Electronic identification in rabbits: two body sites of injectable transponder

AbstractIdentification and monitoring of farm animals are effective tools for traceability. Actual livestock identification systems (ear-tags, tattoos, etc.) are not completely efficient and offer some inconveniences. The use of injectable transponders might be a reliable method for individual identification, allowing the improvement of the data recording and the farm management. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the applicability of injectable transponder in live rabbits. A total of 40 fattening rabbits of 55 days old were injected with 23 mm passive FDX-B transponders (Datamars, Switzerland), preloaded into a needle in a sterilised packaged and applied by using a transponder injector (Planet ID, Germany). Two body locations for transponder's injection were studied: laterally to the neck (n=20) and armpit (n=20). Readings of the transponders were performed using portable ISO transceiver, before injection, after injection, the day after, after one week, after one month, before the slaughtering pr..

Effect of Outdoor Rearing System, in Floor Cage, on Meat Quality of Slow Growing Rabbits

The present work investigated the effect of two housing systems (Indoor vs. Outdoor) on the qualitative characteristics of meat deriving from “Grigia Rustica” rabbits, a slow growing local population. Forty eight growing females were divided into two groups: Indoor group, housed in indoor colony cages (cm 65x40x32 h, 4 animals per cage), and Outdoor group, in wire net floor colony cages (cm 100x150x76 h, 8 animals per cage), in outdoor pen in a wooded area. The animals received ad libitum a commercial pelleted diet plus alfa-alfa hay and were slaughtered at 103±2 days (19 animals/group). About one hour after slaughter, carcasses were put in a ventilated cold room (+4°C) and chilled for 24 hours and the loin region and the right hind leg were excised from each carcass. The following variables were measured: pHu, L* a* b* colour, water holding capacity (filter paper press method, M/T ratio) of Longissimus lumborum and Biceps femoris muscles; drip loss and cooking loss of L. lumborum muscle; chemical composition and fatty acids (FA) profile of hind leg meat. The muscles pHu values were similar within groups. The L. lumborum and B. femoris muscles of Outdoor rabbits had lower lightness (55.59 vs. 59.15 and 53.02 vs. 55.50 respectively, P<0.01) and slightly higher a* value than those derived from rabbits reared in Indoor cages, probably due to increased movement. The M/T ratio of L. lumborum and B. femoris and drip loss of L. lumborum were similar among groups; cooking loss was significantly lower in Outdoor group (15.9% vs. 18.1%). The housing system significantly affected the dry matter (25.5% vs. 24.9%), protein (22.9% vs. 22.6%) and fat contents (1.4% vs. 1.2%) that were higher in Outdoor group. The hind leg meat of the Outdoor rabbits was significantly lower in saturated fatty acids and higher in monounsaturated fatty acids while no differences was observed in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) contents. The meat showed similar n-6/n-3 ratio between experimental groups and slightly higher than the recommended value in human. In conclusion, meat from outdoor rabbits appeared less pale, showed a significant higher fat content that was probably positively related to lower cooking loss, and a positive lower content of SFA and a higher content of MUFA. Outdoor rearing seems to be a possible alternative housing system that satisfies the ethical concern of modern consumer, even furnishing good meat quality

The design and evaluation of a vibrotactile progress bar

We present an investigation into the use of Tactons to present progress information. Progress bars are common but must compete for screen space and visual attention with other visual tasks. We created a tactile progress indicator, encoding progress into a series of vibrotactile pulses. An experiment comparing the tactile progress indicator to a standard visual one showed a significant improvement in performance and an overall preference for the tactile display

Enhancing the valorisation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: a Pigouvian Approach

The aim of this paper is to cope with the disequilibrium affecting World Heritage Sites as to the conditions of their conservation and the resources available for their valorisation. We propose a tax-based mechanism divided into three phases. The first one aims at providing an objective approach to measure the needs and diversity of World Heritage Sites. The second phase presents valorisation strategies to generate new economic resources from cultural tourism. The third one illustrates the tax mechanism based on collecting resources trough an earmarked tax on tourist activities and redistributing these resources at a regional scale. Our proposal is a contribution to the growing literature on Unesco World Heritage sites and it may be useful to ground the decision making of the recently formed Unesco Centres aimed at raising funds for the World Heritage conservation.

Carcass traits and meat quality of two different rabbit genotypes

To evaluate the effect of genotype on carcass traits and meat quality, thirty-two rabbits for two genotypes (local population – LP; commercial hybrids – HY) were used. Rabbits were weaned at 35 days old and slaughtered at 103 days of age for LP and 87 days of age for HY. Comparing the slaughtering traits of two genotypes, LP provided higher dressing out (59.4% vs 56.2%, P<0.01) and skin percentage (16.0% vs 14.2%, P<0.05), lower incidence of full gastrointestinal tract (18.5% vs 22.3, P<0.01) and higher incidence of head (9.5% vs 8,9%, P<0.05) and kidneys (0.99 vs 0.86%, P<0.05) than HY. Reference carcasses from LP had greater incidence of perirenal fat (2.04% vs 1.12%; P<0.01), loin (21.5% vs 19.2%; P<0.01) and hind leg (34.4% vs 31.6%; P<0.01) than HY. Hind leg meat-to-bone ratio was significantly higher in HY than LP (4.7% vs 3.8%; P<0.01). The comparison between the variances of slaughter weight, chilled carcass weight, kidneys percentage, reference carcass weight, perirenal fat and hind leg percentage showed the great variability in the local population. Meat derived from LP showed lower lightness (L*), higher redness (a*), yellowness (b*) and C* value than HY (P<0.01). In conclusion, LP showed good slaughter traits and favourable meat quality and the great variability observed in the local population could allow to improve the productive performances without loss the rusticity and the capacity to fit to different local environmental conditions

On the Role of Lateral Force in Texture-Induced Motion Bias During Reaching Tasks

In previous work, we reported that tactile information (tactile slip) during finger sliding and reaching actions over a textured surface contributes to the control of the hand movement. More specifically, we observed a significant bias in the motion trajectories, which was explained by the tactile estimate accounted by the tactile flow model - i.e. a perceived motion direction always perpendicular to the ridge orientation, and its integration with the muscular-skeletal proprioceptive cues. However, to which extent this observed behavior also depends on the reaction force exerted by the surface ridges on the finger pad during the dynamic interaction still represents a largely unexplored research question. If not properly addressed, this point could rise the alternative explanation that the systematic bias is determined by the insufficient compensation of the reaction force by participants. In this work, we investigate the role of the lateral component of the reaction force on the surface plane (lateral force) in texture-related motion bias. We asked participants to slide their finger straight on a lubricated ridged plate towards a target goal displayed in a virtual reality environment. They exerted two different levels of normal force, which produced two different levels of lateral force during the finger interaction with the ridges. The effect of ridge orientation was found to be larger for the high compared to the low force level. However, also in the latter case, we still observed the same biased trajectories reported in our previous work, despite the negligible value of the lateral force. This supports our hypothesis that the motor bias arises from the integration of the tactile motion estimate, biased by the texture, and the other proprioceptive cues

A commercial macroalgae extract in a plant-protein rich diet diminished saturated fatty acids of Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum fillets

Seaweeds are considered novel feed ingredients, nutraceutical compounds and source of pigments and proteins. They appear to possess bioactive properties, such as hypolipidemic, antioxidant and immune-stimulative actions; furthermore, their proteins are considered just as nutritious as terrestrial vegetables. In the present work, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) was fed for 95 days with three diets: a fishmeal-based positive control diet (C+), a vegetable protein-based negative control diet (C−) and a diet similar to C − where 5% of soybean concentrate was replaced by a commercial blend of seaweeds (T). The monitored parameters were fish performance, physical and marketable characteristics, fillet oxidative status and fatty acid content. The estimated indices of enzyme activities involved in lipid metabolism were calculated. Fish performances were reduced in C − and T fish; C − and T fillet fatty acid (FA) profiles globally showed the same pattern and were distinct from C+, i.e. with a lower content of polyunsaturated FAs and a higher content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated n6 FAs; contrarywise, saturated FAs were significantly lower in T group in comparison to the other two groups (p &lt;.01). The estimated indices of enzyme activity highlighted differences between dietary groups; desaturase activities of C18 and n3 FAs were higher in T in comparison to C− (p &lt;.001). A slight impoverishment of antioxidant activity was found in T compared to C + group. Dietary seaweeds seemed to be capable of influencing fillet FA composition as well as the activity of enzymes related to lipid metabolism. Further studies in this regard are encouraged.Highlights Seaweeds are novel feed ingredients with nutraceutical properties Saturated fatty acids of rainbow trout fillets were lowered by seaweed inclusion in the diet Estimated desaturase activities of C18 and n3 fatty acids were higher in seaweed-fed trout

Tactile-STAR: A Novel Tactile STimulator And Recorder System for Evaluating and Improving Tactile Perception

Many neurological diseases impair the motor and somatosensory systems. While several different technologies are used in clinical practice to assess and improve motor functions, somatosensation is evaluated subjectively with qualitative clinical scales. Treatment of somatosensory deficits has received limited attention. To bridge the gap between the assessment and training of motor vs. somatosensory abilities, we designed, developed, and tested a novel, low-cost, two-component (bimanual) mechatronic system targeting tactile somatosensation: the Tactile-STAR—a tactile stimulator and recorder. The stimulator is an actuated pantograph structure driven by two servomotors, with an end-effector covered by a rubber material that can apply two different types of skin stimulation: brush and stretch. The stimulator has a modular design, and can be used to test the tactile perception in different parts of the body such as the hand, arm, leg, big toe, etc. The recorder is a passive pantograph that can measure hand motion using two potentiometers. The recorder can serve multiple purposes: participants can move its handle to match the direction and amplitude of the tactile stimulator, or they can use it as a master manipulator to control the tactile stimulator as a slave. Our ultimate goal is to assess and affect tactile acuity and somatosensory deficits. To demonstrate the feasibility of our novel system, we tested the Tactile-STAR with 16 healthy individuals and with three stroke survivors using the skin-brush stimulation. We verified that the system enables the mapping of tactile perception on the hand in both populations. We also tested the extent to which 30 min of training in healthy individuals led to an improvement of tactile perception. The results provide a first demonstration of the ability of this new system to characterize tactile perception in healthy individuals, as well as a quantification of the magnitude and pattern of tactile impairment in a small cohort of stroke survivors. The finding that short-term training with Tactile-STARcan improve the acuity of tactile perception in healthy individuals suggests that Tactile-STAR may have utility as a therapeutic intervention for somatosensory deficits

Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Honeybee Pollen and Its Supercritical Fluid Extract on Immune Response and Fillet’s Quality of Farmed Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata)

The awareness of the correlation between administered diet, fish health and products’ quality has led to the increase in the research for innovative and functional feed ingredients. Herein, a plant-derived product rich in bioactive compounds, such as honeybee pollen (HBP), was included as raw (HBP) and as Supercritical Fluid Extracted (SFE) pollen (HBP_SFE) in the diet for gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). The experiment was carried out on 90 fish with an average body weight of 294.7 ± 12.8 g, divided into five groups, according to the administration of five diets for 30 days: control diet (CTR); two diets containing HBP at 5% (P5) and at 10% (P10) level of inclusion; two diets containing HBP_SFE, at 0.5% (E0.5) and at 1% (E1) level of inclusion. Their effects were evaluated on 60 specimens (336.2 ± 11.4 g average final body weight) considering the fish growth, the expression of some hepatic genes involved in the inflammatory response (il-1β, il-6 and il-8) through quantitative real-time PCR, and physico-chemical characterization (namely color, texture, water holding capacity, fatty acid profile and lipid peroxidation) of the fish fillets monitored at the beginning (day 0) and after 110 days of storage at −20◦C. The results obtained showed that the treatment with diet E1 determined the up-regulation of il-1β, il-6, and il-8 (p < 0.05); however, this supplementation did not significantly contribute to limiting the oxidative stress. Nevertheless, no detrimental effect on color and the other physical characteristics was observed. These results suggest that a low level of HBP_SFE could be potentially utilized in aquaculture as an immunostimulant more than an antioxidant, but further investigation is necessary

Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Honeybee Pollen and Its Supercritical Fluid Extract on Immune Response and Fillet’s Quality of Farmed Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata)

The awareness of the correlation between administered diet, fish health and products’ quality has led to the increase in the research for innovative and functional feed ingredients. Herein, a plant-derived product rich in bioactive compounds, such as honeybee pollen (HBP), was includ-ed as raw (HBP) and as Supercritical Fluid Extracted (SFE) pollen (HBP_SFE) in the diet for gilt-head seabream (Sparus aurata). The experiment was carried out on 90 fish with an average body weight of 294.7 ± 12.8 g, divided into five groups, according to the administration of five diets for 30 days: control diet (CTR); two diets containing HBP at 5% (P5) and at 10% (P10) level of in-clusion; two diets containing HBP_SFE, at 0.5% (E0.5) and at 1% (E1) level of inclusion. Their ef-fects were evaluated on 60 specimens (336.2 ± 11.4 g average final body weight) considering the fish growth, the expression of some hepatic genes involved in the inflammatory response (il-1β, il-6 and il-8) through quantitative real-time PCR, and physico-chemical characterization (namely color, texture, water holding capacity, fatty acid profile and lipid peroxidation) of the fish fillets monitored at the beginning (day 0) and after 110 days of storage at −20 °C. The results obtained showed that the treatment with diet E1 determined the up-regulation of il-1β, il-6, and il-8 (p &lt; 0.05); however, this supplementation did not significantly contribute to limiting the oxidative stress. Nevertheless, no detrimental effect on color and the other physical characteristics was observed. These results suggest that a low level of HBP_SFE could be potentially utilized in aq-uaculture as an immunostimulant more than an antioxidant, but further investigation is neces-sary