Behavioural and physiological responses of laying hens to automated monitoring equipment

Automated monitoring of behaviour can offer a wealth of information in circumstances where observing behaviour is difficult or time consuming. However, this often requires attaching monitoring devices to the animal which can alter behaviour, potentially invalidating any data collected. Birds often show increased preening and energy expenditure when wearing devices and, especially in laying hens, there is a risk that individuals wearing devices will attract aggression from conspecifics. We studied the behavioural and physiological response of 20 laying hens to backpacks containing monitoring devices fastened with elastic loops around the wing base. We hypothesised that backpacks would lead to a stress-induced decrease in peripheral temperature, increased preening, more aggression from conspecifics, and reduced bodyweights. This was evaluated by thermography of the eye and comb (when isolated after fitting backpacks), direct observations of behaviour (when isolated, when placed back into the group, and on later days), and weighing (before and after each 7-day experimental period). Each hen wore a backpack during one of the two experimental periods only and was used as her own control. Contrary to our hypothesis, eye temperature was higher when hens wore a backpack (No backpack: 30.2 °C (IQR: 29.0–30.6) vs. Backpack: 30.9 °C (IQR: 30.0–32.0), P < 0.001). Eye temperature of hens wearing a backpack was strongly correlated to the time spent preening (rs = 0.8, P < 0.001), suggesting that the higher temperatures may have been due to preening itself, or to a low head position or decreased heat dissipation when preening under the wings. Aggressive behaviour was very rare and no effect of the backpacks was found. In line with our hypothesis, backpacks increased preening on the day of fitting, both when isolated (No backpack: 0% (IQR: 0–1) vs. Backpack: 22% (IQR: 1–43), P < 0.01) and when back in the group (No backpack: 0% (IQR: 0–27) vs. Backpack: 43% (IQR: 5–77), P < 0.001). However, no effect on preening was observed 2–7 days afterwards. Other behavioural changes suggested that on the day of fitting hens prioritized attempts to (re)move the backpack and were less attentive to their surroundings. However, only equipment pecking (i.e., pecking the backpack or leg rings) was still affected 2–7 days after fitting (No backpack: 0 pecks/hen/minute (IQR: 0–0), vs. Backpack: 0 (IQR: 0–0.07), P < 0.05). We found no effect of our backpacks on bodyweight. In conclusion, our backpacks seem suitable to attach monitoring equipment to hens with only a very minor effect on their behaviour after a short acclimation period (≤2 days)

VISUALIZING ORIENTATION USING QUATERNIONS

INTRODUCTION: Visualization of 3D kinematic data presents special challenges, not only in terms of hardware requirements, but also in terms of the mathematics used to describe it. The ISB Standardization and Technology Committee has been working to standardize methods for representing kinematic data, particularly in the definition of coordinate systems and the representation of spatial orientations. In this presentation we will show that, although the ISB’s recommendation to regard a segment’s orientation as an ordered series of rotations may be useful for reporting and comparing results, it is not particularly suitable for 3D animation. The fundamental problems in ordered series of rotations will be briefly summarized. We will contrast this with the algebraic elegance of the quaternion and its usefulness as a rotation operator. The advantages of quaternions will be visually demonstrated by showing them “in action” in examples of real-time key frame animations

An Assessment of Young Cattle Behaviour and Welfare in a Virtual Fencing System

Virtual fencing is a novel technology which uses a combination of audio and electrical stimuli to contain grazing livestock within a GPS boundary. There are however some concerns around the use of such a technology and its potential effects on the behaviour and welfare of animals. To investigate this, 64 dairy-origin calves were assigned to one of two treatments in a randomised complete block design, with 4 groups of 8 calves per treatment. The two treatments were virtual fencing (VF) and electric fencing (EF). The experimental period lasted 31 days in total, consisting of a 10 day training period and a 21 day grazing period. Welfare and behaviour of the animals was measured using faecal cortisol metabolites, activity pedometers, and behavioural recordings. Virtual fence data denoting the number of audio and electrical stimuli delivered for each animal were also recorded. Results show that there was no significant difference in animal welfare and behaviour between EF and VF in the current study. Additionally, there was no significant difference in daily liveweight gain between treatments. In the VF animals the rate of electric pulses declined after an initial learning period however there was a significant degree of variation in the rate of learning between animals. Virtual fencing could therefore offer an alternative to physical fencing for grazing young cattle without negatively impacting animal behaviour or welfare. The individual animal variation in VF systems however warrants further study

Unfolding-Based Process Discovery

This paper presents a novel technique for process discovery. In contrast to the current trend, which only considers an event log for discovering a process model, we assume two additional inputs: an independence relation on the set of logged activities, and a collection of negative traces. After deriving an intermediate net unfolding from them, we perform a controlled folding giving rise to a Petri net which contains both the input log and all independence-equivalent traces arising from it. Remarkably, the derived Petri net cannot execute any trace from the negative collection. The entire chain of transformations is fully automated. A tool has been developed and experimental results are provided that witness the significance of the contribution of this paper.Comment: This is the unabridged version of a paper with the same title appearead at the proceedings of ATVA 201

Discovering duplicate tasks in transition systems for the simplification of process models

This work presents a set of methods to improve the understandability of process models. Traditionally, simplification methods trade off quality metrics, such as fitness or precision. Conversely, the methods proposed in this paper produce simplified models while preserving or even increasing fidelity metrics. The first problem addressed in the paper is the discovery of duplicate tasks. A new method is proposed that avoids overfitting by working on the transition system generated by the log. The method is able to discover duplicate tasks even in the presence of concurrency and choice. The second problem is the structural simplification of the model by identifying optional and repetitive tasks. The tasks are substituted by annotated events that allow the removal of silent tasks and reduce the complexity of the model. An important feature of the methods proposed in this paper is that they are independent from the actual miner used for process discovery.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Nonresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Long-term Toxicity in Patients Treated with Transarterial Chemoembolization - Single-Center Experience

Purpose: To determine the toxicity profile of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) at 6 months and 1 year after treatment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a standardized oncology protocol so that TACE could be compared with systemic chemotherapeutic regimens for liver cancer. Materials and Methods: The study was authorized by the institutional review board. Between January 2002 and January 2007, 190 patients (155 men, 35 women; median age, 65 years; age range, 18 – 84 years) with HCC who underwent TACE treatment were identified from a prospectively collected database. Clinical records of complete blood cell counts and chemical profiles at baseline and at 6 and 12 months after treatment were studied retrospectively. Toxicity was graded according to the common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE). A transition (survival) analysis perspective was used to estimate the distribution of toxicity grades. Patient survival from the first TACE session was calculated with Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: Grade 3 or 4 toxicity 6 and 12 months, respectively, after treatment included leukocytopenia (7% and 19%); anemia (9% and 19%); thromobocytopenia (13% and 23%); prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (8% and 18%); elevated aspartate aminotransferase (15% and 18%), alanine aminotransferase (10% and 18%), and alkaline phosphatase (8% and 18%) levels; hypoalbuminemia (10% and 19%); hyperbilirubinemia (10% and 22%); and alopecia (18%). The cumulative survival rate was 58% at 1 year, 39% at 2 years, and 29% at 3 years. These toxicity rates were considerably lower than those reported after treatment with currently used systemic chemotherapeutic agents. Conclusion: Study results show that TACE has a favorable long-term toxicity profile in patients with HCC. Data clearly support the role of TACE in the treatment of patients with nonresectable HHC