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- Handlin, Linda
(författare)
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Human-Human and Human-Animal Interaction : Some Common Physiological and Psychological Effects
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of the present thesis was to investigate hormonal and physiological effects in mothers during a breastfeeding session and in dogs and their owners in response to short-term interaction. In study one, sixty-six mothers receiving either exogenous oxytocin infusion and/or epidural analgesia (EDA) during labor or intramuscular oxytocin injection post partum were studied. Oxytocin, prolactin, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol levels, as well as blood pressure were measured during a breastfeeding session two days after birth. In response to breastfeeding two days after birth, the mothers displayed a pulsatile release of oxytocin and increasing prolactin levels. In addition, the activity in the HPA-axis was reduced and maternal blood pressure decreased. The results also show that EDA administration in combination with oxytocin during labor resulted insignificantly lower oxytocin levels and higher cortisol levels, as well as higher bloodpressure in response to breastfeeding two days after birth, compared to EDA administration alone. In addition, oxytocin infusions dose-dependently lowered the mothers’ endogenous oxytocin levels two days after birth. In study two, ten female dog owners and their male Labrador dogs participated, together with ten controls. Their levels of oxytocin, cortisol and insulin, as well as their heart rate, were measured. The connection between the quality of the dogowner relationship and hormone levels was also explored. Short-term interaction between dogs and their owners resulted in oxytocin release in both species and their cortisol levels and heart rate were also affected. Oxytocin levels and positive attitudes regarding the dog-owner relationship were positively correlated. In conclusion, both human-human and human-animal interactions induce oxytocin release and promote oxytocin mediated effects, such as decreasing cortisol levels and blood pressure. In addition, social interaction and oxytocin levels arepositively related.
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| 2. |
- Abraham, Maria Celina, et al.
(författare)
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Breed influences on in vitro development of abattoir-derived bovine oocytes
- 2012
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Ingår i: Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-605X .- 1751-0147. ; 54
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: There is a discrepancy in the reproductive performance between different cattle breeds. Using abattoir-derived ovaries and data base information we studied the effects of breed on in vitro fertilization and early embryo development. Methods: The in vitro developmental competence of oocytes from cattle (n = 202) of Swedish Red (SR), Swedish Holstein (SH) and mixed beef breeds was compared, retrospectively tracing donors of abattoir-derived ovaries using a combination of the national animal databases and abattoir information. Age was significantly lower and carcass conformation score was higher in the beef breeds than in the dairy breeds. Cumulus oocyte complexes (n = 1351) were aspirated from abattoir-derived ovaries from animals of known breed (visual inspection confirmed through databases), age (databases), and abattoir information. Oocytes were matured, fertilized (frozen semen from two dairy bulls) and cultured according to conventional protocols. On day 8, blastocysts were graded and the number of nuclei determined. Results: Cleavage rate was not different between the breeds but was significantly different between bulls. The percentage of blastocysts on day 8 was significantly higher when the oocyte donor's breed was beef or SR than SH. There was no significant difference in blastocyst grades or stages between the breeds, but the number of nuclei in day 8 blastocysts was significantly lower in SH compared to the beef. Conclusions: The use of abattoir-derived ovaries from animals whose background is traceable can be a valuable tool for research. Using this approach in the present study, oocyte donor breed was seen to affect early embryo development during in vitro embryo production, which may be a contributing factor to the declining fertility in some dairy breeds seen today.
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| 3. |
- Ahlman, Therese
(författare)
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Organic dairy production : herd characteristics and genotype by environment interactions
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this thesis was to gain further knowledge about the performance of cows in organic dairy production and their ability to adapt to the organic production environment. Milk production traits, fertility traits, somatic cell count (SCC) and longevity traits were analysed in organic and conventional herds and the reasons for culling in the two systems were investigated. Furthermore, the genetic correlation between traits expressed in organic and conventional production was estimated to assess the occurrence of genotype by environment interaction (GxE). The data contained records from almost all organic and conventional herds in Sweden. This thesis shows that performance of organically managed dairy cows differs from conventionally managed cows. Cows in organic herds had lower production, better fertility and higher SCC than cows in conventional herds. However, the performance of cows in organic production depended to a large extent on the lower milk production level. At a given production level, organically managed cows had slightly worse fertility but equal SCC as cows in conventional herds. Cows stayed longer in organic herds than in conventional herds and the main reason for culling differed between the production systems. The main reason for culling in organic production was poor udder health followed by low fertility. In conventional production the main reason for culling was low fertility followed by poor udder health. The results indicate that organic farmers are more concerned about udder health than conventional farmers are. Genetic correlations for production, fertility, SCC and longevity, estimated in organic and conventional dairy production were in general close to unity. The results indicate that current breeding values for Swedish Red bulls, estimated in conventional production, are adequate for organic production. Weak GxE was found for fertility traits in Swedish Holstein cows, indicating that some cows of this breed are better suited for organic production than others. However, the magnitude of GxE does not justify development of a separate breeding programme for the organic population today.
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| 5. |
- Algers, Anne
(författare)
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New version of animal ethics dilemma allows students to make use of science, drama and images in ethics learning
- 2010
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents and discusses a new feature in the use of the learning tool Animal Ethics Dilemma, which allows students to construct their own cases. The learning tool www.aedilemma.net aims to teach students to view animal issues from different perspectives of animal ethics by confronting them with ethical dilemmas where they have to choose between different options. They will be put into the role of a veterinarian or another animal science professional responsible for making choices, which typically involve potential harms to animals and potential benefits to humans. Through their choices the students will display and be confronted with utilitarian, animal rights or three other views on animal ethics. The tool also allows the students to reflect on their choices and the underlying ethical viewpoints. A new option in the use of the tool is to let the students construct their own cases. This option is made possible by a content management system. Thus teachers may set students the task to create their own case. This could serve as an exam task through which the students document their ability to understand and actively make use of different points of view in animal ethics and their ability to recognize and develop ethical dilemmas. This new feature gives students the opportunity to develop case studies on a topic relevant to their circumstances and from a pedagogic perspective may help to support deeper learning and understanding of animal ethics by requiring a kinesthetic or an active approach. It also gives the opportunity to work with animal ethics in a way, which involves competences in collecting relevant scientific information, and it enables students to be creative through the use of drama, images and graphical design. Thereby teaching of animal ethics may integrate scientific and philosophical disciplines and be focused on more than just abstract reasoning. © Wageningen Academic Publishers, The Netherlands, 2010.
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| 7. |
- Algers, Bo
(författare)
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Assessment of key parameters for gunshot used on cattle: a pilot study on shot placement and effects of diverse ammunition on isolated cattle heads
- 2014
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Ingår i: Animal Welfare. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 0962-7286 .- 2054-1538. ; 23, s. 479-489
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There have been many improvements regarding transport conditions, pre-slaughter handling, and captive-bolt stunning of cattle at commercial abattoirs, but many challenges still exist. Animals unaccustomed to human-animal contact, such as free-range beef cattle, may be especially difficult to handle on the day of slaughter. Shifting of the slaughter process from the abattoir to the animals' familiar environment could improve animal welfare at slaughter. In 2011, the German government passed an amendment allowing farmers to slaughter free-range cattle, on-farm, using a rifle. A proper stun is vital when employing this method but neither sufficient practical experience nor scientific knowledge are in place to allow this. Thus, this study aimed to examine shot placement and the effect of diverse ammunition by means of shooting at cattle heads, post mortem, with a rifle. Impact was assessed using brain tissue damage observed from skull dissections. Placing the shot frontally at the forehead resulted in severe brain damage significantly more frequently than targeting laterally. A precise frontal shot, utilising both large and small bore calibres, caused severe brain damage that would almost certainly have led to immediate unconsciousness and death. One of the small bore calibres caused minimal brain damage apart from the trajectory. However, this was the only calibre not passing straight through. Due to the fact that the bullet remains within the skull, thus transferring all of its energy to the skull and brain, the impact of this calibre on the brain would also be expected to be rapidly fatal. A projectile that does not exit the skull would also be advantageous as regards safety.
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