Experimental study of aural discrimination between speech and non-speech

Imperial Users onl

Effect of the Hydrological Keyline Design on the Growth and Quality of the Naturalized Grassland in the Dry Central Zone of Chile

The effect of climate change in the central, semi-arid zone of Chile has altered precipitation patterns, shortening the growing season of the naturalized annual grasslands and reducing forage yields. Water harvesting techniques such as the hydrological keyline design, may improve the distribution of precipitation, reduce erosion, and enhance soil water harvesting. It may therefore reduce the impact of climate change in rainfed areas. A trial was implemented to evaluate the effect of the keyline water harvesting practice on soil variables, and pasture production and quality in three farms of the semi-arid O\u27Higgins region. Rains began in April and amounted to a total of 399 mm. Pasture species germinated in August, and growth peaked in October. The keyline design influenced soil moisture and temperature, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber of the grasses. Yields varied between months and locations. Overall, keyline management significantly increased compressed forage height and yield by 44 and 25% respectively, relative to the control. Considering that there was an effect of location it is necessary to determine the effects of variables such as soil fertility, slope, and orientation, among others

Feeding and Nutritional Strategies to Reduce Livestock Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Resumen del impacto de la semisione sde metano en el medio ambiente y su modificacion. con base a las dietas. para animale

Evaluation of Feed Strategies and Changes of Stocking Rate to Decrease the Carbon Footprint in a Traditional Cow-Calf System: A Simulation Model

One of the main production challenges associated with climate change is the reduction of carbon emissions. Increasing the efficiency of resource utilization is one way to achieve this purpose. The modification of production systems through improved reproductive, genetic, feed, and grazing management practices has been proposed to increase technical–economic efficiency, even though the “environmental viability” of these modifications has not always been evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of feeding and management strategies on the carbon footprint (CF) and economic variables in the traditional cow–calf system in southern Chile using a simulation model. The modifications evaluated corresponded to combinations of stocking rate, use of creep feeding practices with different supplementation levels, and the incorporation of feed additives to the supplement, using factorial experiments. Additionally, the scenarios were evaluated with and without carbon sequestration. The CF for the baseline scenarios was 12.5 ± 0.3 kg of CO2−eq/kg of live weight (LW) when carbon sequestration was considered and 13.0 ± 0.4 kg of CO2−eq/kg of LW in the opposite case. Changes in stocking rate, supplementation level, and consideration of carbon sequestration in pasture and soil had a significant effect on the CF in all simulated scenarios. The inclusion of additives in the supplement did not have a significant effect on production costs. With regard to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, incorporating canola oil presented the best average results. The model developed made the selection of environmentally viable feed strategies or management adaptations possible

Relationship between Semi-Arid Rangelands Quality Parameters and Vegetation Indexes

A large portion of the sheep production systems in the semi-arid zone of Central Chile base their feeding on the rangelands, adjusting both the production cycle and the use of supplementary feed to the natural supply of fodder. In this way, knowledge of the rangeland quantity and quality at the farm level emerges as an essential input for the decision-making of feed management. The objective of the study was to relate the herbage quality parameters of the semi-arid zone rangeland with Vegetation Indices (VI) and to determine which vegetation index report the best results. Vegetative indexes were obtained from aerial images multispectral captured by a drone. During the 2018 growing season (Oct to Dec), in three farms of the semi-arid zone of Central Chile, three plots of exclusion (per farm) of 100 m2 each were installed and monitored. Samples were taken once a month to determine the contents of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) of rangeland herbage. Regressions were developed between the rangeland herbage quality parameters and the calculated VI. Most of the regressions obtained were significant (p \u3c 0.05). In DM, the index that presented the best R2 (0.84) was Plant Senescence Reflectance Index (PSRI). In CP, the highest value of R2 was only 0.38 for PSRI. For NDF, a maximum value of R2 of 0.56 was obtained using Red Edge Chlorophyll Index (CI red edge). Finally, for ADF, the highest value of R2 was 0.72 obtained in Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and Green Chlorophyll Index (CI green)

Formação Afetiva em Educação Pré-escolar no Chile

El currículum de educación preescolar en Chile propone una educación integral del alumnado, por tanto el currículo de este ciclo educativo contiene diferentes objetivos de aprendizaje afectivo que refieren a las emociones, las actitudes o los intereses del alumnado. Entre los antecedentes teóricos del tema destaca una propuesta basada en la teoría del bienestar subjetivo. Sin embargo, la formación afectiva requiere también ser integrada a la educación moral. Por esa razón la finalidad de este estudio es analizar los objetivos de aprendizaje del ámbito afectivo en el currículo de educación parvularia de Chile en función de la formación moral del alumnado. La metodología responde al enfoque cualitativo, con un diseño de estudio documental, de modo que se analizaron todos los objetivos de aprendizaje del currículo preescolar. Los datos fueron sometidos a un análisis de contenido deductivo-inductivo, con la utilización del programa Atlas.ti versión 7.5. Los resultados indican que existen objetivos de aprendizaje del ámbito afectivo planteados desde una perspectiva abierta y contextualizada que favorecen una comprensión crítica de la afectividad. Así, se plantean aprendizajes coherentes tanto con una educación emocional situada y flexible como con los intereses personales. Desde esta perspectiva se acepta con normalidad el afecto tanto positivo como negativo para el bienestar subjetivo. Pero también existen objetivos que responden a una perspectiva cerrada y estandarizada en la que solo se promueve el afecto positivo para el bienestar subjetivo, desconociendo la función del afecto negativo para el bienestar subjetivo o la posibilidad de percibir afectos diferentes a los que propone el currículum. Finalmente, se concluye que el currículo exige al alumnado preescolar experimentar emociones positivas para el bienestar subjetivo ante ciertos contenidos curriculares, ignorando que en esencia las emociones no se aprenden porque son respuestas ante ciertos aprendizajes de diferentes ámbitos, como el de la formación moral

Formación afectiva en la educación parvularia de Chile

El currículum de educación preescolar en Chile propone una educación integral del alumnado, por tanto el currículo de este ciclo educativo contiene diferentes objetivos de aprendizaje afectivo que refieren a las emociones, las actitudes o los intereses del alumnado. Entre los antecedentes teóricos del tema destaca una propuesta basada en la teoría del bienestar subjetivo. Sin embargo, la formación afectiva requiere también ser integrada a la educación moral. Por esa razón la finalidad de este estudio es analizar los objetivos de aprendizaje del ámbito afectivo en el currículo de educación parvularia de Chile en función de la formación moral del alumnado. La metodología responde al enfoque cualitativo, con un diseño de estudio documental, de modo que se analizaron todos los objetivos de aprendizaje del currículo preescolar. Los datos fueron sometidos a un análisis de contenido deductivo-inductivo, con la utilización del programa Atlas.ti versión 7.5. Los resultados indican que existen objetivos de aprendizaje del ámbito afectivo planteados desde una perspectiva abierta y contextualizada que favorecen una comprensión crítica de la afectividad. Así, se plantean aprendizajes coherentes tanto con una educación emocional situada y flexible como con los intereses personales. Desde esta perspectiva se acepta con normalidad el afecto tanto positivo como negativo para el bienestar subjetivo. Pero también existen objetivos que responden a una perspectiva cerrada y estandarizada en la que solo se promueve el afecto positivo para el bienestar subjetivo, desconociendo la función del afecto negativo para el bienestar subjetivo o la posibilidad de percibir afectos diferentes a los que propone el currículum. Finalmente, se concluye que el currículo exige al alumnado preescolar experimentar emociones positivas para el bienestar subjetivo ante ciertos contenidos curriculares, ignorando que en esencia las emociones no se aprenden porque son respuestas ante ciertos aprendizajes de diferentes ámbitos, como el de la formación moral

Trends and drivers of change of pastoral beef production systems in a mediterranean-temperate climate zone of chile

The present study used surveys of the cattle sector over the period of 2009–2015 to develop a typology of cattle farms to evaluate their evolution over time and to identify variables that may be associated with systems’ adaptive changes and continuance. Four groups of farms were defined using multivariate analyses as follows: Group I are small calf-cow operations using non-specialized beef breeds; Group II is similar to Group I but employs specialized beef breeds; Group III is dedicated to finishing cattle, and Group IV are larger farms (>1000 animals) with a complete cycle of breeding and fattening. In general, beef cattle production in the temperate—Mediterranean Southern Zone of Chile is declining in response to the opening up of the economy that allows for ample imports, the high opportunity cost of land, and recurrent droughts associated with climate change. Current policies and regulations have modified farms’ businesses models depending on their ease of access to markets, farm size and financial capacity. The defined groups require different development paths and strategies. Sustainable intensification is an alternative strategy for farms in Group I and II, particularly if they were to contract the finishing stage of their cattle with Group III farms. In contrast, it is suggested that Group IV farms concentrate on pastoral production using low external inputs to enhance the production of “natural” beef for high-value niche markets, with positive externalities

Characterisation of dairy female calf management practices in southern Chile

The objective of this study was to characterise husbandry and technical-productive practices at the calf rearing stage in dairy farms in Los Lagos Region, southern Chile. A face-to-face survey was applied to 22 dairy farms in Los Lagos Region in 2017. All farms performed artificial calf rearing under either of two systems: total barn confinement (48%) or a mixed system that considers the first stage with confinement and the second stage in open-air paddocks (52%). More than half (52%) of the farms supplied fresh colostrum to the calf from its dam and the rest of the farms used bottle or oesophageal tube. Only 30% of the farms evaluated colostrum quality using colostrometer (densimeter) or refractometer. After the colostrum supply, milk replacers, waste milk, or a mixture of both were used for calf feeding. Most of the farms (66.7%) did not have automated milk-feeding systems and used bottles (88.9%) and buckets (11.1%) instead. On average, calves were handled by 1.5 caretakers (SD: 0.63) of which 63.4% (SD: 40.2) were men. The average age for caretakers was 43.9 years (SD: 12.7), with 23.8% being less than 35 years old. Overall, results from this study can be used to identify key managements that could improve calves’ rearing productive traits