This study aimed to assess the effects of (1) environmental enrichment with either straw bedding or a plastic toy and (2) the way in which the plastic toy was presented on the behaviour of finishing pigs in two different housing systems. One thousand and twenty four (LargeWhite Landrace) LargeWhite pigs were housed contemporarily in either a straw-based (ST) or fully slatted (FS) building from ...

An important number of Sprague-Dawley males selected by strict inbreeding process for their high spontaneous yawing frequency (HY) fail to copulate after repeated exposure to receptive females. These HY males that fail to mate are called non-copulators (HYNC). The causes of this behavioral deficit are still unknown. The aim of the present study was to make a detailed behavioral characterization...

Altricial mammals use olfaction long before the olfactory bulb has reached its anatomically mature state. Indeed, while audition and vision are still not functional, the olfactory system of newborn animals can clearly process distinct odorant molecules. Although several previous studies have emphasized the important role that olfaction plays in early critical functions, it has been difficult to...

Coarse-grained limestone samples were collected across the Hudson Valley Fold-Thrust Belt with the aim of determining the temporal and spatial relationship between calcite twinning strain and fold-thrust belt development. The majority of the samples have well defined oblate strain ellipsoids with the maximum shortening axes (e3) perpendicular to bedding strike, and e3 magnitudes that range from...

Randall, Wesley C. M.S., Purdue University, August 2014. Supplemental, end-of-day, and sole-source lighting from light-emitting diodes influences growth, morphology, and quality of annual bedding plant seedlings. Major Professor: Roberto G. Lopez. Annual bedding plants make up the largest sector of the U.S. floriculture industry. Highquality annual bedding plant seedlings are compact, fully roo...

A set of peat column experiments was used to determine the transport potential of lead (Pb) and diesel range organics (DRO) in palustrine slope wetlands near Juneau, AK. This project is important to southeast Alaskan communities because limited land resources are forcing development of regional wetlands. This study was instigated by concerns that proposed modifications to a nearby rifle range u...

BACKGROUND Bedroom conditions have been associated with an increased risk of allergy. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between sleeping environment and sensitization and allergic symptoms in schoolchildren. METHODS A cross-sectional study, the Aalst Allergy Study, was performed in an unbiased community population of 2021 Belgian schoolchildren, aged 3.4 to 14...

To investigate the impact of microbes within the living environment on the gut microbiota of adults, we raised three groups of BALB/c mice from 3-4 weeks age in the same specific-pathogen-free animal room for 8 weeks. The control group lived in cages with sterilized bedding (pelletized cardboard), the probiotics group had three probiotics added to the sterilized bedding, and the intestinal micr...

INTRODUCTION The cerebellum has been linked to multiple functions, such as motor control, cognition, memory, and emotional processing. As for its involvement in the sensory systems, the role of the cerebellum in the sense of smell remains unclear. We suggest that sexually naive male rats will present increased neuronal activity in the cerebellar vermis after being stimulated with almond odour o...

Before heading to a 'tropical' region of the Empire, British men and women spent considerable time and effort gathering outfit believed essential for their impending trip. Ordinary items such as soap, clothing, foodstuffs and bedding became transformed into potentially life-saving items that required the fastidious attention of any would-be traveller. Everyone from scientists and physicians to ...