Comparison of animal welfare assessment tools and methodologies: need for an effective approach for captive elephants in Asia

Welfare is a fundamental aspect of animal management and conservation. In light of growing public awareness and welfare concerns about captive elephants, there is an urgent need for comprehensive, globally coordinated efforts for Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) that participate in religious, logging, or tourist activities in range countries where the majority reside, and where welfare issues have been identified but not addressed. This review provides a comparative analysis of available animal assessment tools. Each offers distinct features for assessment that allow institutions to select criteria for specific needs and available resources. Most are applied to general animal welfare assessments, although some are tailored to particular species, including elephants. The tools span diverse formats, from digital to primarily paper-based assessments. Assessments operate at individual and institutional levels and across multiple welfare domains. Methodologies rely on keeper ratings or expert evaluations, incorporate numerical scoring and Likert scales for welfare grading, and encompass inputs including behaviors, health, and physiological indicators. For tourist camp elephants, one challenge is that the tools were developed in zoos, which may or may not have application to non-zoological settings. Digital tools and assessment methodologies such as keeper ratings face logistical challenges when applied across tourist venues. As with any tool, reliability, validity, and repeatability are essential and must address the unique welfare challenges of diverse captive settings. We propose that a holistic, context-specific, evidence-based, and practical tool be developed to ensure high elephant welfare standards in non-zoological facilities throughout Asia

Management factors affecting physical health and welfare of tourist camp elephants in Thailand

Background Variation in management across elephant camps likely has differential effects on the well-being of elephants. Methods This study calculated body condition, foot health and skin wound scores (WSs) for 122 elephants from 15 elephant camps in Chiang Mai province, and examined relationships to management factors using a multi-variable modeling approach. Results The majority of elephants had high body condition scores (BCS) indicative of being overweight or obese, mild foot problems, but few visible wounds. Females had higher BCSs than males, as did elephants provided a water source at night. Increasing age was associated with higher foot and WSs. Higher WSs were observed in about a quarter of the cases where mahouts carried a hook. Wounds related to saddle riding were rare. Elephants that rested on sand floors at night had a decreased risk of high WSs compared to elephants that rested on compact dirt floors. Discussion Findings emphasize the need for elephant camps to adjust management activities that negatively affect body condition (e.g., feeding too many sweet treats), foot health (e.g., hard substrates) and wounding (e.g., misuse of equipment) to improve health and welfare of this population

Application of the Zero-Order Reaction Rate Model and Transition State Theory to predict porous Ti6Al4V bending strength

Porous T16Al4V samples were produced by microsphere sintering. The Zero-Order Reaction Rate Model and Transition State Theory were used to model the sintering process and to estimate the bending strength of the porous samples developed. The evolution of the surface area during the sintering process was used to obtain sintering parameters (sintering constant, activation energy, frequency factor, constant of activation and Gibbs energy of activation). These were then correlated with the bending strength in order to obtain a simple model with which to estimate the evolution of the bending strength of the samples when the sintering temperature and time are modified: sigma(y) = P + B [In (T . t) - R.T./Delta G(g)]. Although the sintering parameters were obtained only for the microsphere sizes analysed here, the strength of intermediate sizes could easily be estimated following this model. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The authors are grateful to the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion for supporting this study through project PET2008_0158_02. The translation of this paper was funded by the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia and the Universitat Jaume I.Reig Cerdá, L.; Amigó Borrás, V.; Busquets Mataix, DJ.; Calero, JA.; Ortiz Rosales, JL. (2012). Application of the Zero-Order Reaction Rate Model and Transition State Theory to predict porous Ti6Al4V bending strength. Materials Science and Engineering: C. 32(6):1621-1626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2012.04.052S1621162632

Development of porous Ti6Al4V samples by microsphere sintering

Two differently sized microspheres were sintered at 1300° C and 1400° C from 2 to 8 h in stoneware, alumina, yttria and zirconia moulds. Selecting the appropriate material to be used as a mould remains a critical issue given titanium's high reactivity at elevated temperatures. Optimum mechanical properties were obtained when sintering the smallest microspheres in yttria-coated moulds. Stiffness of the samples was lower than 40% of that of the bulk solid material, which comes closer to that of human cortical bone. Open and interconnected porosity was observed in all the specimens. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The translation of this paper was funded by the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Universitat Jaume I.Reig Cerdá, L.; Amigó Borrás, V.; Busquets Mataix, DJ.; Calero Martinez, JA. (2012). Development of porous Ti6Al4V samples by microsphere sintering. Journal of Materials Processing Technology. 212(1):3-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2011.06.026S37212

Open Celled Porous Titanium

Among the porous metals, those made of titanium attract particular attention due to the interesting properties of this element. This review examines the state of research understanding and technological development of these materials, in terms of processing capability, resultant structure and properties, and the most advanced applications under development. The impact of the rise of additive manufacturing techniques on these materials is discussed, along with the likely future directions required for these materials to find practical applications on a large scale

Fabrication, Morphology Analysis, And Mechanical Properties Of Ti Foams Manufactured Using The Space Holder Method For Bone Substitute Materials

Porous titanium (Ti) offers several key attributes as a biomedical material. Among the known characteristics of Ti relevant to biomedical applications, the mechanical performance and effects of a pore structure on the deformation characteristics under compressive loading were examined. The space holder method was employed to generate Ti foams with target porosities of 60%, 70%, and 80%. A micro-computed to mography analysis and light and scanning electron microscopy were performed to examine the pore morphology and microstructure. The mechanical properties along with the elastic modulus and compressive strength were evaluated via uniaxial compression testing. Ti foam samples with three porosity levels displayed average elastic moduli and compressive strengths comparable with those of human cancellous and cortical bone. All the Ti foam samples had elastic moduli similar to those of cancellous bone with their open porous structures. Although the foam samples with similar to 60% porosity had compressive strength comparable to that of cortical bone, the samples with similar to 80% porosity displayed compressive strength similar to that of cancellous bone. The results indicate that Ti foam scaffolds produced using the space holder method have great potential for applications in hard tissue engineering, as their mechanical properties and pore structures are similar to those of bone.WoSScopu