The relationship between greasy fleece weight and clean fleece weight and its application

For seven flocks examined there was a high correlation between greasy and clean fleece weights. At low culling levels, selection of sheep on greasy fleece weight is sufficient, but at higher selection intensities, scouring fleece samples to estimate clean weight is justified. A judicious combination of culling for low greasy fleece weight and selection for high clean fleece weight can be expected to give most of the potential gain in clean fleece weight, with a considerable saving of time and labour

Longitudinal effects of environmental enrichment on behaviour and physiology of pigs reared on an intensive-stock farm

The aim of this paper was to provide a longitudinal evaluation of the effects of physical enrichments on the behaviour and physiology of intensive stock-farming pigs. Twenty-eight crossbred pigs of both sexes, were exposed to four types of enrichments (hemp ropes, steel chains, plastic balls, rubber hoses) over a period of eleven weeks. This investigation was based on specific abnormal behaviours and physiological indicators, including hematologic parameters. For behavioural score, focal sampling was used with recording of abnormal behaviours (body-, tail- and ear-biting), belly nosing, running, and interaction with objects (for Enriched pigs). The presence of skin injuries was also recorded. In general, the frequency of abnormal behaviours was significantly reduced in the Enriched group. A timerelated profile appeared in the use of the enrichments. Males showed higher occurrence of skin injuries than females. Physiological measurements, such as levels of complement system, white blood cells and neutrophils, were lower in pigs from the Enriched group. Enriched pigs, as a whole, presented much lower levels of serum DHEA-S concentration over two weeks. The findings of this study show the successful provision of appropriate enrichments to encourage behaviours which may result in satisfactory animal oral interaction with the enriching objects, preventing them biting pen-mates. In this respect, the objects proposed were strongly effective in producing changes in behaviour which could mitigate inadequate conditions, such as the relationship between animal body weight and the available space allowance

Pension reform, the stock market, capital formation and economic growth: a critical commentary on the World Bank's proposals

Abstract Proposing far-reaching reforms to the pension systems, the World Bank has recently suggested that the existing pay-as-you-go pension systems in many rich as well as poor countries, should be replaced by fully funded, mandatory, preferably private pensions, as the main pillars of the new system. It argues that these reforms will not only benefit the pensioners, but also enhance savings, promote capital formation and economic development. This paper provides a critical examination of the Bank's theses and concludes that it has adopted a one-sided view of the relationships between the key critical variables. The proposed reform may therefore neither protect the old nor achieve faster economic growth

Measurement of the correlation between flow harmonics of different order in lead-lead collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Correlations between the elliptic or triangular flow coefficients vm (m=2 or 3) and other flow harmonics vn (n=2 to 5) are measured using √sNN=2.76 TeV Pb+Pb collision data collected in 2010 by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7 μb−1. The vm−vn correlations are measured in midrapidity as a function of centrality, and, for events within the same centrality interval, as a function of event ellipticity or triangularity defined in a forward rapidity region. For events within the same centrality interval, v3 is found to be anticorrelated with v2 and this anticorrelation is consistent with similar anticorrelations between the corresponding eccentricities, ε2 and ε3. However, it is observed that v4 increases strongly with v2, and v5 increases strongly with both v2 and v3. The trend and strength of the vm−vn correlations for n=4 and 5 are found to disagree with εm−εn correlations predicted by initial-geometry models. Instead, these correlations are found to be consistent with the combined effects of a linear contribution to vn and a nonlinear term that is a function of v22 or of v2v3, as predicted by hydrodynamic models. A simple two-component fit is used to separate these two contributions. The extracted linear and nonlinear contributions to v4 and v5 are found to be consistent with previously measured event-plane correlations

A note on the voluntary food consumption and the sodium-potassium ratio of sheep after shearing

The daily voluntary food consumption (VFC), water intake and urinary excretion of water, sodium and potassium of eight sheep were studied before and after shearing. The extracellular volume of each sheep was measured twice before and three times after shearing. VFC was significantly higher for the first 3 weeks after shearing than for the 3 weeks immediately before shearing. There was a decreased excretion of Na in the urine and a smaller Na/K ratio for the first 2 weeks after shearing, although the extracellular volume was not significantly increased until 4 weeks after shearing. Within, but not between, the 3-week periods before and after shearing, there was a close linear relationship between VFC and water intake, the latter being significantly less for the same VFC after shearing. During weeks 4 and 5 after shearing, there was an increased loss of Na in the urine and a higher Na/K ratio, and the linear relationship between VFC and water intake was intermediate between that shown before and after shearing. The VFC of the sheep before shearing and in week 5 after shearing were similar

The behaviour of group penned and individually caged laboratory rabbits

The behaviour of groups of rabbits housed in pens and individually caged rabbits was recorded and analysed. New Zealand Whites, Lop Crosses, and Dutch breeds, both female and castrated males, were observed. Locomotory behaviour accounted for 19% of penned rabbit behaviours and 23.2% of caged rabbit behaviours. Maintenance behaviours were more commonly observed in caged rabbits (44.5% of observed behaviours) than in penned rabbits (25.3%). The reverse was true for comfort behaviours (23% and 40.6%, respectively). Marking and investigatory behaviours were observed more often in penned rabbits (12.6%) than in caged rabbits (3%). Agonistic behaviours occurred only in penned rabbits (2.5% of observed behaviours) while stereotypic behaviours were only observed in caged rabbits (6.3%). Caged rabbits were commonly engaged in locomotory behaviour early and late in the day (09:00-10:00 h and 15:00-17:00 h). Resting (maintenance behaviour) and grooming (comfort behaviour) were observed more often in the middle of the day (10:00-12:00 h). Significantly (

The behaviour of laboratory colony cats and their reactions to a familiar and unfamiliar person

The behaviour of a colony of eight laboratory cats and their reactions to a familiar and unfamiliar person were recorded and analysed. Seven of the cats were Domestic Shorthairs and one was a Persian. All were male and only one was intact. Maintenance behaviours (resting, sitting, drinking, eating, defaecating and urinating) were the most commonly observed behaviours (36% of observations). Comfort (grooming, scratching, sneezing, coughing, head shaking, stretching and yawning) and locomotory behaviours (walking, running, jumping from floor to shelf and shelf to floor) were also commonly observed (30% and 24.5%, respectively). Agonistic behaviours were rarely observed (1%). Other behaviours recorded included marking and investigatory (clawing, scratching post, rubbing cage, anal sniff, body sniff, wall/floor licking; 4%), play (2%) and vocalisation behaviours (2%). Walking, jumping, eating, drinking, scratching, rubbing, defaecating and urinating were observed most often between 08:00 h and 09:00 h. Running, walking, resting and sitting occurred most often on the shelves in the cage. The cats made more direct contacts with the unfamiliar person than with the familiar person. Significantly (

The effects of repeated handling by familiar and unfamiliar people on rabbits in individual cages and group pens

Rabbits (New Zealand Whites, their crosses, Lop crosses, and Dutch breeds) of post-weaning ages, from two different housing systems, were observed when repeatedly approached and handled by a familiar person (worker in the animal house) or an unfamiliar person (someone unfamiliar with rabbits). Four rabbits (each in separate multi-rabbit pens) and 10 individually caged rabbits were used. No attempt was made to compare the behaviour of the rabbits in the two systems. The rabbits in both housing systems showed a reduction in fearfulness towards the handlers over the experimental period (5 days per handler). Repetition of the handling trial (three times a day) again showed definite reductions in fearfulness of the rabbits in both pens and cages. This suggests that they adapt quickly to a positive interaction with humans. The implementation of handling and approach programmes by research workers could help reduce the fear reactions in experimental animals and strengthen the human-animal bond