Background and Objectives: Rumination may contribute to depression by impairing the most effective allocation of time across activities. An experiment tested the role of rumination in time allocation across tasks. Methods: State rumination was manipulated by cueing an unresolved goal in one condition (32 participants) and cueing a resolved goal in another condition (32 participants). Trait rumination and depressive symptoms were also measured. All participants completed two word generation tasks and allocated a fixed overall time budget between the tasks by interleaving between them. Results: No difference was found in task performance or time allocation following the manipulation of state rumination. Self-reported rumination did not differ between conditions throughout the experimental task. Differences in time allocation behaviour were associated with trait rumination. Limitations: Use of a non-clinical population and tasks that are unrepresentative of everyday problem solving limited the generalisability of the results and may have limited the effect of the state rumination manipulation on task performance. Conclusions: The absence of a difference in self-reported rumination throughout the task suggests that either the word generation task reduced levels of rumination or that the level of rumination induced did not have a large effect on the cognitive processes required to complete the word generation task.

Mastitis is one of the most common and expensive dairy cattle diseases. Mastitis prevention and management are key factors in herd health and improved milk quality. One objective of this research was to evaluate management solutions to maintain a low somatic cell count, based on survey responses from Kentucky dairy producers. Because hyperkeratosis may increase mastitis incidence, another objective of this research was to examine changes in teat end hyperkeratosis in a herd transitioning from a standard pulsation milking system to an individual quarter pulsation milking system. The last objective of this research was to evaluate technologies that monitored rumination time, neck activity, reticulorumen temperature, and milk yield as potential mastitis detection devices.

Il benessere degli animali è uno dei temi più discussi temi delle scienze animali. Molti ricercatori hanno provato a darne una definizione e a sviluppare strumenti utili alla sua valutazione negli allevamenti di vacche da latte. Nel presente lavoro viene discussa la possibilità di valutare il benessere degli animali, attraverso sistemi di innovazione da diversi punti di vista: scientifico, economico e zootecnico. Quattro differenti ricerche sono state sviluppate per confrontare i risultati sulla valutazione del benessere degli animali negli allevamenti da latte ottenuti con: indici fisiologici, modello SDIB e un sistema di monitoraggio della ruminazione. / Animal welfare is one of the most discussed topic in the animal science. Many researchers have been proving to define animal welfare and to develop tools useful to assess its levels in dairy farms. In the present issue it is discussed with different point of view (scientific, economical and zootechnic) the opportunity to assess the animal welfare through innovations system. Our different research was develop to compare the results about animal welfare in dairy herds obtained by physiological indices as well as blood variables, a model for animal welfare assessment as well as IDSW model, a rumination monitoring system.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The objective of the present study was to evaluate the reflection of supplementation with integral rice bran and/or protected fat in the productive parameters of oat and ryegrass pasture and in the development, reproductive performance and behavior of beef heifers. Twenty-eight heifers, Charolais x Nellore crossbred, with initial average age of 18 moths and initial average weight of 274.9 kg, were distributed into four treatments with three repetitions per area. The animals were kept in oat + ryegrass pasture and distributed into the following treatments: Without supplementation (SS): heifers kept in pasture; Megalac (MEG): supplementation with protected fat; Integral rice bran (FAI): supplementation with integral rice bran; FAI+MEG: supplementation with integral rice bran + protected fat. The pasture intake increased throughout the periods (Y=2.71542+.01665*Day; P=.0023). The animal stocking, stocking rate, loss of forage and pasture intake weren´t influenced by treatments (P>.05). Body condition of heifers increased linearly .012 points every day, correlating positively with the final weight (r=.79; P<.0001). The greatest daily weight gain, 1.395 kg, occurred at the first period and when animals were supplemented with FAI+MEG. At the last period, animals from SS treatment had the lowest daily weight gain, .888 kg. Neutral detergent fiber intake increased linearly .045 kg per day (P<.05) during grazing periods. The supplementation with FAI and FAI+MEG reduced the time spent by heifers with grazing, 49.63%, in relation to animals from SS and MEG treatments, 63.13%. The feeding stations per minute had an increase during grazing periods due to the reduction in time spent in each feeding station and the linear decrease of bit number per feeding station (P<.05), the latter ranging 34.48% lower at the final of grazing period. The supplementation of beef heifers with integral rice bran and/or protected fat doesn‟t alter productive parameters of oat and ryegrass pasture, neither pasture intake and total dry matter intake. Increases in daily accumulation of dry matter and feeding conversion promoted an increase in forage losses. The average daily weight gain is not changed by the supplementation. The use of pasture of temperate climate, supplemented or not, promotes adequate structural and reproductive development of the heifers, given benefiting the zootecnic indices at the first mating at 25/27 months of age. The heifers supplemented with FAI and FAI+MEG require less time for activities of grazing seizure. Grazing and idle times don‟t change with periods of grazing, however rumination time grows with the increase of neutral detergent fiber intake. / O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o reflexo da suplementação com farelo de arroz integral e/ou gordura protegida nos parâmetro produtivos da pastagem de aveia e azevém e no desenvolvimento, desempenho reprodutivo e comportamento de novilhas de corte. Utilizaram-se 28 novilhas cruzas Charolês x Nelore com idade média inicial de 18 meses e peso vivo inicial médio de 274,9 kg, divididas em quatro tratamentos com três repetições por área. Os animais foram mantidos em pastagem de aveia + azevém e distribuídos nos seguintes tratamentos: Sem suplementação (SS): novilhas mantidas exclusivamente em pastagem; Megalac (MEG): suplementação com gordura protegida; Farelo de arroz integral (FAI): suplementação com FAI; FAI+MEG: suplementação FAI mais gordura protegida. O consumo do pasto foi crescente ao longo dos períodos (Y=2,71542+0,01665*Dia; P=0,0023). A carga animal, lotação, perdas de forragem e consumo do pasto não sofreram efeito dos tratamentos (P>0,05). A condição corporal das novilhas aumentou linearmente, com acréscimo a cada dia de 0,012 pontos, correlacionando-se positivamente com o peso final (r=0,79; P<0,0001). O maior ganho de peso diário, 1,395 kg, ocorreu no primeiro período quando os animais foram suplementados com FAI+MEG. No último período os animais SS apresentaram o menor ganho de peso diário, 0,888 kg. O consumo de fibra detergente neutro aumentou linearmente (P<0,05) em 0,045 kg por dia no decorrer dos períodos de pastejo. A suplementação com FAI e FAI+MEG reduziu o tempo despendido pelas novilhas para pastejo, 49,63%, em relação aos animais SS e MEG, 63,13%. As estações alimentares por minuto tiveram aumento crescente no decorrer do período de pastejo com redução no tempo gasto em cada estação alimentar e decréscimo linear no número de bocados por estação alimentar (P<0,05), sendo a variação deste último de 34,48% a menos no final do período de pastejo. A suplementação de novilhas de corte com FAI e/ou gordura protegida não altera os parâmetros produtivos da pastagem de aveia e azevém, nem o consumo do pasto e o consumo total de matéria seca. Aumentos da taxa de acúmulo diário de matéria seca e da carga animal promovem aumento das perdas de forragem. O ganho de peso diário não é alterado por ocasião da suplementação. O uso de pastagem temperada suplementada ou não, promove adequado desenvolvimento estrutural e do trato reprodutivo das novilhas, beneficiando os índices zootécnicos no primeiro acasalamento aos 25/27 meses de idade. Novilhas suplementadas com FAI e FAI+MEG demandam menos tempo para a atividade de pastejo e aumentam seu período de ócio, sem modificar seus padrões de deslocamento dentro do piquete e apreensão do pasto. O tempo de pastejo e ócio não sofrem alterações nos distintos períodos de utilização da pastagem, porém, o tempo de ruminação aumenta com o aumento da ingestão da fibra detergente neutro.