Why observers should train clinical scoring

Epidemiological studies often involve clinical scoring of animals by several observers due to the high number of farms to be visited. Detailed written procedures and intensive observer training minimize variation between observers. This, however, is still not common in international cooperation. We present data on clinical assessment of sows from an EU project on organic pig health (COREPIG) to illustrate the consequences. The clinical scoring system was based on procedures from the Welfare Quality ® project and included measures regarding body condition (5-level scale), injuries (number of lesions >3cm on shoulder, side and hindquarters), lameness (3-level scale), dirtiness (3-level scale) and skin problems (3-level scale). Nine observers from 6 EU countries trained clinical scoring during two days in two herds. Of the 9 observers, 4 had no or little, 2 had intermediate and 3 had extensive experience in working with pigs. Four observers each had little or intermediate experience in clinical scoring of sows and only 1 had extensive experience. Training comprised parameter discussions and joint scoring of animals. After training, each observer scored up to 30 pregnant sows per farm in 3 to 20 herds in six European countries as part of a larger epidemiological protocol. After completion of farm visits, observers scored up to 50 sows independently but at the same day and farm in order to assess inter-observer agreement. Parameters were collapsed into binary variables. We calculated Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance (W) across all observers and Prevalence Adjusted Bias Adjusted Kappas (PABAK) for observer pairs as measures of agreement. Agreement across observers was not acceptable for skin problems and lameness (W 0.60 (N = 26 sows for skin problems, and 31 to 34 sows for other parameters). Pairwise agreement was not acceptable for skin problems and dirtiness (mean PABAK <0.41) and acceptable for injuries shoulder and side (mean PABAK between 0.41 and 0.60). Agreement was good for hindquarter injuries and animal too thin (PABAK = 0.66 and 0.65, respectively), while obesity and lameness had mean PABAK of 0.84 and 0.95. Observer pairs scored 40 to 50 sows per parameter except for skin problems (36 to 49 sows). Results for lameness and obesity should be interpreted with care, as average prevalence across observers were only 3 and 8 %, respectively. Determination of whether a sow was too thin was the parameter with best agreement. The poor agreement for skin problems and dirtiness can be explained by misunderstandings regarding the parameter definition (e.g. inclusion of mud soiling). Extensive practical experience with pigs was of highest benefit for inter-observer agreement. Average PABAK was 0.70 (STD = 0.19, N = 24 scorings; 3 observer pairs, 8 parameters) for experienced observers but ranged between 0.49 and 0.56 (STD range 0.32 to 0.40) for all other combinations of experience level. The level of experience with clinical scoring of pigs did not have obvious positive effects. Average PABAK for all experience combinations ranged from 0.51 to 0.61 (STD range 0.32 to 0.40). By way of explanation, general experience with pigs helps to score an animal because observers will know a wider range of possible scenarios. By contrast, scores of observers who have already learned a scoring system will tend to be biased by their experience. As a conclusion, our data emphasize the importance of intensive observer training before data collection and the need for inter-observer agreement tests before and after data collection

HACCP for Parasite Control

Deliverables of the COREPIG project are management tools based on the HACCP principle (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points). These tools help farmers (in a farm specific way) to solve and prevent problems with endoparasites, reproduction and farrowing problems, weaning diarrhoea and suckling piglet mortality. They are available as Microsoft Excel® files. We recommend that the tools be used by the farmer together with the farm's advisor or veterinarian. Each tool contains instructions for use and consists of three parts: i) a questionnaire for the farmer, ii) a check list to be used in the barn and iii) the farm specific report

HACCP for Weaning Diarrhoea

Deliverables of the COREPIG project are management tools based on the HACCP principle (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points). These tools help farmers (in a farm specific way) to solve and prevent problems with endoparasites, reproduction and farrowing problems, weaning diarrhoea and suckling piglet mortality. They are available as Microsoft Excel® files. We recommend that the tools be used by the farmer together with the farm's advisor or veterinarian. Each tool contains instructions for use and consists of three parts: i) a questionnaire for the farmer, ii) a check list to be used in the barn and iii) the farm specific report

HACCP for Reproduction and Farrowing Problems

Deliverables of the COREPIG project are management tools based on the HACCP principle (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points). These tools help farmers (in a farm specific way) to solve and prevent problems with endoparasites, reproduction and farrowing problems, weaning diarrhoea and suckling piglet mortality. They are available as Microsoft Excel® files. We recommend that the tools be used by the farmer together with the farm's advisor or veterinarian. Each tool contains instructions for use and consists of three parts: i) a questionnaire for the farmer, ii) a check list to be used in the barn and iii) the farm specific report. The farm specific report has three parts for six different areas: mummified piglets, born dead, farrowing sickness, poor conception, abortion/small litters, poor gilt performance

HACCP for Suckling Piglet Mortality

Deliverables of the COREPIG project are management tools based on the HACCP principle (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points). These tools help farmers (in a farm specific way) to solve and prevent problems with endoparasites, reproduction and farrowing problems, weaning diarrhoea and suckling piglet mortality. They are available as Microsoft Excel® files. We recommend that the tools be used by the farmer together with the farm's advisor or veterinarian. Each tool contains instructions for use and consists of three parts: i) a questionnaire for the farmer, ii) a check list to be used in the barn and iii) the farm specific report

Energy Dissipation and Trapping of Particles Moving on a Rough Surface

We report an experimental, numerical and theoretical study of the motion of a ball on a rough inclined surface. The control parameters are $D$, the diameter of the ball, $\theta$, the inclination angle of the rough surface and $E_{ki}$, the initial kinetic energy. When the angle of inclination is larger than some critical value, $\theta>\theta_{T}$, the ball moves at a constant average velocity which is independent of the initial conditions. For an angle $\theta < \theta_{T}$, the balls are trapped after moving a certain distance. The dependence of the travelled distances on $E_{ki}$, $D$ and $\theta$. is analysed. The existence of two kinds of mechanisms of dissipation is thus brought to light. We find that for high initial velocities the friction force is constant. As the velocity decreases below a certain threshold the friction becomes viscous.Comment: 8 pages RevTeX, 12 Postscript figure

HACCP Reproduktion und Geburt

Ein Ergebnis des COREPIG-Projektes sind HACCPbasierte Managementhilfen (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points). Diese Hilfen unterstützen Landwirte betriebsspezifisch bei der Lösung und Vorbeugung von Problemen mit Endoparasiten, Problemen der Reproduktion und rund um die Geburt, bei Absetzdurchfall und Saugferkelsterblichkeit. Sie sind in Form von Microsoft Excel®-Dateien verfügbar. Es wird empfohlen, die Hilfen zusammen mit der Beraterin und/oder dem Veterinär anzuwenden. Jede Managementhilfe beinhaltet eine Gebrauchsanleitung und besteht aus drei Teilen: a) einem Fragenbogen für den Betriebsleiter, b) einer Checkliste zur Stallbeurteilung und c) einem betriebsspezifischen Bericht. Der betriebsspezifische Bericht besteht aus drei Teilen für sechs verschiedene Bereiche: mummifizierte Ferkel, Totgeburten, Krankheiten um die Geburt, hohe Umrauscherrate, Fehlgeburten/kleine Wurfgrößen, niedrige Leistung der Jungsauen

Das Mikroskop und seine Anwendung ; Theil 1-2

Teile: 1. Bau, Eigenschaften, Prüfung, gegenwärtiger Zustand, Gebrauch (Allgemeines) u.s.w., 1867 2. Anwendung des Mikroskopes auf die Histologie der Gewächse, 186