation. The paper details the methodology behind a vanilla gradient descent approach before introducing stochastic behavior through a minibatch-based system. Both algorithms are then applied to a novel case study for an internal combustion engine's piston cooling gallery before the performance of each algorithm's resulting geometry is analyzed and compared. The vanilla gradient descent algorithm achieves an 8.9% improvement in pressure loss through the case study, and this is surpassed by the stochastic descent algorithm which achieved a 9.9% improvement, however this improvement came with a large time cost. Both approaches produced similarly unintuitive geometry solutions to successfully improve the performance of the cooling gallery.
Environmental enrichment for maned wolves(Chrysocyon brachyurus):group and individual effects
Authors: Vasconcellos AS , Guimarães MABV , Oliveira CA , Pizzutto CS , Ades C
Published: January 2023

Procedures that increase foraging and exploratory behaviours are generally accepted as effective at improving welfare and reducing stereotypies in captive animals. To determine the effect of food and toy enrichment on the behaviour and hormonal levels of maned wolves(Chrysocyon brachyurus), 11 wolves were submitted to a baseline-enrichment-baseline schedule with four enrichment conditions: food scattering, toy presentation, edible toy presentation, and a combination of food and toy conditions. Behaviour and glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations (GCM) were assessed throughout the experiment. Our hypotheses were that enrichment procedures would lead to an increase in activity in the short and long term, a decrease in pacing, and a reduction in GCM concentrations. We also hypothesised that the concentrations of GCM would show a correlation with behaviour. Enrichment conditions increased immediate locomotion but did not produce long-term changes of activity nor reduced pacing. The procedures had a clear effect on individual behaviour and induced, under food enrichment conditions, an increased interest in food. Enrichment did not lead to decreased GCM concentration in the group as a whole, but there was a tendency for male and female animals to differ in hormonal reactions to environmental change. A positive correlation between GCM concentrations and pacing behaviour and a negative correlation between GCM concentrations and social behaviour were found. Results suggest that food scattering as an enrichment procedure may be used with maned wolves to enhance welfare, whilst also revealing the importance of taking individual and gender differences into account when planning enrichment techniques.
Murid stress odours: a review and a ‘low tech’ method of collection
Authors: Mason GJ , Dallaire J , Ware N
Published: January 2023

Stress cues can affect the welfare of animals in close proximity and are possibly useful non-invasive indicators of the emitters’ welfare. To facilitate their study in murids, we tested whether rats’ stress odours could be collected and stored using an enfleurage-type technique. ‘Donor’ rats were individually exposed to a compound stressor (carriedcirca75 m inside a novel container, then euthanised with rising carbon dioxide) while on blotting paper dotted with melted vegetable lard. These sheets were sealed, left at room temperature for 2-5 h, and then ‘bioassayed’ by a blind observer for their effects on conspecifics. Compared with control sheets (exposed to unstressed rats, to CO2alone, or untreated), stress-exposed sheets significantly affected the unconditioned behaviour of 16 pairs of detector rats trained to enter an arena from their home cage to obtain sucrose. When used to line this arena, the stress-exposed sheets significantly increased: i) rats’ latencies to eat, to place front feet into, and to completely step into the arena and ii) shuttling movements between arena and home cage. These pilot data thus suggest that odours produced by stressed rats can be simply and successfully collected and stored for several hours, though certain potential confounds (eg urine volume) may conceivably be alternative explanations for the observed effects. Future work should control for urine volume, and assess whether fat is needed for optimal odour absorption by paper and for how long sheets can be stored at various temperatures. Much fundamental work is also still needed on the nature, functions, and sources of stress odours.
Animals' emotions: studies in sheep using appraisal theories
Authors: Veissier I , Boissy A , Désiré L , Greiveldinger L
Published: January 2023

Animal welfare concerns stem from recognition of the fact that animals can experience emotions such as pain or joy. Nevertheless, discussion of animal emotions is often considered anthropomorphic, and there is a clear need to use explanatory frameworks to understand animals' emotions. We borrowed appraisal theories developed in cognitive psychology to study sheep emotions. Emotions are viewed as the result of how an individual evaluates a triggering situation, following a sequence of checks, including the relevance of the situation (its suddenness, familiarity, predictability, and intrinsic pleasantness), its implications for the individual (including consistency with the individual's expectations), the potential for control, and both internal and external standards. We assumed that if the outcome of checks has an impact on the animal's emotional responses, then animals do not only show emotional responses but also feel emotions. We showed that sheep use similar checks to those used by humans to evaluate their environment, ie suddenness, familiarity, predictability, consistency with expectations, and control. Furthermore, this evaluation affects their emotional responses (behavioural responses, such as startle, ear postures, and cardiac activity). It is concluded that sheep are able to experience emotions such as fear, anger, rage, despair, boredom, disgust and happiness because they use the same checks involved in such emotions as humans. For instance, despair is triggered by situations which are evaluated as sudden, unfamiliar, unpredictable, discrepant from expectations, and uncontrollable, whereas boredom results from an overly predictable environment, and all these checks have been found to affect emotional responses in sheep. These results have implications for animal welfare: although a completely invariable and totally predictable environment should be avoided to prevent boredom, sudden events should probably be minimised, the animals should be offered the possibility to control their environment, and care should be taken to ensure a degree of predictability concerning the various events.
An analysis of animal-based versus resource-based comments in official animal welfare inspection reports from organic and conventional farms in Sweden
Authors: Keeling LJ
Published: January 2023

This study analysed the free use of phrases related to animal-based and resource-based measures of animal welfare in Swedish state animal welfare inspection reports on conventional (C) and organic (O) farms. From 244 reports by 35 inspectors, 88 were analysed as matched pairs of C and O farms (same inspector, species and size of farm). They were analysed ‘blind’ for negative comments referring to the animals or to the resources (buildings and facilities). The most commonly reported deficiencies were poor body and hoof condition and dirty animals, accounting for a total of 79% of all animal-based remarks. Deficiencies in measures and equipment or excessively high stocking density together accounted for 78% of all resource-based remarks. The total number of general (non-compulsory) comments was similar for O and C farms. But the number of (compulsory) requirements for change to comply with legislation was almost twice as high for O than C. There were significantly more comments about body condition and hooves in C than O but a tendency for the opposite to be the case for animal health. Despite this, the number of requirements for change was greater for O-farms regarding their animals. There was no difference in number of comments on resources, but once more a tendency for more requirements for change was seen on O-farms. The study demonstrates that the analysis of inspection reports can be useful in terms of identifying where, in practice, animal welfare problems lie as well as further developing the methodology of animal welfare control.
Vocal-type classification as a tool to identify stress in piglets under on-farm conditions
Authors: von Borell E , Bünger B , Schmidt T , Horn T
Published: January 2023

Previous studies have shown that the analysis of high frequency stress calls in pigs can serve as a reliable tool in welfare research. Our study focuses on the classification of three different classes of piglet vocalisation: grunting, squealing and screaming. In a castration experiment (Experiment 1), 3,285 vocalisations from 42 piglets were analysed for 21 different vocal characteristics. A first discriminant function for the three vocal types was derived from recordings made under laboratory-like conditions. A second discriminant function was derived from non-calibrated measurements of the relative sound energy content. These two classifications revealed 86.7% identical assignments of vocalisations to the three vocal types. The second classification allowed for vocalisation analyses of animals under on-farm recording conditions. This technique was validated during an open-field test (Experiment 2) with piglets housed in two different farrowing systems (11,089 vocalisations, 22 piglets). The proportion of screaming sounds was lower for piglets from a group-farrowing (GF) system than for those from a single-farrowing (SF) system. Sound properties showed differences between as well as within the two experiments for all three vocal types. Vocalisations from SF and GF piglets differed significantly in the duration, energy, and relative maximum levels. We conclude that vocal-type analysis can not only help to identify vocalisation indicative of pain during castration, but also vocal behaviour changes indicating separation stress during the open-field test. Therefore, classification of vocal types can add valuable information to studies that use pig vocalisation for the assessment of welfare.
The effects of selection on low mortality and brooding by a mother hen on open-field response, feather pecking and cannibalism in laying hens
Authors: Rodenburg TB , Uitdehaag KA , Ellen ED , Komen J
Published: January 2023

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of selection on low mortality in combination with brooding by a mother hen on open-field response at 5-6 weeks of age and on plumage and body condition at 42 weeks of age. Birds in the experiment were either selected for low mortality in group housing (low mortality line) or randomly selected (control line) for two generations. These lines originated from the same population. Twenty groups of 10 female birds from each line were used. Within each line, ten groups were brooded by a foster mother and ten groups were non-brooded. At 5-6 weeks of age, the chicks were tested in an open-field test for five minutes. At 42 weeks of age, plumage condition and incidence of comb lesions and toe wounds of all birds was recorded. It was found that both brooded chicks and chicks from the low mortality line were more active in the open-field test at 5-6 weeks of age, indicating that they were less fearful or had a stronger exploratory motivation. No interactions were found between selection on low mortality and brooding. Birds from the low mortality line also had a lower incidence of comb and toe wounds compared with the control line at 42 weeks of age. No effect of brooding on plumage condition or incidence of wounds was found. This study indicates that selection on low mortality is a promising way forward to reduce maladaptive behaviour in laying hens, especially if such an approach is combined with improved rearing conditions.
Application of the Welfare Quality® protocol at pig slaughterhouses
Authors: Dalmau A , Temple D , Rodríguez P , Llonch P , Velarde A
Published: January 2023

The objective of the present study was to assess the sensitivity and feasibility of the Welfare Quality® (WQ) protocol for finishing pigs in 10 Spanish slaughterhouses. Sensitivity refers to the ability of the WQ assessment system to discriminate between slaughter conditions whilst feasibility denotes that the protocol is concise and easy to implement. On arrival at the plant, the incidence of dead, sick and panting animals was assessed in 1,002 (± 93) pigs per abattoir. During unloading, the percentage of pigs that slipped, fell, showed reluctance to move or turned back and were lame was also assessed. In the lairage pens, the stocking density and the percentage of pigs that were panting, shivering, and huddling was assessed in a total of 346 (± 81.0) pigs per abattoir. Stunning effectiveness, slaughter checks and skin lesions were also assessed in 60 animals per abattoir. For the majority of measures, any differences between slaughterhouses were found to be attributable to the installation itself and the management of the slaughterhouse, such as generalised fear, slipping and falling or stunning effectiveness, as opposed to measures taken to assess transport conditions or farm origin, such as lameness or sick and dead animals. The study protocol took 5.5 h for one observer to complete, in a slaughterhouse killing more than 550,000 pigs a year, although this time could increase dramatically in smaller abattoirs due to delays in the arrival of lorries. The protocol provides a general overview of the state of welfare of animals at the slaughterhouse and can readily identify specific problems in certain areas, such as stunning of animals.
Welfare assessment in 82 pig farms: effect of animal age and floor type on behaviour and injuries in fattening pigs
Authors: Courboulay V , Eugène A , Delarue E
Published: January 2023

A welfare assessment method was built, based on criteria related to behaviour, lesion scores and human/animal interactions, and tested thereafter in two main types of farms differing by their type of floor: either concrete, fully or partially slatted (C; n = 42) or straw bedding (S; n = 40). Observations were carried out on 40 to 60 pigs per room for three periods (90, 130 and 162 days of age, respectively, for P1, P2 and P3). Behaviour was assessed through five scans with a two-minute interval between two successive observations. Each behaviour was expressed in relation to the total amount of active behaviours. Injuries were scored on a three-level scale (none, mild, severe). Social behaviour was significantly more important at P1 whereas behaviours related to disturbance were more frequently observed at P3. Bursitis did not differ significantly between periods in S farms but did so in C over time. Small differences were seen between periods for injuries: severe lesions (scratches) and lameness were rare on the different flooring systems and severe wounds and tail lesions were less frequent in S than in C farms. Investigation of the environment was more pronounced on S floors, whereas positive social behaviour was more prevalent in C. All criteria studied were characterised by a noticeable variability in both floor types, showing room for improvement in terms of animal welfare in some farms.
Emotional consequences when chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) face challenges: individual differences in self-directed behaviours during cognitive tasks
Authors: Yamanashi Y , Matsuzawa T
Published: January 2023

Self-directed behaviours (SDBs) are said to be indicative of negative emotions. The present study focused on chimpanzees’ SDBs during cognitive experiments in order to investigate how each chimpanzee reacted to his or her errors and to changes in task difficulty. We recorded and analysed the behaviour of six chimpanzees during cognitive experiments at the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, in Japan. We compared the rate of SDBs after correct trials versus incorrect trials, and in easy tasks versus difficult tasks. Our results suggest that the chimpanzees’ reactions to making an error and the degree of difficulty of the task varied depending on the individual. Three out of the six chimpanzees exhibited higher rates of SDBs after incorrect trials than after correct trials, and in difficult tasks than in easy tasks whilst the other three did not. This finding suggests that chimpanzees may differ in the degree to which they exhibit internal conflict and we should carefully assess subjective evaluations of task situations; taking these differences into consideration when conducting experimental research in chimpanzees.
A first description of the physiological and behavioural responses to disbudding in goat kids
Authors: Alvarez L , Gutiérrez J
Published: January 2023

In order to determine the stress response to disbudding, physiological and behavioural response was investigated in disbudded kids and compared with a control group. Disbudded kids (n = 14), were disbudded by thermal cauterisation, and control kids (n = 15) received the same management without being disbudded. Cortisol was measured at -20, -10 and 0 min (pre-treatment), 0, 10, 20 and 30 min as well as 1, 2, 3 and 4 h from disbudding. Frequency and intensity of the behavioural response (kicks, vocalisations) were also recorded during disbudding. Cortisol was higher in disbudded than in control kids during the first 2 h after disbudding. The cortisol area under the curve was 235% higher in disbudded compared to control animals (828 [± 67.4] and 350 [± 65] nmol L−1, respectively). Disbudded kids showed high intensity behaviours in a greater number of animals (100%) and with a greater frequency than controls. These results indicate the presence of acute stress and a potentially painful experience. In conclusion, disbudding in goat kids induces an acute cortisol increase, which lasts for a duration of 2-3 h and a significant behavioural response. This clearly suggests the necessity of using anaesthesia/analgesia to avoid pain and stress.
Conservation and animal welfare issues arising from forestry practices
Authors: Blumstein DT
Published: January 2023

Forestry practices may directly kill animals as well as destroy and fragment their habitat. Even without habitat destruction, logging and its associated forest management practices (which include road building, re-forestation, and often increased recreational use) create noise, frighten animals, and may lead to changes in species composition as well as evolutionary responses to the myriad of anthropogenic impacts. Thus, forestry practices may create conservation problems. Forestry practices may also create welfare problems that may act on different temporal and spatial scales than the conservation problems. The individuals affected by forestry may have heightened glucocorticoid levels that may lead to a predictable set of deleterious consequences. Individuals may no longer be able to communicate, or they may no longer be attractive to potential mates. Such welfare problems may generate conservation problems if fitness is reduced. Identifying the set of possible impacts is the first step towards improving welfare and aiding wildlife conservation in managed forests.
Stunning pigs with different gas mixtures: aversion in pigs
Authors: Dalmau A , Rodríguez P , Llonch P , Velarde A
Published: January 2023

The objective of this study was to assess the aversion to exposure of 90% argon, 70% N2/30% CO2and 85% N2/15% CO2by volume in atmospheric air in 24 halothane-free slaughter-weight pigs using aversion learning techniques and behavioural studies in an experimental slaughterhouse. Pigs were subjected to the treatments individually during 2 separate trials of 12 animals each. The time of exposure to the gases was 46 and 32 s, respectively. When the pit contained any of the 3 gas mixtures, the time taken to cross the raceway and enter the cradle (TCREC) increased compared with the training sessions (atmospheric air). The incidence of pigs showing retreat and escape attempts and gasps and the number of times that this behaviour was performed was lower in 90% argon than in the gas mixtures with N2and CO2. On the other hand, the time to loss of posture was lower with 70% N2/30% CO2than with argon. The second exposure to all gas mixtures was more aversive than the first and the loss of posture also occurred earlier in the second exposure. In conclusion, pigs showed more aversion to gas mixtures with N2and either 15% or 30% CO2by volume than 90% argon by volume.
Breeding for pleasure: the value of pleasure and pain in evolution and animal welfare
Authors: Yeates J
Published: January 2023

Farming and laboratory industries face questions about whether to breed animals with altered capacities for pleasure and pain. This paper addresses this issue from different approaches to animal welfare based on experiences, fitness and naturalness. This can illuminate both the breeding-related issues and the different approaches themselves. These differences have practical implications for decisions about animal breeding. All three approaches will agree that pleasure that is adaptive in natural environments has positive value and that maladaptive pain has negative value. However, where animals’ environments will not be natural, experiences-based approaches may support breeding animals that experience more pleasure and less pain or insentient animals; whereas, in some cases, fitness-based and naturalness-based approaches might favour the breeding of animals that experience more pain and less pleasure.
Selective breeding of primates for use in research: consequences and challenges
Authors: Honess P , Stanley-Griffiths M-A , Narainapoulle S , Naiken S , Andrianjazalahatra T
Published: January 2023

Primates are bred in captivity for a number of purposes, from zoo-based captive breeding programmes for conservation to breeding for biomedical research. In each case, breeding animals that are fit for purpose, either as viable candidates for reintroduction or as valid research models, has presented challenges and resulted in steep learning curves. The breeding of animals for biomedical research has become increasingly focused on the production of animals that are less stressed by captive (specifically laboratory) environments. This is because elevated, particularly chronic, stress responses can result in altered physiological, neurological and behavioural states that have the potential to compromise the validity of scientific results. Selective breeding in captivity to, for example, maximise production, select for docile temperament or specific genotypes for biomedical research, is likely to be counter to natural selective pressures for evolutionary fitness. Given that many natural selective pressures active in the wild are absent in captivity, this paper reviews the selective breeding of primates (especially Old World monkeys) in captivity, its potential negative effects, and options that exist for ameliorating these negative effects.
A model to quantify the anticipatory response in cats
Authors: Tomi G , Martorell A , Torre C , Compagnucci M , Manteca X
Published: January 2023

The aim of this paper was to develop a protocol to study the anticipatory response in cats as a measure of welfare. Seven experimental cats were trained in a classical conditioning paradigm to associate a sound with food arrival, while sound and food were presented without contingency in four control cats. Increasing the interval between sound and food up to 60 s allowed a detailed description of cats’ anticipatory response. Compared to control animals, experimental cats showed significantly shorter latencies to orient towards (average 2.96 s) and approach the source of the sound (12.98 s) as well as longer durations of exploring and standing by the source of the sound (namely 69.97 and 52.32%, respectively of the interval sound-food). Experimental cats also exhibited behaviours that may derive from predation patterns, eg short pauses and predatory crouch while approaching the source of the sound (namely in 28.93 and 29.64% of trials), rapid head movements while watching it (55.36% of trials) and pouncing on the food (9.29% of trials). This protocol should be further studied to assess its effectiveness in highlighting differences according to the welfare of individual cats.
Assessment of sheep welfare using on-farm registrations and performance data
Authors: Stubsjøen SM , Hektoen L , Valle PS , Janczak AM , Zanella AJ
Published: January 2023

Farm animal welfare is a societal concern, and the need exists for scientific protocols to assess welfare. This paper describes the development of a protocol to assess the welfare of sheep(Ovis aries)and its application in 36 farms in Norway. There were two parts to the protocol; the animal- and resource-based measurements obtained during farm visits, and the analysis of production data. Data collection took place during visits to 36 farms in the lambing season (April-May) in 2007 (n = 11) and 2008 (n = 25). A fear test was conducted, and ewes were scored on a scale from 0 to 3. Forty-one percent of the ewes tested had a fear score of 3, indicating the lowest level of fear. Mean (± SD) fear score across farms were 1.9 (± 0.5). Higher fearfulness was found to be associated with lower ewe body condition scores (BCS). Mean (± SD) BCS across farms was 2.6 (± 0.6). A relatively large proportion of the ewes had a BCS of 2 (41%), which may be associated with an increased risk of nutritional stress, disease and low productivity. Eight farms had more than 5% (range 5.4-24.4%) of lamb carcases categorised in the lowest conformation class, which may be an indication of a welfare problem. This study is the first step in the development and validation of a welfare assessment protocol for sheep, and further research is needed to assess the overall reliability of the protocol.
Assessment of farmer recognition and reporting of lameness in adults in 35 lowland sheep flocks in England
Authors: King EM , Green LE
Published: January 2023

The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of farmer recognition and reporting of lameness in their sheep flock when compared with the prevalence of lameness observed by a researcher. Thirty-five sheep farms were visited. Farmers were asked for estimates of the prevalence of lameness in 2008, in the flock and in one group of sheep that was inspected by the researcher the same day. These estimates were then compared with the researcher's estimate of lameness. All farmers were able to recognise lame sheep but they slightly under reported the prevalence of lameness in the group selected for examination when compared with the researcher's estimate. The proportion underestimated increased as the prevalence of lameness in the group increased. Farmer estimates on the day were consistently, closely and significantly correlated to that of the researcher's estimate of prevalence of lameness. We conclude that farmer estimates of prevalence of lameness in sheep are a sufficiently accurate and reliable tool for risk factor studies. The prevalence of lameness in sheep, nationally, is probably higher than the current estimate of 10% by 2-3%.
Review of wallowing in pigs: implications for animal welfare
Authors: Bracke MBM , Spoolder HAM
Published: January 2023

Most modern production systems, especially in temperate climates, do not offer wallowing facilities to pigs and, to date, this has neither generated much concern in welfare science nor public debate on pig welfare. Nevertheless, wallowing is a natural behaviour of pigs which may be important to them. This paper systematically examines the overall importance of wallowing for pig welfare using principles developed in semantic modelling. As a first step, relevant citations were collected from the scientific literature. Secondly, since the importance of the attribute (‘wallowing’) is dependent upon the discrepancy between its best and worst levels, these levels were specified in relation to thestatus quoin pig husbandry, ie no pool (even during periods of overheating) and the ideal mud pool, respectively. Criteria for an ideal mud pool were formulated in terms of pool location and size, substrate, thermal conditions, body care and hygiene. Thirdly, available scientific information about wallowing was systematically described in relation to ten so-called weighting categories identified in semantic modelling (pain and illness, survival/heat stress, fitness, stress, aggression, abnormal behaviour, frustration, natural behaviour, preferences and demand). Fourthly, the welfare importance of wallowing was assessed by tentatively comparing it to several other welfare attributes, such as food, foraging substrate, social contact and non-castration. This leads to the suggestion that wallowing is important for pig welfare because of its multifaceted nature. It may even be very important when other forms of thermoregulation are sub-optimal. This paper, finally, discusses the ‘ethical room for manoeuvre’ concerning the (non-) implementation of mud pools in practice. An integrated approach is suggested to address related scientific, technological and ethical issues, because stakeholders are faced not only with scientific and technological gaps in knowledge but also with economical, ecological, food-safety and psychological barriers. As an important element of natural behaviour and positive welfare, the subject may provide an opportunity for pig farming. This should be recognised more explicitly in transition processes towards fully sustainable pig production systems.
Determination of a stray voltage threshold in Holstein heifers, influence of predictability and past experience on behavioural and physiological responses
Authors: Rigalma K , Duvaux-Ponter C , Oliveira A , Martin O , Louyot T , Deschamps F , Roussel S
Published: January 2023

Stray voltage (< 10 V) may impair animal welfare. Our objectives were to: i) determine the threshold at which heifers react to voltage and ii) investigate effects of past experience and random applications of voltage. Firstly, forty heifers were trained to eat from two metallic feeders at the end of a test corridor. For 20 heifers, voltage was applied for 2 min (every day in steps of 0.33 V, 0 to 5 V) to the feeder (F1) in which the heifer started to eat (VOLT). Heifers could change to the non-electrified feeder (F2) if they wished. Twenty heifers (CONT) followed the same procedure without voltage exposure. For voltages≥ 2.3 V, percentage of feed eaten from F1 (%FeedF1) was lower, time spent eating in F1 and latency to change to F2 were shorter compared to 0 V. At 2 V and above, more VOLT than CONT heifers performed muzzle-licking and abrupt head movements. Secondly, after four weeks, the same heifers were exposed to 3.3 V for either 11 consecutive days (DAILY, n = 20) or randomly on 4/11 days (RAND, n = 20). CONT heifers had higher cortisol concentrations than VOLT heifers on the first day of test. %FeedF1 was higher for RAND than DAILY heifers. The threshold at which avoidance behaviour started appeared to be 2.3 V in our experimental conditions. Adaptation was more difficult with unpredictable rather than predictable voltage and past experience seemed to reduce the effects of subsequent exposure.