Gundula Hoffmann

A Review of Antarctic Surface Snow Isotopic Composition: Observations, Atmospheric Circulation, and Isotopic Modeling*

A database of surface Antarctic snow isotopic composition is constructed using available measurements, with an estimate of data quality and local variability. Although more than 1000 locations are documented, the spatial coverage remains uneven with a majority of sites located in specific areas of East Antarctica. The database is used to analyze the spatial variations in snow isotopic composition with respect to geographical characteristics (elevation, distance to the coast) and climatic features (temperature, accumulation) and with a focus on deuterium excess. The capacity of theoretical isotopic, regional, and general circulation atmospheric models (including “isotopic” models) to reproduce the observed features and assess the role of moisture advection in spatial deuterium excess fluctuations is analyzed.

Behavioral and physiological responses of young horses to different weaning protocols: a pilot study.

In this study, effects of weaning on behavioral and physiological stress parameters in young horses (foals) were determined. Foals were weaned either simultaneously without the presence of adult horses (group A, n = 6), or in the presence of two adult females familiar but unrelated to the foals (group B, n = 5), or weaned consecutively by removing two mother horses per day (group C, n = 6). Behavior, locomotion, salivary cortisol concentration, beat-to-beat (RR) interval, heart rate variability (HRV) and weight were determined. Group A foals lost weight for 2 days (mean ± SEM) − 8.3 ± 1.6 kg, p < 0.05. Weaning was followed by increased vocalization which was least pronounced in foals of group B (p < 0.05). Locomotion was most pronounced on weaning day in foals of group A and lowest in group B (p < 0.05). Weaning increased salivary cortisol concentration on the day of weaning in groups A and B and for 2 days in group C (p < 0.05). The RR interval decreased most pronouncedly in group A foals (p < 0.05). There were no consistent changes in HRV. Based on cortisol release and behavior, weaning is associated with stress but this was least pronounced in foals weaned in the presence of two familiar but unrelated adult female horses.

First investigations to refine video-based IR thermography as a non-invasive tool to monitor the body temperature of calves.

In this study, a video-based infrared camera (IRC) was investigated as a tool to monitor the body temperature of calves. Body surface temperatures were measured contactless using videos from an IRC fixed at a certain location in the calf feeder. The body surface temperatures were analysed retrospectively at three larger areas: the head area (in front of the forehead), the body area (behind forehead) and the area of the entire animal. The rectal temperature served as a reference temperature and was measured with a digital thermometer at the corresponding time point. A total of nine calves (Holstein-Friesians, 8 to 35 weeks old) were examined. The average maximum temperatures of the area of the entire animal (mean±SD: 37.66±0.90°C) and the head area (37.64±0.86°C) were always higher than that of the body area (36.75±1.06°C). The temperatures of the head area and of the entire animal were very similar. However, the maximum temperatures as measured using IRC increased with an increase in calf rectal temperature. The maximum temperatures of each video picture for the entire visible body area of the calves appeared to be sufficient to measure the superficial body temperature. The advantage of the video-based IRC over conventional IR single-picture cameras is that more than one picture per animal can be analysed in a short period of time. This technique provides more data for analysis. Thus, this system shows potential as an indicator for continuous temperature measurements in calves.

Towards qualitative and quantitative prediction and detection of parturition onset in sows using light barriers

A single light barrier can be used for the prediction and detection of parturition.A validated classification performance close to 90% was achieved.Approaches for measuring the parturition related activity increase were compared.A method for a quantitative prediction of the duration until parturition was tested. Piglet mortality can be a large economic and animal welfare issue in breeding facilities. A system that predicts the parturition can help the breeder in economically organising staff assignments in order to achieve an optimal workload levelling. In the current study, light barriers at the head and torso region of a sow were used to measure and classify the activity increase of 34 sows related to their near parturition. Based on this data, 4 different activity frequency and activity duration based qualitative predictors for the near onset of parturition were developed retrospectively, utilising cumulative sum techniques and a global threshold approach. The threshold optimisation for the qualitative prediction was performed using a random set of 17 sows and validated with the remaining sows. The best performing qualitative prediction yielded a validated sensitivity of 88% at a precision of 88%. This prediction generated parturition alerts with a 25th percentile of 13h and a 75th percentile of 20h before the parturition started. Based on this indicator, a quantitative prediction of the time remaining until the onset of parturition could be developed. This prediction exhibited a mean prediction error of 0.5h?2.6h (SD) for 88% of the sows over a period of 13-24h before the onset of parturition. At the same time 12% of the predictions were unusable with a mean prediction error of 12.5h?6.9h (SD). In addition, a method for detecting the parturition onset with an accuracy of ?4h, a sensitivity of 88% and a precision of 97% for the head sensor could be obtained. With data from the torso sensor, the performance of the various indicators was generally lower and optimality was achieved with different thresholds. The present study follows other studies showing the general detectability of the parturition related increase in activity using video, light barriers and ultrasonic distance sensors. It is also closely based on earlier studies using accelerometers for individual qualitative parturition detection, with the explicit intent to reproduce these results using light barriers.

Postpartum changes in the lying behavior of sows in farrowing crates

ABSTRACT The objective of the study was to compare the behavior of sows before and after farrowing with a focus on lying behavior and side preference in a lateral position. Collecting information on normal and deviant behaviors may consequently improve the care and welfare of animals and severe variations can indicate possible welfare issues. The study was conducted on a farrow‐to‐finish‐farm with 14 crossbred sows. For each sow, behavior was analyzed by video observation (continuous sampling) on 2 days, one before (3 or 4 days after transfer to the trial compartment) and one after farrowing (second day after farrowing). The duration and frequency of lying on the left side, lying on the right side, lying on the abdomen, standing, sitting, and lying down per sow and day were compared for these 2 days. The total time that sows spent lying increased significantly (P = 0.01) on the second day after farrowing compared with the analyzed day before farrowing. The time spent lying on the right side and facing the udder to the piglet nest also increased significantly (P = 0.02) after farrowing. For the other postures (i.e., lying on the left side, lying on the abdomen (P > 0.05), sitting, standing, lying down [P ≤ 0.03]), the duration as well as the sum of changes in posture decreased after farrowing. On the test day before farrowing, sows spent a total of 85% of the day in a lying position (35% on the left side, 39% on the right, and 11% on the abdomen). The total lying time increased to 96% per sow and day on the second day after farrowing (31% on the left side, 58% on the right, and 7% on the abdomen). After farrowing, the lying duration of sows increased, and they preferred to lie on the body side facing the piglet nest. The sows spent the most time in a lateral lying position, which is information that should be used to adjust farrowing crates to improve the welfare of sows.

Online detection and localisation of piglet crushing using vocalisation analysis and context data

Piglet crushing can be detected online using vocalisation analysis and context information.Fundamental crushing context information can be obtained by tracking the posture of the sows.Spatial event filtering is a prerequisite for a high precision of the crushing detection.Active measures against piglet crushing could replace passive measures like the farrowing cage. Fatal piglet crushing by the mother sow is a pervasive economic and animal welfare issue in piglet production. To keep the mother sow in a farrowing cage is the established countermeasure. This facility is a compromise that results in an impairment of the sows welfare to the benefit of her piglets and the farmer. A natural behaviour pattern which is demonstrated by most but not all sows is to free the trapped piglet by a posture change. Promoting this behaviour through aversive stimulations is an alternative approach to reduce piglet mortality. This approach requires an identification and localisation of ongoing piglet trapping in real-time. The present study investigates the online analysis of piglet vocalisation for this purpose. The results show, that trapping related stress articulations are outnumbered by other stress related articulations by a factor of 1:140 in a farrowing compartment with only 4 sows. Theoretical calculations for larger compartments indicate that this ratio becomes even worse due to an increasing influence of vocalisation from neighbouring pens. However, the specificity could be increased to more than 95% and precision to approximately 30% while maintaining a sensitivity of approximately 70% by retrospectively applying context based event filters. This specificity would be sufficient to limit the average number of erroneous trapping detections to one detection per sow within 3days without a substantial loss of sensitivity. Effective parameters for filtering were the age of the piglets and the sows body posture history. Calculations with hypothetical spatial event filters showed that this classification performance could be maintained even in much larger farrowing compartments. Combined with an aversive stimulation principle that can be applied to a whole region, this detection technology could be useful to reduce piglet mortality in loose farrowing applications. An already known and effective stimulation principle of this type is floor vibration. Such an active piglet rescue system would allow limiting the impairment of welfare to only those sows that actually crush piglets and to the time when piglets are being crushed.

ASSESSMENT OF CONTINUOUS VAGINAL LOGGER-BASED TEMPERATURE MONITORING IN FEVER-INDUCED GILTS

The aim of this study was to identify a low risk method to induce fever in gilts and to evaluate vaginal sensors for temperature monitoring. Therefore, a rhinitis atrophicans vaccine was used to induce fever to evaluate sensors and behavioral patterns. During 11 trials, two of four animals were injected with 2 mL of the vaccine Porcilis AR-T DF (Intervet) and the other two animals were treated with 2 mL of 0.9% NaCl as controls. A temperature logger (TRIX-8, LogTag Recorders, Auckland, New Zealand) was used to continuously monitor the vaginal temperature. Additionally, rectal temperatures were measured four times daily. The water consumption, food intake and locomotion behaviors of the animals were analysed one day before treatment and during the day of the treatment. The vaccine induced fever in all gilts, which occurred approximately 5.87 h after vaccination. The vaginal logger temperatures and the rectal temperatures showed a linear correlation in 21 vaccinated gilts (r = 0.86; p

Influence of transrectal palpation training on cortisol levels and heart rate variability in cows

Transrectal palpation of cows is a day-one competence for veterinary students, and it is an essential skill for the diagnosis of pregnancy as well as reproductive disorders. We hypothesized that transrectal palpation induces a stress response in cows, and this stress response may vary with the training students receive before their first transrectal palpation. Therefore, 52 Holstein-Friesian cows were used at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover. The experimental group (n = 26) was subjected to transrectal palpations by first and second-year students. Salivary and serum cortisol levels were assessed before and after the intervention. A control group (n = 26) was only restrained and tested for changes in salivary and serum cortisol. A total of 12 cows of the experimental group were examined by two groups of students with different training on two days. The examination was performed one day by students who were theoretically prepared for transrectal palpation in cows (NO-SBT, n = 12). The other day, students who underwent a simulator-based training (SBT, n = 12) performed the examination. The cortisol concentrations, as well as heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), were measured in the examined cows. Blood and saliva samples were collected 25 min and immediately before (0 min) and 25 min and 85 min after the end of the examination in the experimental group. Serum cortisol levels between 0 min and 25 min were increased by Δ2.6 ng/ml in the cows in the experimental group compared to Δ-0.3 ng/ml in the control group (P = 0.001). The increases in cortisol in saliva (P = 0.033) and serum (P = 0.013) after transrectal palpation were higher in the NO-SBT group Δ0.32 ng/ml saliva, Δ5.8 ng/ml serum than in the SBT group Δ0.03 ng/ml saliva, Δ2.1 ng/ml serum. For HR and HRV analysis values recorded 30 min before the transrectal palpation (-30 min) were set as the baseline concentrations the sequence recorded during the transrectal examination started at 0 min. While the mean HR did not change significantly during the transrectal palpation (80-83 bpm SBT students; 81 to 79 bpm NO-SBT students), the HRV parameter square root of the mean squared differences of successive R-R intervals (RMSSD) decreased in the NO-SBT group (P = 0.034) during transrectal palpation compared to the baseline values (17.47-5.07 ms). These findings reflect an activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as well as a reduction in vagal tone during the teaching and practice of transrectal palpation by students. Moreover, the results indicate that a transrectal palpation is less stressful for cows when the examination is performed by students that were previously prepared by simulator-based training.

Comparative study of behavioural and milking traits in cows milked with a conventional or individual quarter milking system (Multilactor®) and with different milking persons

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of a new type of milking system on the behaviour of cows during milking by comparing a conventional milking system (CON) with an individual quarter milking system (MUL), MultiLactor®. Sixty-eight dairy cows were observed during their milking times (32 cows in CON, 36 cows in MUL) using video recordings to analyse their behavioural traits. The udder preparation duration, milking duration and milk yield were also evaluated. No significant differences were found between the CON and the MUL regarding cows’ head posture (P=0.38), body posture (P=0.85), number of steps (P=0.08) and number of kicks (P=0.56). However, the milk yield was lower (P=0.02), just as the udder preparation duration (P<0.01) and milking duration (P=0.01) were shorter in the CON compared to the MUL. In addition, in regard to the milking person, differences were displayed in the head posture of the milked cows, kick-off or loss of teat cup or milking cluster, and frequency of udder preparation. In conclusion, the investigated milking systems did not markedly influence the behaviour of dairy cows; however, udder preparation duration, milking duration and milk yield were significantly greater for the MUL than for the CON. However, the milking person appears to have a greater impact on the behaviour of the cows than the milking system.

Bewegungsverhalten von Pferden in der Gruppenhaltung

The group housing of horses enables the animals to move freely as far as possible and to have social contacts with herd members. That’s why the system is enjoying increasing popularity in Germany. In these studies the impact of group size and the impact of design of the housing system on the behaviour of horses should be quantified. It has been shown that increasing the group size is associated with an increase in movement activity. Also the structuring of the housing systems in functional areas might contribute to an increase in activity.