Repercusións técnicas, laborais e sociais da implantación do muxido robotizado nas explotacións leiteiras galegas

Nos últimos anos, a adopción dos sistemas de muxido robotizado (SMR) experimentou un incremento significativo. En Galicia, o primeiro SMR foi instalado a finais do 2004, non obstante, a finais de Decembro do 2009, 46 SMR estaban instalados. As explotacións onde os SMR cubriron totalmente as expectativas foron aquelas con mellores resultados en termos de calidade de vida e tempo libre. Estas explotacións tiñan 1 SMR que era xestionado por gandeiros con experiencia previa en sistemas informatizados de xestión. As variables número de vacas e fluxo de leite tiveron unha maior influencia na produción de leite por SMR que os muxidos por vaca e os rexeites. Os SMR nas explotacións leiteiras galegas poderían ter un incremento de vacas por SMR sen prexudicar o rendemento no muxido; deste xeito, a cantidade de leite obtido por robot anualmente podería incrementarse, o que faría posible recuperar os custes do sistema máis cedo. Por outra banda, a sensibilidade e especificidade medias dos sistemas de detección de mastite dos SMR foron similares as de outras rexións co mesmo sistema de muxido pero máis baixas que as que ofrece o Test de California. A relativa maior prevalencia dos patóxenos atopados indica unha limpeza e desinfección inadecuada das partes do robot que entran en contacto directo coa vaca. Con respecto a isto observamos un incremento significativo na bacterioloxía en tanque durante os primeiros tres meses despois da introdución do SMR, así como uns valores de células somáticas en tanque tamén significativamente maiores durante o primeiro ano despois da instalación. Non obstante, estes valores diminuíron co tempo, e a medida que os gandeiros se afixeron á xestión dos novos equipos, un nivel de calidade do leite aceptable puido ser acadado

Dark Tetrad and workplace deviance: Investigating the moderating role of organizational justice perceptions

This study tested the direct effects of Dark Tetrad traits on organizational and interpersonal counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). We also examined the moderating effects of the three dimensions of organizational justice – distributive justice, procedural justice, and interactional justice – on the Dark Tetrad-CWBs relationships. Based on the data from 613 employees across different occupations, the results revealed that only psychopathy and sadism had significant effects on CWBs targeted at the organization. The results also supported the direct effect of sadism on interpersonal CWBs. The findings confirmed the moderating role of interactional justice but differentially, depending on the dark trait and the target of workplace deviance. Whereas low and medium levels of interactional justice moderated the relationship between Machiavellianism and CWBs directed to the organization, it did not play any role in narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism. Regarding CWBs aimed at other people, interactional justice emerged as a significant moderator in Machiavellianism and sadism. But, whereas sadistic employees performed more harmful behaviors toward other individuals whatever their level of interactional justice, if people high in Machiavellianism (Machs) perceived a high fair interpersonal treatment, they did not show deviant behaviors directed at other employees. The paper concludes with some suggestions and recommendations about the relevance of organizational justice in the influence of dark personality traits on CWBs

Game-related assessments for personnel selection: A systematic review

Industrial development in recent decades has led to using information and communication technologies (ICT) to support personnel selection processes. One of the most notable examples is game-related assessments (GRA), supposedly as accurate as conventional tests but which generate better applicant reactions and reduce the likelihood of adverse impact and faking. However, such claims still lack scientific support. Given practitioners’ increasing use of GRA, this article reviews the scientific literature on gamification applied to personnel selection to determine whether the current state of the art supports their use in professional practice and identify specific aspects on which future research should focus. Following the PRISMA model, a search was carried out in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, identifying 34 valid articles, of which 85.3% are empirical studies that analyze five areas: (1) validity; (2) applicant reactions; (3) design of GRA; (4) personal characteristics and GRA; and (5) adverse impact and faking. Together, these studies show that GRA can be used in personnel selection but that the supposed advantages of GRA over conventional tests are fewer than imagined. The results also suggest several aspects on which research should focus (e.g., construct validity, differences depending on the type of game, prediction of different job performance dimensions), which could help define the situations in which the use of GRA may be recommended

Analysis of a brief biodata scale as a predictor of job performance and its incremental validity over the Big Five and Dark Tetrad personality traits

The collection of biographical information (biodata) through CVs and application forms has many advantages, namely easiness of collection, acceptable validity, less prone to faking, and the fulfilment of legal requirements. However, its systematic use among practitioners is scarce. Two of the mains reasons is the overlap with other constructs like personality and the lack of validated biodata scales in articles and public repositories. Aimed to fill this gap, García-Izquierdo and colleagues developed an 8-item scale able to generate positive applicant reactions, but they did not provide empirical evidence that their scale is able to predict job performance. The present paper was developed for this purpose, investigating the scale’s relationship with four different dimensions of job performance (i.e., task performance, contextual performance, counterproductive behaviors, and adaptive performance) and its incremental validity with respect to Big Five and Dark Tetrad personality traits. The study comprises 528 employees from different organizations (Mage = 39.51, SD = 14.25; 52.8% women, Mexperience = 17.06, SD = 13.27) which voluntarily agreed to participate filling a questionnaire with the variables of interest. Results provide evidence of the predictive validity of the biodata scale in a multi-occupational sample; identify that these biodata contribute to predicting two specific types of job performance: contextual performance and adaptive performance; shows that a brief job-related biodata scale achieves results comparable to those of most personality traits in predictive models of job performance dimensions; and provide evidence of the incremental predictive validity of biodata over the Big Five and the Dark Tetrad. As a whole, these results provide support for the use of the scale in researcher and applied settings, and contributes to the advance the knowledge of biodata for personnel selection

A new and fast index for the quantification of short range self-similarity in RR time series

We propose a new and very fast index (the frequency of sign changes of the mirrored differences or fscmd) with good correlation with the short range scaling exponent ( Ｒ) estimated among scales 4 to 16 of the DFA. fscmd computes the relative number of sign changes of the difference of the RR time series minus their corresponding reversed RR time series after a moving average detrending procedure is applied using a window of 30 samples. Linear regression results with simulated time series with Fractional Brownian Noise and with actual time series using the Fantasia (FT), Normal Sinus Rhythm RR time series (NSR) and Congestive Heart Failure RR interval (CHF) databases after artifact correction show good agreement between fscmd and Ｒ. Finally, Mann-Whitney Rank Sum tests applied to Ｒ and fscmd when comparing NSR and CHF databases show very significant differences (p<0.001) between groups for both indices.Postprint (published version

Estimation of the uncertainty in time domain indices of RR time series

A method for estimating the uncertainty in time-domain indices of RR time series is described. The method relies on the central limit theorem that states that the distribution of a sample average of independent samples has an uncertainty that asymptotically approaches to the sample standard deviation divided by the square root of the number of samples. Because RR time series cannot be characterized by a set of independent samples, we propose to estimate the uncertainty of indices by computing them in blocks that satisfy that the obtained partial indices are independent. We propose a methodology to search sets of independent partial indices and apply this methodology to the estimation of the uncertainty in the mean RR, SDRR, and r-msDD indices. The results show that the uncertainty can be higher than the 10% of the index for the SDRR and even higher for the r-msDD. Moreover, a statistical test for the difference of two indices is proposed.Peer Reviewe

Motives to Have Sex: Measurement and Correlates With Sociodemographic, Sexual Life, and Psychosexual Characteristics

Knowledge of diverse sexual motivations can have profound implications for our comprehension of the causes, correlations, and consequences of sexual behavior. This study had two objectives: on the one hand, to determine the different motives why young Spanish university students have sex and their relationship with different sociodemographic and psychosexual variables and sexual behavior; on the other hand, to review and improve the psychometric properties of the Sexual Motivations Scale and validate it in Spanish. Participants were 805 university students of both sexes (78% women, 74% heterosexuals), aged between 18 and 26 years (Mage = 20.88), who completed a battery of online questionnaires. Significant associations were found between young people's sexual motives, especially the motives of coping, peer pressure, and enhancement, the sociodemographic variables (sex, age sexual orientation, relational status), sexual behavior (age of initiation), and psychosexual variables (sociosexuality, self-esteem as a sexual partner, satisfaction with sex life). Also, a new structure of the Sexual Motivations Scale was proposed, with the elimination of the factor of Self-Affirmation. The discussion highlights the relevance of the results obtained due to their implications in the promotion of sexual health, in addition to achieving the first instrument validated in Spanish for the evaluation of sexual motivations

Long-term variability of bulk milk somatic cell and bacterial counts associated with dairy farms moving from conventional to automatic milking systems

When a farm that was using a conventional milking system introduces an automatic milking system (AMS) possible risk factors can affect milk quality. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of milking with automatic milking systems on milk quality variables over a long time-period post-installation. Bulk milk total bacterial count (BMTBC) and somatic cell count (BMSCC) were analysed and compared from 2 years before introduction of automatic milking until 4 years after. Differences regarding these quality parameters were contrasted using t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc comparisons were performed. A significant increase in BMTBC was observed during the first three months after introduction of AMS, counts then declined to equivalent levels pre-AMS installation, from 25,000 to 50,000 cfu mL−1. Although differences were significant for the first two years post-installation, they became non-significant during the following two years. The difference in BMSCC was not statistically significant between pre and post-AMS installation time periods, but by grouping data into annual periods, significantly higher values of BMSCC were found during the first year after introduction. Nevertheless, these values decreased over time and even showed a significant improvement in the third year with respect to pre-introduction. The data show that the installation of AMS had a marked impact on milk quality. However, as soon as farmers become accustomed to managing the new equipment and the adaption of cows is real, a level of milk quality which can be maintained over time is achievable.S

Profiling Dating Apps Users: Sociodemographic and Personality Characteristics

The development of new technologies, the expansion of the Internet, and the emergence of dating apps (e.g., Tinder, Grindr) in recent years have changed the way to meet and approach potential romantic and/or sexual partners. The recent phenomenon has led to some gaps in the literature on individual differences (sociodemographic variables and personality traits) between users (previous and current users) and non-users of dating apps. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between using dating apps, sociodemographics (gender, age, sexual orientation, and relationship status), and bright and dark personality traits. Participants were 1705 university students (70% women, 30% men), aged between 18 and 26 (M = 20.60, SD = 2.09), who completed several online questionnaires. Through multinomial logistic regression analyses, it was found that men, older youth, and members of sexual minorities were more likely to be current and previous dating apps users. Being single and higher scores in open-mindedness were associated with higher probability to be current dating apps user. The dark personality showed no predictive ability. The discussion highlights the usefulness of knowing and considering the sociodemographic background and the characteristics of personality patterns in the design and implementation of preventive and promotion programs of healthy romantic and sexual relationships to improve people’s better health and well-being

Mastitis diagnosis in ten Galician dairy herds (NW Spain) with automatic milking systems

Over the last few years, the adoption of automatic milking systems (AMS) has experienced significant increase. However, hardly any studies have been conducted to investigate the distribution of mastitis pathogens in dairy herds with AMS. Because quick mastitis detection in AMS is very important, the primary objective of this study was to determine operational reliability and sensibility of mastitis detection systems from AMS. Additionally, the frequency of pathogen-specific was determined. For this purpose, 228 cows from ten farms in Galicia (NW Spain) using this system were investigated. The California Mastitis Test (CMT) was considered the gold-standard test for mastitis diagnosis and milk samples were analysed from CMT-positive cows for the bacterial examination. Mean farm prevalence of clinical mastitis was 9% and of 912 milk quarters examined, 23% were positive to the AMS mastitis detection system and 35% were positive to the CMT. The majority of CMT-positive samples had a score of 1 or 2 on a 1 (lowest mastitis severity) to 4 (highest mastitis severity) scale. The average sensitivity and specificity of the AMS mastitis detection system were 58.2% and 94.0% respectively being similar to other previous studies, what could suggest limitations for getting higher values of reliability and sensibility in the current AMSs. The most frequently isolated pathogens were Streptococcus dysgalactiae (8.8%), followed by Streptococcus uberis (8.3%) and Staphylococcus aureus (3.3%). The relatively high prevalence of these pathogens indicates suboptimal cleaning and disinfection of teat dipping cups, brushes and milk liners in dairy farms with AMS in the present studyThe authors are grateful for the financial support granted by the Autonomous Government of Galicia through the Directorate General for Research & Development (PGIDT/PGIDIT Project, Ref: 07MRU013291PR)S