The joint role of locus of control and perceived financial need in job search

Guided by economic rational choice theory and the behavioral coping literature, the present study examined contrasting perspectives of the role of job-search locus of control (J

Hoof lesions in partly housed pasture-based dairy cows

Lameness is a symptom of a painful disorder affecting the limbs, which impacts dairy cow welfare and productivity. Lameness is primarily caused by hoof lesions. The prevalence of different lesion types can differ depending on environmental conditions and farm management practices. The aims of this observational study were to establish the cow-level and herd-level lesion prevalence during both housing and grazing periods in a partly housed, pasture-based system, establish the prevalence of lesions always associated with pain (“alarm” lesion), identify the lesions associated with a higher lameness score, determine relationships between lesions, and identify risk factors for digital dermatitis. On 98 farms during the grazing period and on 74 of the same farms during the housing period, every cow was lameness scored (0–3 lameness scoring scale), and the hind hooves of lame cows (score 2 and 3) were examined (maximum 20 cows per visit) and the prevalence of each lesion type recorded. To gather data on potential predictors for the risk factor analysis, a questionnaire with the farmer was conducted on lameness management practices and infrastructure measurements were taken at each visit. Cow-level data were also collected (e.g., parity, breed, milk yield, and so on). Noninfectious lesions were found to be more prevalent than infectious lesions in this system type. The most prevalent lesion types during both grazing and housing periods were white line separation, sole hemorrhages and overgrown claws; all remaining lesions had a cow-level prevalence of less than 15%. The cow-level prevalence of alarm lesions was 19% during the grazing period and 25% during the housing period; the most prevalent alarm lesion was sole ulcers during both periods. We found significantly more foreign bodies within the hoof sole (grazing = 14%, housing = 7%) and overgrown claws (grazing = 71%, housing = 55%) during the grazing period compared with the housing period. Cows with foul of the foot, sole ulcer, white line abscess, toe necrosis or an amputated claw had higher odds of being more severely lame, compared with mildly lame. The strongest correlation between lesions were between toe necrosis and digital dermatitis (r = 0.40), overgrown claws and corkscrew claws (r = 0.33), and interdigital hyperplasia and digital dermatitis (r = 0.31) at herd level. At the cow level, the strongest correlation was between overgrown claws and corkscrew claws (r = 0.27), and digital dermatitis and heel erosion (r = 0.22). The farmers' perception of the presence of digital dermatitis (and lameness) was significantly correlated with the actual presence of digital dermatitis recorded. Additional risk factors for the presence of digital dermatitis were cow track and verge width near the collecting yard, and stone presence on the cow tracks. Results from this study help further our understanding of the causes of lameness in partly housed, pasture-based dairy cows, and can be used to guide prevention and treatment protocols

Cow- and herd-level risk factors for lameness in partly housed pasture-based dairy cows

Lameness in dairy cows is a major animal welfare concern and has substantial economic impact through reduced production and fertility. Previous risk factor analyses have focused on housed systems, rather than those where cows were grazed for the majority of the year and housed only for the winter period. Therefore, the aim of this observational study was to identify a robust set of cow-level and herd-level risk factors for lameness in a pasture-based system, based on predictors from the housing and grazing periods. Ninety-nine farms were visited during the grazing period (April 2019–September 2019), and 85 farms were revisited during the housing period (October 2019–February 2020). At each visit, all lactating cows were scored for lameness (0 = good mobility, 1 = imperfect mobility, 2 = impaired mobility, 3 = severely impaired mobility), and potential herd-level risk factors were recorded through questionnaires and infrastructure measurements. Routine cow-level management data were also collected. Important risk factors for lameness were derived though triangulation of results from elastic net regression, and from logistic regression model selection using modified Bayesian information criterion. Both selection methods were implemented using bootstrapping. This novel approach has not previously been used in a cow-level or herd-level risk factor analysis in dairy cows, to the authors' knowledge. The binary outcome variable was lameness status, whereby cows with a lameness score of 0 or 1 were classed as non-lame and cows with a score of 2 or 3 were classed as lame. Cow-level risk factors for increased lameness prevalence were age and genetic predicted transmitting ability for lameness. Herd-level risk factors included farm and herd size, stones in paddock gateways, slats on cow tracks near the collecting yard, a sharper turn at the parlor exit, presence of digital dermatitis on the farm, and the farmers' perception of whether lameness was a problem on the farm. This large-scale study identified the most important associations between risk factors and lameness, based on the entire year (grazing and housing periods), providing a focus for future randomized clinical trials

Hoof lesions in partly housed pasture-based dairy cows

peer-reviewedLameness is a symptom of a painful disorder affecting the limbs, which impacts dairy cow welfare and productivity. Lameness is primarily caused by hoof lesions. The prevalence of different lesion types can differ depending on environmental conditions and farm management practices. The aims of this observational study were to establish the cow-level and herd-level lesion prevalence during both housing and grazing periods in a partly housed, pasture-based system, establish the prevalence of lesions always associated with pain (“alarm” lesion), identify the lesions associated with a higher lameness score, determine relationships between lesions, and identify risk factors for digital dermatitis. On 98 farms during the grazing period and on 74 of the same farms during the housing period, every cow was lameness scored (0–3 lameness scoring scale), and the hind hooves of lame cows (score 2 and 3) were examined (maximum 20 cows per visit) and the prevalence of each lesion type recorded. To gather data on potential predictors for the risk factor analysis, a questionnaire with the farmer was conducted on lameness management practices and infrastructure measurements were taken at each visit. Cow-level data were also collected (e.g., parity, breed, milk yield, and so on). Noninfectious lesions were found to be more prevalent than infectious lesions in this system type. The most prevalent lesion types during both grazing and housing periods were white line separation, sole hemorrhages and overgrown claws; all remaining lesions had a cow-level prevalence of less than 15%. The cow-level prevalence of alarm lesions was 19% during the grazing period and 25% during the housing period; the most prevalent alarm lesion was sole ulcers during both periods. We found significantly more foreign bodies within the hoof sole (grazing = 14%, housing = 7%) and overgrown claws (grazing = 71%, housing = 55%) during the grazing period compared with the housing period. Cows with foul of the foot, sole ulcer, white line abscess, toe necrosis or an amputated claw had higher odds of being more severely lame, compared with mildly lame. The strongest correlation between lesions were between toe necrosis and digital dermatitis (r = 0.40), overgrown claws and corkscrew claws (r = 0.33), and interdigital hyperplasia and digital dermatitis (r = 0.31) at herd level. At the cow level, the strongest correlation was between overgrown claws and corkscrew claws (r = 0.27), and digital dermatitis and heel erosion (r = 0.22). The farmers' perception of the presence of digital dermatitis (and lameness) was significantly correlated with the actual presence of digital dermatitis recorded. Additional risk factors for the presence of digital dermatitis were cow track and verge width near the collecting yard, and stone presence on the cow tracks. Results from this study help further our understanding of the causes of lameness in partly housed, pasture-based dairy cows, and can be used to guide prevention and treatment protocols

Cow- and herd-level risk factors for lameness in partly housed pasture-based dairy cows

peer-reviewedLameness in dairy cows is a major animal welfare concern and has substantial economic impact through reduced production and fertility. Previous risk factor analyses have focused on housed systems, rather than those where cows were grazed for the majority of the year and housed only for the winter period. Therefore, the aim of this observational study was to identify a robust set of cow-level and herd-level risk factors for lameness in a pasture-based system, based on predictors from the housing and grazing periods. Ninety-nine farms were visited during the grazing period (April 2019–September 2019), and 85 farms were revisited during the housing period (October 2019–February 2020). At each visit, all lactating cows were scored for lameness (0 = good mobility, 1 = imperfect mobility, 2 = impaired mobility, 3 = severely impaired mobility), and potential herd-level risk factors were recorded through questionnaires and infrastructure measurements. Routine cow-level management data were also collected. Important risk factors for lameness were derived though triangulation of results from elastic net regression, and from logistic regression model selection using modified Bayesian information criterion. Both selection methods were implemented using bootstrapping. This novel approach has not previously been used in a cow-level or herd-level risk factor analysis in dairy cows, to the authors' knowledge. The binary outcome variable was lameness status, whereby cows with a lameness score of 0 or 1 were classed as non-lame and cows with a score of 2 or 3 were classed as lame. Cow-level risk factors for increased lameness prevalence were age and genetic predicted transmitting ability for lameness. Herd-level risk factors included farm and herd size, stones in paddock gateways, slats on cow tracks near the collecting yard, a sharper turn at the parlor exit, presence of digital dermatitis on the farm, and the farmers' perception of whether lameness was a problem on the farm. This large-scale study identified the most important associations between risk factors and lameness, based on the entire year (grazing and housing periods), providing a focus for future randomized clinical trials

Relationships Between Leadership and Followers’ Quitting Intentions and Job Search Behaviors

A model was developed and tested in which quality of leader—member exchange mediated the relationship between followers’ perceptions of transformational leadership behavior and their (a) intentions to quit the organization and (b) job search behaviors. The key contribution of this study was that the exchange relationship between leader and follower explained the majority of the relationship between transformational leadership and job search behaviors. A transformational leader may take individual followers’ motivations into consideration and so attempt to stimulate personal development, but the exchange between the two explains the action of seeking another employment situation. Limitations and implications are discussed

Desempenho de idosos em uma tarefa motora de demanda dupla de controle Aging motor performance in a dual task control

A literatura sobre o processo de envelhecimento tem sistematicamente demonstrado a diferença de desempenho entre populações jovens e idosas. Em geral, os delineamentos de pesquisa envolvem indivíduos de 60 e até mesmo de 90 anos de idade, enquanto o grupo de jovens é representado por indivíduos em torno de 20 anos de idade. Esse procedimento pode ocultar mudanças de desenvolvimento que talvez influencie a interpretação dos resultados. Assim, o objetivo desse estudo foi examinar o efeito da idade cronológica no desempenho de uma habilidade motora. Foi utilizado um aparelho que possibilitou a execução de uma tarefa de posicionamento linear combinada ao controle de força. Os participantes receberam conhecimento de resultados verbal após a execução de 10 tentativas sobre o objetivo de atingir 20% da força máxima e o deslocamento de 35 cm. O desempenho foi medido pelo erro absoluto. A amostra contou com 150 participantes de 60 a 86 anos de idade, que realizaram as tentativas com a mão não-dominante e vendados. Os participantes foram divididos em três grupos etários (60, 70, 80 anos) e o desempenho também foi comparado a um grupo jovem (21 a 30 anos de idade). Houve correlação baixa, mas significante entre idade e controle de distância. Não houve diferença significante entre os grupos (exceto G20 e G80). Apesar da observação empírica dos instrutores sobre a diferença no desempenho motor de idosos de diferentes faixas etárias, o presente estudo não mostrou tais diferenças no desempenho dessa tarefa em particular. Talvez, considerando que os participantes eram fisicamente ativos, possíveis diferenças de desempenho relativas ao processo de envelhecimento, possam ter sido sobrepostas pelo estilo de vida ativo.<br>Motor behavior literature about aging process has systematically shown differences in performance between young and old populations. Experimental designs involve groups of old, ranging from 60 to even over 90 years old, while groups of young people are usually represented by participants in their early 20's. Such procedure could hide developmental changes with the advance of age and, consequently, could lead to results misinterpretation. Therefore the main purpose of this study was to verify whether there is an age effect on the performance in a motor task. It was used an apparatus enabling a linear positioning combined with a manual force control task. Participants performed the motor task receiving verbal knowledge of result in ten trials about the immediately finished trial that provided information about accomplishing the goal of 20% of the maximum force and 35cm of displacement. Performance was measured by absolute errors. The sample comprised 150 participants raging from 60 to 86 years old, which performed the task blinded folded and with non-dominant hand. Participants were divided in three age groups (60, 70, 80 years), and performance was also compared with a young group (21 to 30 years old). Correlation analyses show a significant but low age effect in distance control, and there was no difference in performance among older groups (except G20 and G80). Despite instructor's empirical observation about differences in motor performance with aging, apart from fitness, surprisingly, the present study did not show such age effect on the performance of this particular motor task. Perhaps, considering that these participants were physically active, possible differences in motor performance due to development were overcome by their lifestyle