OBJECTIVE The goal of this qualitative study was to examine factors influencing decisions by black parents regarding use of soft bedding and sleep surfaces for their infants. METHODS We conducted focus groups and individual interviews with black mothers of lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES). Mothers were asked about many infant care practices, including sleep surface and bedding. R...

Hydraulic fracturing is commonly applied in the shale gas exploitation industry. However, mechanical mechanism of permeability under has so far been unclear. In this study, an analysis laboratory experiments on hydraulic fracture propagation and bedding plane reactivation presented. To investigate microcrack occurrence fracturing, several small slices were collected from surface scanned with a ...

The main objectives of the experiment were: 1) to compare bacterial populations of mastitis-causing organisms on the teats of lactating dairy cattle housed on sand and sawdust bedding and, 2) to examine the relationship between bacterial counts present in the 2 bedding types with those on teat ends. Sixteen lactating Holstein cows were housed on either sand or sawdust-bedded free stalls using a...

Stable air quality and the choice of bedding material are an important health issue both in horses and people working or visiting horse stables. Risks of impaired respiratory health are those that can especially be avoided by improving air quality in the stable. The choice of bedding material is particularly important in cold climate conditions; where horses are kept most of the day and year in...

Organic bedding sources are becoming more expensive and difficult to find. Sand can be considered the ideal bedding source for dairy cows; however, not all producers consider sand a feasible alternative for their operation. Inherent properties of sand can make it difficult to handle in some manure systems. Large amounts of bedding can be obtained from mechanical liquidsolid separation of manure...

The use of non-slip surfaces during loading and unloading of weaned pigs plays an important role in animal welfare and economics of the pork industry. Currently, the guidelines available only suggest the use of ramps below 20° to load and unload pigs. Three ramp angles (0°, 10° or 20°), five bedding materials (nothing, sand, feed, wood shavings or wheat straw hay), two moistures (dry or wet bed...

This study aimed to determine whether Syrian (golden) hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus, prefer certain bedding materials and whether bedding material can affect paw condition, body weight gain and wheel-running activity. In a first experiment, 26 male hamsters had access to two connected cages, each cage containing a different bedding material (either pine shavings, aspen shavings, corn cob or wo...

Six farms using different types of dried manure solid (DMS) strategies, including a farm that had side-by-side pens using sand and DMS, participated in a study to assess the impact on herd health of using DMS as bedding on dairy farms in the Northeast. Samples of unused and used bedding were taken over the course of a year and analyzed for bacterial content and physical properties. Mastitis and...

Introduction Reports of bedding shortages in the poultry industry and escalating costs can be traced back more than 60 years. This situation has often occurred in the more concentrated broiler producing areas such as the Delmarva Peninsula and the Shenandoah Valley. With rising production capacity over the years the demand for bedding by poultry industry increased. At the same time there have b...