Dairy calves' personality traits predict social proximity and response to an emotional challenge

Abstract The assessment of individual traits requires that tests are reliable (i.e. consistency over time) and externally valid, meaning that they predict future responses in similar contexts (i.e. convergent validity) but do not predict responses to unrelated situations (i.e. discriminant validity). The aim of this study was to determine if dairy calf personality traits (Fearfulness, Sociability and Pessimism), derived from behaviours expressed in standardized tests, predict individuals’ responses in related situations. The first experiment tested if the trait ‘Sociability’ was related to the expression of social behaviour in the home-pen, with calves assigned individual proximity scores (based on proximity to other calves) while they were in their home-pen at approximately 113 and 118 d of age. The second experiment aimed at exploring whether traits ‘Fearfulness’ and ‘Pessimism’ were related to the calves’ emotional response to transportation. All calves were subjected to two 10-min transportation challenges done on two consecutive days. Emotional response was assessed using the maximum eye temperature (measured using infrared thermography) and the number of vocalizations emitted. Social proximity scores (Experiment 1), vocalizations emitted and maximum eye temperature after loading (Experiment 2) were consistent over time. In addition, the results showed good convergent validity with calves scoring higher in Sociability also having higher proximity scores in the home-pen, and animals scoring higher in Fearfulness and Pessimism showing a more intense emotional response to transportation. The results also showed good discriminant validity, as neither Fearfulness nor Pessimism were associated with the expression of social behaviours (Experiment 1) and Sociability was not associated with the animal’s emotional response to transportation (Experiment 2). We conclude that the methodology used to measure personality traits shows good reliability and external validity

Effects of degree and timing of social housing on reversal learning and response to novel objects in dairy calves

Rodents and primates deprived of early social contact exhibit deficits in learning and behavioural flexibility. They often also exhibit apparent signs of elevated anxiety, although the relationship between these effects has not been studied. To investigate whether dairy calves are similarly affected, we first compared calves housed in standard individual pens (n = 7) to those housed in a dynamic group with access to their mothers (n = 8). All calves learned to approach the correct stimulus in a visual discrimination task. Only one individually housed calf was able to re-learn the task when the stimuli were reversed, compared to all but one calf from the group. A second experiment investigated whether this effect might be explained by anxiety in individually housed animals interfering with their learning, and tested varying degrees of social contact in addition to the complex group: pair housing beginning early (approximately 6 days old) and late (6 weeks old). Again, fewer individually reared calves learned the reversal task (2 of 10 or 20%) compared to early paired and grouped calves (16 of 21 or 76% of calves). Late paired calves had intermediate success. Individually housed calves were slower to touch novel objects, but the magnitude of the fear response did not correlate with reversal performance. We conclude that individually housed calves have learning deficits, but these deficits were not likely associated with increased anxiety

Prevention in health care : Thematic report of the Public Health Status and Forecast Report 2014

Preventie is vooral succesvol als de maatregel gestructureerd wordt aangeboden, zoals dat nu gebeurt bij de bevolkingsonderzoeken (naar borstkanker bijvoorbeeld) en het Rijksvaccinatieprogramma. Bij een dergelijk programmatisch aanbod zijn de behandelingen voor zover bekend effectief, de kosten en baten in balans, en wordt een groot deel van de doelgroep bereikt. Een groot deel van preventie in de zorg wordt echter niet programmatisch aangeboden. Dat aanbod is sterk versnipperd: een klein en selectief deel van de doelgroep wordt bereikt en de effectiviteit is vaak nog niet aangetoond. Aangenomen wordt dat de effecten van preventie in de zorg sterk verbeteren bij een programmatisch aanbod. Wel moet dan eerst goed worden onderzocht of de interventie op deze manier echt werkt. Het is daarbij raadzaam om niet alleen het gezondheidseffect van de maatregel te onderzoeken, maar ook de maatschappelijke effecten zoals vermindering van school- of werkverzuim. Dit blijkt uit onderzoek van het RIVM naar preventie in de zorg. Dit themarapport is een onderdeel van de Volksgezondheid Toekomst Verkenning (VTV), waarin het RIVM elke vier jaar over ontwikkelingen van de volksgezondheid rapporteert. Het rapport bestaat uit zes verdiepende studies, waaronder rookpreventie in de zorg rond de zwangerschap, vroege opsporing van psychosociale problematiek in de jeugdgezondheidszorg, en het bevolkingsonderzoek naar baarmoederhalskanker. Op basis hiervan is een integrale analyse uitgevoerd naar effecten, kosten en succesfactoren van preventie in de zorg. Factoren die een programmatische uitvoering van preventie in de zorg succesvol maken zijn onder andere: een structurele vergoeding voor degene die de maatregel aanbiedt (bijvoorbeeld de huisarts) en een kosteloze deelname, zoals bij de griepprik. Ook is een goede infrastructuur van belang, die aansluit bij de dagelijkse routine in de praktijk. Verder is het raadzaam de maatregel vanuit de eerste lijn aan te bieden, met de huisarts als spil. Daarnaast is specifieke aandacht nodig voor moeilijk bereikbare risicogroepen. Deze factoren bevorderen dat meer mensen uit de doelgroep aan de maatregel deelnemen.Prevention is particularly successful if the intervention is offered programmatically, like screening and vaccination programmes. Such programmes have shown to be effective, have favourable cost-effectiveness ratios, and reach large parts of the target groups. However, in health care, prevention is frequently not part of a programmatic approach. Interventions are offered rather fragmented, reaching only small and selected parts of the target groups, and the effectiveness has often not yet been demonstrated. It is assumed that a programmatic approach will enhance the effects of prevention in health care. However, effect evaluation should be conducted before programmatically implementing prevention in health care. RIVM advises not only to focus on health effects in such evaluations, but also to include societal effects like reducing school or work absenteeism. These are the main conclusions of a study performed by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) about prevention in health care. This report is part of the Public Health Status and Forecast Report (PHSF: in Dutch VTV), which gives an overview of population health in the Netherlands. The report consists of six in depth studies, including smoking prevention in prenatal care, early detection of psychosocial problems in youth, and population screening for cervical cancer. Based on the in depth studies, a comprehensive analysis of the effects, costs and success factors of prevention in health care was performed. Factors that promote a successful implementation of prevention in health care include: financial compensation for the professional that offers the intervention, and free participation for those who receive the intervention. Furthermore, an adequate infrastructure that fits within daily practice is important. Finally, specific attention for risk groups that are difficult to reach is needed

The development of feather pecking behaviour and targeting of pecking in chicks from a high and low feather pecking line of laying hens

Large individual differences between adult laying hens in their propensity for feather pecking are known to exist. However, not much research has been carried out into the individual differences concerning the development of feather pecking behaviour. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether contrasting levels of feather pecking, observed among adult birds from two lines of laying hens, already occur at an early age. Furthermore, an important question to be discussed was whether different behavioural systems may be related to the occurrence of feather pecking. Therefore, this study consisted of studying and comparing the behaviour of White Leghorn laying hens from a high (HFP) and low feather pecking line (LFP) during the first 8 weeks of life. Chicks were reared in litter-floor pens and were kept in groups of five animals per line (12 groups per line).HFP chicks showed significantly higher levels of gentle feather pecking (gentle FP) than LFP chicks at the age of 14 and 28 days. Furthermore, HFP chicks spent significantly more time preening than LFP chicks on days 14, 28 and 41. Duration of foraging behaviour and feeding behaviour was significantly higher in the LFP line compared to the HFP line on days 41 and 56 and days 28, 41 and 56, respectively. HFP chicks showed a significant negative correlation between gentle FP and preening on days 3 (r=-0.49) and 41 (r=-0.86). In the LFP line duration of feeding correlated negatively with gentle FP on day 3 (r=-0.63). A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that in the HFP line, gentle FP and preening exhibited high and opposite loadings on the same component at all ages, whereas feeding consistently loaded on the other component. This outcome contrasted with that of the LFP line. In this line feeding predominantly loaded on the same principal component as gentle FP, with loadings opposite to those of gentle FP, whereas preening showed the same loadings as gentle FP, on days 3 and 41.In conclusion, differences in feather pecking behaviour between HFP and LFP chicks can already be observed at a very early age during development. Furthermore, our results indicate that HFP and LFP chicks differ in the way pecking behaviour is targeted. This difference could be related to the existence of a difference in underlying motivational system controlling the development of feather pecking between the two lines

Welfare assessment: correlations and integration between a Qualitative Behavioural Assessment and a clinical/health protocol applied in veal calves farms

This study is aimed at finding correlations and possible integration among Qualitative Behavioural Assessment (QBA) and a specific protocol of clinical/health evaluation. Both welfare assessment methods were based on direct animal observation and were applied in 24 Italian veal calves farms at 3 weeks (wks) of rearing. Principal component analysis (PCA) summarized 20 QBA descriptors on two main components (PC1 and PC2) with eigenvalues above 4 and explaining 29.6 and 20.3% of the variation respectively. PCA on residuals obtained after correcting for housing condition yielded highly similar results, indicating that the rearing environment of the calves was not an important determinant of the observer reliability of QBA. A relationship was found between QBA PC2 and the presence of signs of cross-sucking recorded during the clinical visit (presence PC2=1.11 vs. absence PC2=-1.55, P<0.001). There were no other relations between the quantitative clinical measures and QBA PC&rsquo;s. The frequency of farmer, veterinarian, or industry technician visits to the veal unit significantly affected QBA PC1 and PC2 scores. These results suggest that the 2 methods provide complementary types of information and can each make valid a contribution to an integrated animal welfare monitoring scheme

Diabetes tot 2025. Preventie en zorg in samenhang

Dit rapport bevat een erratum op pagina 2Diabetes vormt een belangrijk maatschappelijk probleem, dat steeds groter wordt. Vooral het aantal mensen met diabetes type 2 neemt sterk toe, en niet alleen in Nederland. Deze toename is zorgelijk en reden voor aandacht vanuit het beleid. In de preventienota 'Kiezen voor gezond leven' uit 2006 formuleerde het ministerie van VWS een langetermijnvisie op de preventie van diabetes, voor de periode 2005 tot 2025. Daarbij werden forse ambities geformuleerd ten aanzien van de beperking van de groei van het aantal mensen met diabetes tussen 2005 en 2025, en het percentage diabetespatienten zonder complicaties in 2025. Om de omstandigheden en randvoorwaarden te creeren die vereist zijn voor het realiseren van de ambities en het vormgeven van de programmatische aanpak van diabetes is begin 2007 in het kabinet besloten om een Actieprogramma Diabetes te laten ontwikkelen. De Nederlandse Diabetes Federatie is gevraagd om dit Nationaal Actieprogramma Diabetes (NAD) vorm te geven en te coordineren. Het ontwerp van dit programma is in februari 2009 aan de minister aangeboden. Aan het RIVM is gevraagd om een rol te spelen in de voorbereiding, voortgang en toetsing van het NAD. Daartoe heeft het RIVM de bestaande kennis op het terrein van preventie en zorg in brede zin geanalyseerd en geintegreerd, en werden toekomstige ontwikkelingen verkend. Een deel van de resultaten zijn eerder in enkele deelrapporten van het RIVM gepubliceerd. In dit rapport is de informatie uit deze eerdere deelrapporten geactualiseerd, geintegreerd en voorzien van (beleids)aanbevelingen. Daarnaast biedt het rapport ook aanknopingspunten voor de programmatische aanpak van andere chronische ziekten.Diabetes is a major social problem, and it is worsening all the time. Especially the number of people with type 2 diabetes is now rapidly increasing, and not just in the Netherlands. This trend is alarming and it demands policy measures on the part of the government. In its paper 'Being Healthy and Staying Healthy: A Vision of Health and Prevention, The Netherlands' (2006) the ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport outlined a long-term vision on diabetes prevention for the period 2005 to 2025. This paper articulated ambitious goals to curb the increase in diabetes and set a maximum target for the percentage of people with uncomplicated diabetes in 2025. To ensure the structural conditions needed to achieve these objectives, the Dutch Diabetes Federation (NDF) was asked in early 2007 to draw up a National Action Programme on Diabetes (NAD) and to coordinate its implementation and delivery. A plan for this programme was sent to the minister of Health, Welfare and Sport in February 2009. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) was asked to contribute to the preparation, progress and evaluation of the NAD. As part of the preparation, RIVM analyses and integrates in this report the wide range of existing knowledge on diabetes prevention, treatment and care, as well as exploring possible future developments. Part of the results were published earlier in a number of RIVM reports. In the present report this information is updated and integrated, culminating in detailed recommendations for future policy. In addition, the report indicates how the diabetes disease management approach could work for other chronic diseases.VW

Use of fluorescence spectroscopy to differentiate yeast and bacterial cells

This study focuses on the characterization of bacterial and yeast species through their autofluorescence spectra. Lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus sp.), and yeast(Saccharomyces sp.) were cultured under controlled conditions and studied for variations in their autofluorescence, particularly in the area representative of tryptophan residues of proteins. The emission and excitation spectra clearly reveal that bacterial and yeast species can be differentiated by their intrinsic fluorescence with UV excitation. The possibility of differentiation between different strains of Saccharomyces yeast was also studied, with clear differences observed for selected strains. The study shows that fluorescence can be successfully used to differentiate between yeast and bacteria and between different yeast species, through the identification of spectroscopic fingerprints, without the need for fluorescent staining