Benefits of automated acclimatization during the pre-milking phase of lactating girolando cows

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the automated acclimatization effects during pre-milking of cows on thermal conditioning, physiology, milk production and cost-benefit of the automated adiabatic evaporative cooling system (AECS). The treatments 20; 30; 40 min and control consisted of exposure time of pre-milking cows to the automated AECS. Sixteen cows were used with an average daily milk yield of 19 kg, distributed in a 4 x 4 Latin square design. The Tukey's test (P<0.05) was used to compare the means. The environmental variables, dry bulb temperature (DBT, ºC) and relative humidity (RH, %), were recorded every minute, which allowed the determination of the system efficiency through the Temperature and Humidity Index (THI). The respiratory rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT) and temperature of the coat (TC) were measured before and after the acclimatization. The 40 min treatment kept the environmental variables and the comfort indexes within recommended limits. The physiological variables (RR, RT and TC) were lower in the 40 min treatment and reflected positively on milk production, which increased 3.66% compared to the control treatment. The system was profitable, having a 43 days return on investment and a monthly revenue increase of R$ 1,992.67.

Marketing in the pre-development process of agricultural machines: a reference model

The theme of the research is the development of the domain of marketing knowledge in the design of agricultural machinery. It is developed throughout the design of agricultural machinery in order to identify the corporate and customers needs and to develop strategies to satisfy these needs. The central problem of the research questions which marketing tools to apply on pre-development process of farm machinery, in order to increase the market value of the products and of the company and, consequently, generate competitive advantage to the manufacturers of agricultural machinery. As methodology, it was developed bibliographical research and multicase study of the development process of agricultural machinery developed by small, medium and large companies and the academy. As a result, a marketing reference model was elaborated for the pre-development stage of agricultural machinery, which outlines the activities, tasks, mechanisms and controls that can be used in strategic planning and in products planning of agricultural machinery manufacturers, contributing to explain the explicit knowledge in the marketing field.

Varjostettu tila : homoseksuaalisuuspuhe ja sen sukupuolitetut seuraukset 1950- ja 60-lukujen Suomessa

Lektio : Tampereen yliopisto.

Low cost driver device for microclimate maintenance in the pre-milking of dairy cattle

Due to the importance of the environment on animal production and thus environmental control, the study aims to build a system for monitoring and control the meteorological variables, temperature and relative humidity, low cost, which can be associated with an evaporative cooling system (ECS). The system development included all the stages of assembly, test and laboratory calibration, and later the validation of the equipment carried in the field. The validation step showed results which allowed concluding that the system can be safely used in the monitoring of these variables. The controller was efficient in management of the microclimate in the waiting corral and allowed the maintenance of the air temperature within the comfort range for dairy cattle in pre-milking with averaged 25.09 ºC during the afternoon. The equipment showed the lower cost (R$ 325.76) when compared to other middle market (R$ 450.00).

Physiological evaluation of heat stress in gestating sows under different housing systems in bedding and concrete floor

The purpose of this paper was to observe the use of bedding (wood shavings) in physiological variables that indicate thermal stress in gestating sows. The experiment was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of two types of floor (concrete and wood shavings). Worse microclimatic conditions were observed in bedding systems (P<0.05), with an increase in temperature and enthalpy of 1.14 ºC and 2.37 kJ.kg dry air-1, respectively. The floor temperature at the dirty area was higher in the bedding presence in comparison to its absence. In spite of the worse microclimatic conditions in the bedding, the rectal temperature did not differ significantly (P>0.05) but the skin surface temperature was higher in the bedding systems. The same occurred with the respiratory rates. The physical characteristics of the floor material influenced the rate of heat loss by conductance. Estimated values were 35.04 and 7.99 W m-2 for the conductive heat loss between the animal and floor for treatments with or without bedding, respectively. The use of bedding in sow rearing has a negative impact on microclimatic conditions, what implies in thermoregulatory damages.

Äitimyytin ylistys 1950-luvun malliin

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Integrated multivariate analysis to evaluate effects of pre-slaughter handling on pork quality

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pre-slaughter handling on the occurrence of PSE (Pale, Soft, and Exudative) meat in swine slaughtered at a commercial slaughterhouse located in the metropolitan region of Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Based on the database (n=1,832 carcasses), it was possible to apply the integrated multivariate analysis for the purpose of identifying, among the selected variables, those of greatest relevance to this study. Results of the Principal Component Analysis showed that the first five components explained 89.28% of total variance. In the Factor Analysis, the first factor represented the thermal stress and fatiguing conditions for swine during pre-slaughter handling. In general, this study indicated the importance of the pre-slaughter handling stages, evidencing those of greatest stress and threat to animal welfare and pork quality, which are transport time, resting period, lairage time before unloading, unloading time, and ambience.

Solar energy use for water pre-heating in boilers of agro-industries

Energy consumption in the world has been growing every year. The industrial sector represents 27.32% of the world energy demand. Heating systems that use solar energy may contribute with a percentage of the total energy required by industries. This work aimed to study the use of vacuum solar collectors for water pre-heating in boilers. We used four collectors installed according to NBR 15,569; water flow through the tubes was 0.058 L/s, and temperature in the inlet and outlet pipes was measured. Results showed that instantaneous radiation, and inlet fluid and room temperatures are variables that influence the process, reaching water maximum temperature in the solar collector outlet of 97.9 °C, and efficiency of approximately 65% for most experiments. For the financial viability evaluation, the payback study was applied, which resulted in 4; 7 and 5 years, for the respective sources: firewood, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), and electricity. Regarding the calculation of the annual contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases, it was, respectively, 2.162 and 356 kg of CO2 per m² of collector tubes, in comparison with firewood and LPG.

Financial losses in pork supply chain: a study of the pre-slaughter handling impacts

Brazil is amongst the world’s largest swine producers. However, its competitiveness has been vulnerable due to a lack of cooperation between the supply chain players. This condition makes the financial losses to be evaluated taking into account only an individual node, and most of the time, these damages are imputed by swine breeders. Living weight losses occur between the farm to slaughterhouses, and the main cause of these losses is the pre-slaughter handling, especially during animal transportation. In this research, we analyzed the pre-slaughter handling in a swine farm in Brasilândia, MS, Brazil. Analyzed data were provided by five slaughterhouses (farm clients) from the studied region, in which it was considered living weight losses, carcass bruising, animal injury, and death rate. The results indicated that total financial losses represent 160 thousand dollars per year, when taking into account the supply chain management.

Cognitive Development of Very Low Birth Weight Children from Infancy to Pre-school Age

The survival of preterm born infants has increased but the prevalence of long-term morbidities has still remained high. Preterm born children are at an increased risk for various developmental impairments including both severe neurological deficits as well as deficits in cognitive development. According to the literature the developmental outcome perspective differs between countries, centers, and eras. Definitions of preterm infant vary between studies, and the follow-up has been carried out with diverse methods making the comparison less reliable. It is essential to offer parents upto-date information about the outcome of preterm infants born in the same area. A centralized follow-up of children at risk makes it possible to monitor the consequences of changes in the treatment practices of hospitals on developmental outcome. This thesis is part of a larger regional, prospective multidisciplinary follow-up project entitled “Development and Functioning of Very Low Birth Weight Infants from Infancy to School Age” (PIeniPAinoisten RIskilasten käyttäytyminen ja toimintakyky imeväisiästä kouluikään, PIPARI). The thesis consists of four original studies that present data of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants born between 2001 and 2006, who are followed up from the neonatal period until the age of five years. The main outcome measure was cognitive development and secondary outcomes were significant neurological deficits (cerebral palsy, CP, deafness, and blindness). In Study I, the early crying and fussing behavior of preterm infants was studied using parental diaries, and the relation of crying behavior and cognitive and motor development at the age of two years was assessed. In Study II, the developmental outcome (cognitive, CP, deafness, and blindness) at the age of two years was studied in relation to demographic, antenatal, neonatal, and brain imaging data. Development was studied in relationship to a full-term born control group born in the same hospital. In Study III, the stability of cognitive development was studied in VLBW and full-term groups by comparing the outcomes at the ages of two and five years. Finally, in Study IV the precursors of reading skills (phonological processing, rapid automatized naming, and letter knowledge) were assessed for VLBW and full-term children at the age of five years. Pre-reading skills were studied in relation to demographic, antenatal, neonatal, and brain imaging data. The main findings of the thesis were that VLBW infants who fussed or cried more in the infancy were not at greater risk for problems in their cognitive development. However, crying was associated with poorer motor development. The developmental outcome of the present population was better that has been reported earlier and this improvement covered also cognitive development. However, the difference to fullterm born peers was still significant. Major brain pathology and intestinal perforation were independent significant risk factors for adverse outcome, also when several individual risk factors were controlled for. Cognitive development at the age of two years was strongly related with development at the age of five years, stressing the importance of the early assessment, and the possibility for early interventions. Finally, VLBW children had poorer pre-reading skills compared with their full-term born peers, but the IQ was an important mediator even when children with mental retardation were excluded from the analysis. The findings suggest that counseling parents about the developmental perspectives of their preterm infant should be based on data covering the same birth hospital. Neonatal brain imaging data and neonatal morbidity are important predictors for developmental outcome. The findings of the present study stress the importance of both short-term (two years) and long-term (five years) follow-ups for the individual, and for improving the quality of care.

Jalkaväen tehtävätaksonomian käsitteet 1950-luvulla : tehtävätaksonomian kansallinen käsiteanalyysi

Sotien jälkeinen kenttäohjesääntöjen laadinta katsotaan käynnistyneen 1945, kun tehtävään määrättiin henkilöstöä pääesikunnassa. Kirjoitustyöhön nimettiin joukko upseereita, jotka omasivat laajan kokemuksen ja kyvyn kirjoittaa yhtymien operaatioista. Taktiikan kannalta keskeisimpien ohjesääntöjen uudistaminen saatiin osittain päätökseen vasta vuonna 1955, kun joukkojen koulutuksen ja opetuksen perustana olivat keskeisimpien sodanajan joukko-jen taisteluohjesäännöt ja oppaat. Kenttäohjesääntöjen viimeisten osien ilmestyminen 1950-luvun lopussa poisti käytöstä viimeiset sotia edeltäneiden vuosien ohjesäännöt. Tutkimuksen keskeisinä lähteinä 1950-luvun aikaisista julkaisuista ovat vuonna 1953 jul-kaistu Upseerin käsikirja osa III. Vuonna 1954 julkaistu Kenttäohjesääntö II osa käsittelee prikaatin taistelun toteutusta ja 1958 Kenttäohjesääntö yleinen osa keskittyy joukkojen johtamiseen ja yhteistoimintaan puolustushaarojen kanssa. Perinteisiä taitelulajeja käsitte-levät vuonna 1954 julkaistu, kiväärikomppaniaan keskittyvä, Jalkaväen taisteluopas V osa ja vuonna 1955 julkaistu, pataljoonan taisteluun keskittyvä, Jalkaväen taisteluohjesääntö II osa. Tutkielman päätavoitteena on laatia kokonaiskuva 1950-luvun jalkaväkijoukkojen tehtävä-taksonomian käsitteistä. Tutkimuksen pääongelmaksi on määritelty kysymys: Millaisia tehtävätaksonomian mukaisia käsitteitä on käytetty 1950-luvun jalkaväkijoukkojen taktiikassa? Käsitteitä tarkastellaan kaikissa taistelulajeissa, niin puolustuksessa, hyökkäyksessä kuin viivytyksessä. Tutkimus tarkastelee jalkaväkiorganisaatioista ensisijaisesti komppaniaa, pataljoonaa ja prikaatia. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltavia käsitteitä lähdemateriaalista ilmeni 49 kappaletta. Lähdemateriaalin käsitteet voidaan jakaa esiintymisen mukaisesti yleisimpiin (15), yleisiin (27) ja harvoihin (7) käsitteisiin. Tarkasteltaessa 1950-luvun tehtävätaksonomian mukaisia käsitteitä voidaan todeta, että selkeää kokonaisvaltaista käsitteiden luokittelua, niiden yhdenmukaista määrittelyä tai nii-hin liittyvää toiminnallista vaikutuksellisuutta ei aikakauden lähdeteoksista löydy. Kokonaisuudessaan jalkaväkijoukkojen tehtävätaksonomian käsitteiden käyttö on ollut 1950-luvulla hyvin kirjavaa. Käytettävien käsitteiden suurta määrää voi selittää selkeän, kokonaisvaltaisen ja ohjeistetun tehtävätaksonomian puuttumisella. Tehtäväkäsitteiden ilmentyminen lähdeteoksissa on yhdenmukaista. Keskeiset yhteiset nimittäjät lähdeteoksien määritelmille ovat niiden samankaltaisuus ja vertailtavuus.