Kinematic discrimination of ataxia in horses is facilitated by blindfolding

BACKGROUND: Agreement among experienced clinicians is poor when assessing the presence and severity of ataxia, especially when signs are mild. Consequently, objective gait measurements might be beneficial for assessment of horses with neurological diseases. OBJECTIVES: To assess diagnostic criteria using motion capture to measure variability in spatial gait-characteristics and swing duration derived from ataxic and non-ataxic horses, and to assess if variability increases with blindfolding. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: A total of 21 horses underwent measurements in a gait laboratory and live neurological grading by multiple raters. In the gait laboratory, the horses were made to walk across a runway surrounded by a 12-camera motion capture system with a sample frequency of 240 Hz. They were made to walk normally and with a blindfold in at least three trials each. Displacements of reflective markers on head, fetlock, hoof, fourth lumbar vertebra, tuber coxae and sacrum derived from three to four consecutive strides were processed and descriptive statistics, receiver operator characteristics (ROC) to determine the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC), and correlation between median ataxia grade and gait parameters were determined. RESULTS: For horses with a median ataxia grade ≥2, coefficient of variation for the location of maximum vertical displacement of pelvic and thoracic distal limbs generated good diagnostic yield. The hoofs of the thoracic limbs yielded an AUC of 0.81 with 64% sensitivity and 90% specificity. Blindfolding exacerbated the variation for ataxic horses compared to non-ataxic horses with the hoof marker having an AUC of 0.89 with 82% sensitivity and 90% specificity. MAIN LIMITATIONS: The low number of consecutive strides per horse obtained with motion capture could decrease diagnostic utility. CONCLUSIONS: Motion capture can objectively aid the assessment of horses with ataxia. Furthermore, blindfolding increases variation in distal pelvic limb kinematics making it a useful clinical tool

Real-time vital signs monitoring system for livestock

The focus on the application of information and communication technologies & electronics (ICTE) in agriculture has proved to be very efficient and revolutionary in several ways. With the adoption of increasingly efficient and modern technologies, agriculture, in general, improves its competitiveness and production is carried out in a more sustainable way. The intensive use of ICTE in this sector has been aimed at creating integrated solutions that generate efficiency gains in productivity, sustainability and economic, social and environmental quality. This type of technologies, when aimed at monitoring livestock, have some characteristics in common. Precise positioning and geolocation from GPS, geographic mapping, sensors and communication systems are some of the tools that will allow the development of a complete and extremely accurate system for monitoring vital signs. This proposal for a cattle or equine ICTE-based monitoring system is developed as a belt. It contains a microcontroller that is used to evaluate the animal's heart rate and detect abnormal mobility. The correct evaluation of these two parameters proves very useful for the detection of many of the pathologies and anomalies that constitute economic losses for the producers. With accurate monitoring, it is possible to circumvent these events that are detrimental to animal production.O foco na aplicação de tecnologias de informação e comunicação e eletrónica (TICE) na agricultura provou ser muito eficiente e revolucionário de várias maneiras. Com a adoção de tecnologias cada vez mais eficientes e modernas, a agricultura em geral melhora sua competitividade e a produção é realizada de forma mais sustentável. O uso intensivo de TICE neste setor tem por objetivo criar soluções integradas que gerem ganhos efetivos em produtividade, sustentabilidade e qualidade económica, social e ambiental. Este tipo de tecnologias, quando destinadas à monitoração de gado, têm algumas características em comum. Posicionamento preciso e geolocalização de GPS, mapeamento geográfico, sensores e sistemas de comunicação são algumas das ferramentas que permitirão o desenvolvimento de um sistema completo e preciso para monitorar sinais vitais de animais. Esta proposta para um sistema de monitorização de gado ou equinos, baseado em TICE, é desenvolvido como um cinto. Este contém um dispositivo microcontrolador que é usado para avaliar a frequência cardíaca do animal e detetar mobilidade anormal. A avaliação correta desses dois parâmetros mostra-se muito útil para a deteção de muitas das patologias e anomalias que constituem perdas económicas para os produtores. Com uma monitorização precisa, é possível contornar estes eventos prejudiciais a uma produção animal

Sperm trajectories form chiral ribbons.

We report the discovery of an entirely new three-dimensional (3D) swimming pattern observed in human and horse sperms. This motion is in the form of 'chiral ribbons', where the planar swing of the sperm head occurs on an osculating plane creating in some cases a helical ribbon and in some others a twisted ribbon. The latter, i.e., the twisted ribbon trajectory, also defines a minimal surface, exhibiting zero mean curvature for all the points on its surface. These chiral ribbon swimming patterns cannot be represented or understood by already known patterns of sperms or other micro-swimmers. The discovery of these unique patterns is enabled by holographic on-chip imaging of >33,700 sperm trajectories at >90-140 frames/sec, which revealed that only ~1.7% of human sperms exhibit chiral ribbons, whereas it increases to ~27.3% for horse sperms. These results might shed more light onto the statistics and biophysics of various micro-swimmers' 3D motion

The Effects of an Equine Riding Simulator as an Objective Feedback Modality on Learning Outcomes for Rider Competency on Performance Skills in Equestrian Riding Fundamentals

This study examined the effects of different feedback modalities provided during simulated-based practice on performance and perceptions. In addition, the research also addressed the relationship between participants\u27 feedback literacy, perceptions, and improvement scores. The purpose of this research was motivated by the emerging equine simulation technology that provides feedback on movement and coordination during complex motor skill acquisition. Selecting an effective feedback approach for simulation-based practice in motor skill learning is contingent on the complexity of the performance skill and the learner\u27s experience. However, the learner\u27s feedback literacy can result in contradictory performance and perceptions despite the feedback approach experienced. Feedback literacy is a concept that identifies a learner\u27s ability to uptake feedback. This mixed-methods study used the conceptual framework of Carless\u27s 3P Model of the Learner Experience of Feedback. Seventy-five participants completed the study, consisting of three 10-minute practice sessions with a pre/posttest and an exit survey at the end of their third session. The study demonstrated that the combination of instructor- and simulator-mediated feedback had the most significant impact on improvement scores by the completion of three practice sessions. Regardless of feedback modality, the novice participants had the most significant improvement score impact by the completion of three practice sessions. When an instructor provided feedback, participants had more positive perceptions of the practice experience. The study supported that the higher the participant\u27s feedback literacy, the more they engaged in practice, appreciated feedback, and improved on performance scores, regardless of feedback received. The lower a participant\u27s feedback literacy, the more negative they were about the experience and their perceived improvement, and the higher likelihood of disengaging during practice, regardless of feedback received. The results indicate that a multi-modality approach to feedback in simulation-based motor skill practice is effective. The findings also support that feedback literacy influences a learner\u27s engagement during practice, and instructor feedback can mitigate the negative influences of low feedback literacy. Conclusions from this research suggest that using a horseback riding simulator has the potential to improve riding seat skills and supports an equine welfare-minded approach to learning in equestrian sports

Equine Lung Function Testing Device

Up to 80 percent of horses experience respiratory disorders due to their living environment. Current diagnostic methods are invasive and expensive. Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University is the only facility in New England with a non-invasive equine respiratory testing device. However, the device poses a risk to operators because it is not well attached, weighs 3 pounds, and protrudes 12 inches, causing it to disconnect if the horse moves suddenly. Our team designed a safer, less expensive, non-invasive device to measure equine lung function to improve testing availability and market potential. This small, lightweight device uses a thermistor-based sensor to measure airflow at low speeds. A LabVIEW program displays the airflow for the veterinarian to use for diagnoses

The use of surface electromyography within equine performance analysis

Equine athletes participate in a wide range of equestrian disciplines. Performance analysis in sport is the collection and subsequent analysis of data, or key information sets, related to facets of training and / or competition, to accelerate and improve athletic performance. Equine performance analysis research aims to optimise the potential competition success of the horse whilst concurrently promoting health and welfare and increasing career longevity. Despite the benefits associated with performance analysis, its application is limited in equine sport.Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a non-invasive technique which illustrates recruitment patterns of superficial skeletal muscle and can provide quantitative data on the activity within muscle during dynamic motion. sEMG has the potential to contribute to equine performance analysis particularly via assessment of muscle recruitment, activity and adaptation within training regimens and during competition. The critical commentary demonstrates the potential of surface electromyography (sEMG) as an effective performance analysis tool that could be used to assess the physiological response of muscle during field-based exercise in the horse and provides examples of how sEMG data obtained could guide improvements in the efficacy of training regimens for the equine athlete. Critical reflection on four peer-reviewed evidence sources was conducted to establish their contribution to equine performance research and to facilitate debate of future research directions for equine sEMG. The research demonstrates the validity of telemetric sEMG as an emerging technology that could be used to analyse muscle performance in the equine athlete for defined events, for example jumping a fence, and to assess performance over time, for example monitoring muscle activity during interval training. Opportunities also exist to determine the efficacy of muscle-related clinical and therapeutic interventions such as prophylactic dentistry or physiotherapy. The preliminary research presented suggests the use of equine sEMG as a performance analysis tool has most value to assess and compare muscle performance during exercise within individual horses. However further research is required to substantiate this. Future studies integrating larger sample sizes, horses selected from specific equestrian disciplines and breeds, and further exploration of the impact of coat length and sEMG sensor placement on data obtained would be worthwhile to standardise and validate the protocols employed here. Equine performance is a complex area; future work needs to focus on the individual characteristics that contribute to desired performance goals, but should also evaluate performance as a holistic entity. It is essential for progression in the performance field that research undertaken is shared with the equine industry to enable practical implementation. The use of sEMG in the equine athlete has the potential to increase understanding of how muscle responds to exercise and could help create an evidence-base to inform individual and discipline-specific training regimens. Increased efficacy in training should promote success, enhancing performance and extending career longevity for the equine athlete, whilst indirectly benefiting the horse’s health and welfare through improved management practices and injury reduction

Feasibility of wireless horse monitoring using a kinetic energy harvester model

To detect behavioral anomalies (disease/injuries), 24 h monitoring of horses each day is increasingly important. To this end, recent advances in machine learning have used accelerometer data to improve the efficiency of practice sessions and for early detection of health problems. However, current devices are limited in operational lifetime due to the need to manually replace batteries. To remedy this, we investigated the possibilities to power the wireless radio with a vibrational piezoelectric energy harvester at the leg (or in the hoof) of the horse, allowing perpetual monitoring devices. This paper reports the average power that can be delivered to the node by energy harvesting for four different natural gaits of the horse: stand, walking, trot and canter, based on an existing model for a velocity-damped resonant generator (VDRG). To this end, 33 accelerometer datasets were collected over 4.5 h from six horses during different activities. Based on these measurements, a vibrational energy harvester model was calculated that can provide up to 64.04 mu W during the energetic canter gait, taking an energy conversion rate of 60% into account. Most energy is provided during canter in the forward direction of the horse. The downwards direction is less suitable for power harvesting. Additionally, different wireless technologies are considered to realize perpetual wireless data sensing. During horse training sessions, BLE allows continues data transmissions (one packet every 0.04 s during canter), whereas IEEE 802.15.4 and UWB technologies are better suited for continuous horse monitoring during less energetic states due to their lower sleep current

Animal Welfare Assessment

This Special Issue provides a collection of recent research and reviews that investigate many areas of welfare assessment, such as novel approaches and technologies used to evaluate the welfare of farmed, captive, or wild animals. Research in this Special Issue includes welfare assessment related to pilot whales, finishing pigs, commercial turkey flocks, and dairy goats; the use of sensors or wearable technologies, such as heart rate monitors to assess sleep in dairy cows, ear tag sensors, and machine learning to assess commercial pig behaviour; non-invasive measures, such as video monitoring of behaviour, computer vision to analyse video footage of red foxes, remote camera traps of free-roaming wild horses, infrared thermography of effort and sport recovery in sport horses; telomere length and regulatory genes as novel biomarkers of stress in broiler chickens; the effect of environment on growth physiology and behaviour of laboratory rare minnows and housing system on anxiety, stress, fear, and immune function of laying hens; and discussions of natural behaviour in farm animal welfare and maintaining health, welfare, and productivity of commercial pig herds