• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.291-298
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• 2008

For many years beak trimming has been a controversial subject, particularly since the 1980's when the practice came under close scrutiny by animal welfare groups. In Australia it is considered an essential practice, averting losses of AUD$17.5m annually by reducing mortality from cannibalism. While mortality in flocks from cannibalism can be reduced from 25% of the flock to virtually nil, the beak trimming procedure is considered traumatic for the bird. This study examined if chronic pain in the beak was evident in birds 10, 20 and 60 weeks after being trimmed at hatch and in another group of birds, 8 and 52 weeks after being re-trimmed at 14 weeks. Chronic pain was assessed by measuring pecking behaviour and beak sensitivity responses. Pecking behaviour studies completed after beak trimming and re-trimming showed no evidence to indicate that birds were suffering severe chronic pain in the beak. Beak trimmed pullets pecked more at the cage and had more toe pecks, yet overall pecks made at the feed and the environment were no different than untrimmed controls. While the beak sensitivity studies provided evidence that the beak of birds trimmed at hatch and also re-trimmed at 14 weeks may be more sensitive there was no evidence that re-trimming resulted in a more sensitive beak than birds trimmed at hatch only. These studies have shown that birds which are beak trimmed and re-trimmed return to apparently normal feeding and pecking behaviour in the long term. However, there was limited evidence that beaks of trimmed birds have an altered threshold to potentially painful stimuli.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2002

Eggs obtained from 46 and 42 weeks old meat (Hybro) and layer (Leghorn) breeders flocks, respectively were used to examine the effects of genetic type of birds and egg size (small, medium and large) on variables of eggshell characteristics and hatchability traits. The variables measured were egg weight (EW), egg surface area (ESA) and eggshell characteristics (shell conductance (EC), per cent shell (PS), shell thickness (ST), shell volume (SV), shell density (SD) and hatchability traits (per cent hatchability (HP), early dead embryos (ED), late dead embryos (LD), pips with live embryos (PL) and pips with dead embryos (PD)). Genetic type of bird influenced all egg characteristics and HP of eggs. Eggs produced by the small Leghorn bird had lower EW, ESA, EC, ST, SV and HP than those produced by the heavy Hybro bird. The reduction of HP was associated with an increase in the percentage of ED and PL. Egg size influenced all variables measured except ST. Small size eggs had lower EW, ESA and EC and higher PS and SD than those of large eggs. Medium size eggs produced a higher HP when compared with that of large size eggs. The reduction of HP in large eggs was associated with higher percentage of ED, LD and PL. There were significant interactions between the genetic group of birds and egg size on LD and HP. Large egg size of Hybro birds had higher LD and lower HP than those of small size eggs produced by the same flock. However, There was no difference in HP and LD among the different egg sizes produced by Leghorn birds. It was concluded that genetic make up of birds and egg size influence eggshell characteristics and HP. The type of bird (heavy or small) influences the optimum egg size for successful hatching. Attention should be given to the size and eggshell characteristics of eggs of breeders' flocks for achieving maximum HP.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.314-356
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• 1982

In order to improve the efficiency of the main economic traits in layers the present selection index is based on body weight, age at first egg, egg production and egg weight. But as the edible parts of the egg, the yolk and the albumin, are very important economic traits, this study was conducted to estimate the selection indices combining the latter traits with the former traits, and to examine the accuracy of the indices. The experiment were 351 Single Comb White Leghorns(S. C. W. Leghorn) and 326 Rhode Island Reds (R. I. Red), improved by the closed flock breeding system at the Daejeon Branch Station of the National Livestock Breeding Station. The egg compositions were checked a total of 6097 eggs. The data for each traits were collected and analysed until 500 days of age from March 1, 1979.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.175-181
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• 2013

This paper presents a simulation for passenger ship evacuation considering the inclination of a ship. In order to describe a passenger's behavior in an evacuation situation, a passenger is modeled as a rigid body which translates in the horizontal plane and rotates along the vertical axis. The position and rotation angle of a passenger are calculated by solving the dynamic equations of motions at each time step. To calculate inclined angle of damaged ship, static equilibrium equations of damaged ship are derived using "added weight method". Using these equations, physical external forces due to the inclination of a ship act on the body of each passenger. The crowd behavior of the passenger is considered as the flock behavior, a form of collective behavior of a large number of interacting passengers with a common group objective. Passengers can also avoid an obstacle due to penalty forces acting on their body. With the passenger model and forces acting on its body, the test problems in International Maritime Organization, Maritime Safety Committee/Circulation 1238(IMO MSC/Circ.1238) are implemented and the effects of ship's inclination on the evacuation time are confirmed.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.69-73
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• 2008

We studied the functional roles of two types of calls, mew calls and mobbing calls, of the black-tailed gull (Larus crassirostris) by examining responses of mixed flocks of gulls to the playback calls. Playback experiments were conducted on four days between 11 May and 5 June 2007 at 16 sites in Sinjindo-ri and Dowhang-ri, Taean-gun, Chungnam province and Imjado, Sinan-gun, Jeonnam province, South Korea. We examined the anti-predator responses of the gulls to the playback trials. We found that gull flocks initially responded to mew call playbacks by mobbing in less than half of playback trials (6/14) while all trials involving playbacks of the mobbing call and control (group mobbing) call evoked mobbing. When trials in which no response was recorded were excluded, we found that the gulls' responses to mobbing and group mobbing call playbacks was more intense than their response to mew call playbacks, in that gulls mobbed longer, more gulls responded, and gulls took flight after a shorter time interval. However, the intensity of the gulls' response did not differ in mobbing call and group mobbing call playbacks. The results of this study suggest that the mixed-species flocks of gulls discriminate between the mew calls and the mobbing calls.

• Journal of Korea Game Society
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.111-120
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• 2011

It is important to realistically simulate group behaviors of the multi-agents in virtual worlds. While most researchers have focused on their group behaviors in an open space, this paper studies their group behaviors by using steering force in an enclosed space. Agents have a common target and should move towards it in an enclosed space while avoiding collision with other agents. Under those environments, three possible models of agents are proposed and the six steering forces needed in each model are also proposed. In order to show the correctness of the proposed models, they were simulated. Our simulation results showed that the proposed models only using steering forces operate well in the enclosed space although it requires a different period of time for each agent to arrive at its target depending on the walls and doors.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.1570-1574
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• 2004

A flock of AA breed chickens were reared in peterstme brood-vait chamber and were provided with high energy pelleted feed. At 14 d of age, a total of 350 birds were randomly divided into 3 groups as follows: 100 birds were exposed to normal ambient temperature of 20$^{\circ}C$ for control group; 150 birds were exposed to lower ambient temperature of 11$^{\circ}C$ to induce ascites (treatment I); and another group of 100 birds were exposed to lower ambient temperature of 11$^{\circ}C$ and fed diet containing 1% L-arginine for ascitic prophylactic treatment (treatment II). Samples were collected from blood and abdominal fluid of chicken at 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 wk of age subsequently, to analysis the contents of plasma endothelin (ET-1), angiotensin II (Ang II), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). The results indicated that the contents of cAMP, cGMP, and Ang II in reatment I and ascitic broilers were higher than the corresponding control group (p<0.01, p<0.05), ET-1 of preascitic broilers were control group (p<0.05), while there was an insignificant difference with later ascitic broilers. The contents of cAMP and cGMP in treatment II were higher than the treatment I and control groups (p<0.01, p<0.05), whereas, the contents of Ang II were gradually decreased compared to the control group (p<0.05), the contents of ET-1 were insignificantly different. On further analysis, the increased plasma Ang II at low ambient temperature condition in broilers made endothelium cell secretion of increased ET-1, cAMP, cGMP and decreased NO. Therefore, low temperature accelerated ascites syndrome in broilers. Supplemently L-arginine can decrease ET-1, and increase cAMP and cGMP. It is concluded that cAMP mediated in broilers pulmonary hypertension syndrome.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.333-339
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• 1991

Eighty-two ewes of Balochi breed, two to four years of age were used in a completely randomized design to study the effect of winter supplementation on their performance in Kalat area of Balochistan and randomly divided into two groups of 40 and 42 animals. Two treatments (T1 and T2) studied were : 250 gm/animal/day of a 50 : 50 mixture of cottonseed cake and barley grain fed from Oct. 20 to Dec. 18, 1988 plus grazing and 500 gm/animal/day of the same feed mixture fed from Oct. 9 to Dec. 18, 1988 in addition to grazing. Lucerne hay and wheat straw in a 50 : 50 ratio were provided to all the ewes for a period of one month from Jan. 6, 1989 @ 320 gm/animal/day to sustain them in severe winter. Same feeding levels to the same ewe groups were again fed from Mar. 1 to May 27, 1989. Three breeding rams stayed with the flock from Nov. 1 to Dec. 13, 1988. Lambing took place from Apr. 2 to May 12, 1989. Conception, lambing and mortality percentage was found different (P<.05) between T1 and T2 (12.5 vs 14.8 kg). The ewes on T2 maintained higher body weights throughout winter than the ewes on T1. The results are suggestive of improvement in conception rate with winter supplementation (flushing) and decrease in ewe mortality. Late-gestation and early-lactation supplemental feeding of ewes results in increases in weaning weights of their lambs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.767-777
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• 2014

Characterizing local chicken types and their mostly rural production systems is prerequisite for designing and implementing development and conservation programs. This study evaluated the management practices of small-scale chicken keepers and the phenotypic and production traits of their chickens in Oman, where conservation programs for local livestock breeds have currently started. Free-range scavenging was the dominant production system, and logistic regression analysis showed that socio-economic factors such as training in poultry keeping, household income, income from farming and gender of chicken owners influenced feeding, housing, and health care practices (p<0.05). A large variation in plumage and shank colors, comb types and other phenotypic traits within and between Omani chicken populations were observed. Male and female body weight differed (p<0.05), being $1.3{\pm}0.65$ kg and $1.1{\pm}0.86$ kg respectively. Flock size averaged $22{\pm}7.7$ birds per household with 4.8 hens per cock. Clutch size was $12.3{\pm}2.85$ and annual production $64.5{\pm}2.85$ eggs per hen. Egg hatchability averaged $88{\pm}6.0%$ and annual chicken mortality across all age and sex categories was $16{\pm}1.4%$. The strong involvement of women in chicken keeping makes them key stakeholders in future development and conservation programs, but the latter should be preceded by a comprehensive study of the genetic diversity of the Omani chicken populations.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2011

A case of aspergillosis in 39-day-old layer chickens having a history of gradual emaciation and subsequently death with nervous signs such as torticollis and lack of equilibrium was documented. Based on the results from serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, this flock was not affected with known viral or bacterial diseases. On postmortem examination of the affected birds, multiple white to yellow nodules measuring 1~5 mm in diameter were observed in the lungs, cerebrum, liver and kidney. Microscopically, these nodules were identified as granulomatous lesions characterized by mixed population of multinucleated giant cells and lymphocytes. By periodic acid-schiff staining and nucleotide sequencing analysis, Aspergillus flavus with characteristic septate and branched hyphae were identified in the granuloma of lung and cerebrum. This case was a chronic and multisystemic aspergillosis specialized to central nervous system caused by Aspergillus flavus infection in the layer flocks.