Effects of human-animal relationship on animal productivity and welfare

This is a literature review of the effects of humans´ relationships with farm animals on animal productivity and welfare, including the following topics: definition of the concept and description of different tests that have been developed to measure human-animal relationship (HAR). Temperament and tameness, which have been considered as farm animal characteristics that are important in HAR, as are stockperson attitudes. Some international farm animal welfare protocols are also described, together with negative and positive stimuli that affect farm animal welfare and productivity. In addition to some factors affecting the quality of HAR. We conclude that even with improved precision farming and automation: a) a good HAR is still fundamental to improve farm animal welfare with associated health and production benefits and b) with the numerous tests assessing fear of humans, many are not commercially applicable.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Green Nudges: How to Induce Pro-Environmental Behavior Using Technology

To avoid the detrimental consequences of global warming, digital nudges were recognized as effective means to steer individual behavior toward sustainability. We investigated the applications, contexts, and outcomes of green digital nudges by conducting a systematic literature review of 64 nudge interventions. We found six distinct types of nudges—priming, goal-setting, default, feedback, social reference, and framing—and 18 sustainable target behaviors (e.g., energy conservation). To explain how behavior changes through green nudges, we clustered the identified target behaviors into three behavior change outcomes: (i) altering an existing behavior, (ii) reinforcing an existing behavior, and (iii) forming a new behavior. Based on our findings, we propose guidance for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who seek to design choice architectures that facilitate pro-environmental behavior

Addressing Inertia in Pro-Environmental Behavior through Nudges: A Review of Existing Literature and a Framework for Future Research

To counteract global warming, individuals must adopt pro-environmental behaviors, but many prefer their established behaviors because of inertia. This paper analyzes how we can address the inertia that hinders pro-environmental behavior using digital nudges. Our structured literature review finds 19 out of 20 studies that show how decision information nudges like feedback overcome behavioral inertia. Most of the habitual patterns we identified could be attributed to private household behaviors like inefficient energy or water consumption. We contribute a framework for how the three dimensions of inertia—behavioral, cognitive, and affective inertia—are best each addressed using informational, structural, and assistance nudges, respectively

DIGITAL NUDGING TO PROMOTE ENERGY CONSERVATION BEHAVIOR – FRAMING AND DEFAULT RULES IN A SMART HOME APP

Increasingly, new energy-efficient technologies connected to smart home arise and bear great potential of influencing user\u27s decisions. Thereby, behavioral interventions like digital nudging are promising to influence behavior. While nudging has been investigated in several contexts to promote sustainable behavior, little is known about its effectiveness in digital choice environments promoting daily energy conservation behavior, especially through mobile applications. As private households account for a large share of total energy consumption, which needs to be reduced to counteract climate change, we conducted an online survey to test the nudging elements framing and default rules, as well as their combination. We surveyed 231 participants and found a large effect of framing and an even larger effect for the combination. This paper contributes by exploring these digital nudges, which received little attention in prior research, and by providing insights on the design of smart home applications to reduce energy consumption

Rhotic variation in the Spanish spoken by Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico and Western Massachusetts

The Spanish trill is known to present a wide range of phonetic variation in Puerto Rican Spanish (PRS), attested not only on the island but in the diaspora. Combining auditory and acoustic analysis, this research project studies acoustic data on onset /r/ in Holyoke, MA, the city with the largest per capita population of Puerto Ricans living outside the island. The aim of this dissertation is to analyze whether there is trill variation in the PR community in Holyoke, and, whether it mirrors the variation found in Puerto Rico. Special attention is paid to glottal, velar, or uvular /r/ realizations. Recent work suggests that the phonemes /r/ and /h/ have been contextually neutralized in perception, which would result in the loss of a phonemic contrast. Therefore, this project also investigates whether there is evidence for this production neutralizationusing measurements that had never been acoustically examined for this dialect (center of gravity, skewness, and kurtosis).Three experimental production tasks were designed and employed: a picture description task, a map task and a reading task. Forty-five participants performed the experimental tasks: 21 were recorded on the island and 24 in Holyoke. As a result, a total of 4,393 phonemic /r/ and /h/ were analyzed. Results indicate that there are substantial similarities in rhotic variation as well as some variation between Puerto Rico and Holyoke: (1) the same trill realizations are found and (2) the means of center of gravity, skewness and kurtosis are significantly different between /h/ and /r/ in both locations, suggesting an absence of neutralization. However,different linguistic and sociolinguistic variables affect (1) the use of the backed /r/ and (2) phonemic /h/-/r/ distinction.Findings suggest that the PR community in Holyoke tries to maintain their language, one of the most noticeable signs of immigrants’ origin, to strengthen authenticity in the same way that they keep other PR cultural experiences. The differences found suggest that, although Holyoke maintains a close bond with Puerto Rico due to the back and forth migration waves, diasporas are still changing communities which create sites of super-diversity, with different patterns as a result of these new dialect contact situations

Transition to the underworld. A Hellenistic clay disc with the image of a three-headed deity from Pella

In 1979, excavations in the eastern cemetery of Pella brought to light, among other finds, a small clay disc that depicts a three-headed deity. This rare object was found with several vases and figurines that allow its dating in the early Hellenistic period. In this article, after a short description of the find, and an examination of its context, special emphasis is given to the identification of the depicted deity and her most probable relation with the goddess Hekate. The clay disc possibly had a magic-protective character related with the passage of the dead to the underworld.En 1979, unas excavaciones en el cementerio oriental de Pella sacaron a la luz, entre otros hallazgos, un pequeño disco de arcilla que representa una deidad de tres cabezas. Este raro objeto se encontró con varios vasos y figurillas que permiten su datación en el periodo helenístico temprano. En este artículo, tras una breve descripción del hallazgo y un examen de su contexto, se hace especial hincapié en la identificación de la deidad representada y su relación más probable con la diosa Hekate. El disco de arcilla tenía posiblemente un carácter mágico-protector relacionado con el paso de los muertos al inframundo

Response of Mung Bean (Vigna radita L.) to Fungal Inoculation (Glomus mosseae L. ) and Nano Chelating Zn Fertigation

Field experiment conducted at winter season 2022-2023 on clay sandy soil in Al-Diwanyia. The experiment was design as CRBD with three replications arranged for split-pilot design, in lest significant differences ( LSD0.05 )the main treatment contend two groups inoculation and non inoculation within there four levels of Nano Zn( 0 , 1 , 2 , 3) g.L-1. I took sample of soil before planting to analysis it and to learn physical and chemical traits. Mung bean were sowing at rate20 kg.ha-1(3cm depth) at 1/9 , after 5 months I took a sample to measure . The results showed all factors and interactions were significant effect and increased all growth traits (plant content of protein , carbohydrates total Chlorophyll and fats,) lead to increased grain yield max values (8.2 Ton.ha-1) at interaction of Glomus mosseae e inoculation and 3 g.L-1 Nano Zn level, while min value(5.81 Ton.ha-1) at interaction no inoculation and 0 g.L-1 Nano Zn level

Hard X-ray emission of the Earth's atmosphere: Monte Carlo simulations

We perform Monte Carlo simulations of cosmic ray-induced hard X-ray radiation from the Earth's atmosphere. We find that the shape of the spectrum emergent from the atmosphere in the energy range 25-300 keV is mainly determined by Compton scatterings and photoabsorption, and is almost insensitive to the incident cosmic-ray spectrum. We provide a fitting formula for the hard X-ray surface brightness of the atmosphere as would be measured by a satellite-born instrument, as a function of energy, solar modulation level, geomagnetic cutoff rigidity and zenith angle. A recent measurement by the INTEGRAL observatory of the atmospheric hard X-ray flux during the occultation of the cosmic X-ray background by the Earth agrees with our prediction within 10%. This suggests that Earth observations could be used for in-orbit calibration of future hard X-ray telescopes. We also demonstrate that the hard X-ray spectra generated by cosmic rays in the crusts of the Moon, Mars and Mercury should be significantly different from that emitted by the Earth's atmosphere.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figures, MNRAS accepte