Thermographical Quantification of Physiological and Behavioral Responses of Group-housed Young Pigs
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Since 1905, the Department of Agricultural Engineering, now the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE), has been a leader in providing engineering solutions to agricultural problems in the United States and the world. The department’s original mission was to mechanize agriculture. That mission has evolved to encompass a global view of the entire food production system–the wise management of natural resources in the production, processing, storage, handling, and use of food fiber and other biological products.
History
In 1905 Agricultural Engineering was recognized as a subdivision of the Department of Agronomy, and in 1907 it was recognized as a unique department. It was renamed the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in 1990. The department merged with the Department of Industrial Education and Technology in 2004.
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1905–present
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- Department of Agricultural Engineering (1907–1990)
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- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (parent college)
- College of Engineering (parent college)
- Department of Industrial Education and Technology, (merged, 2004)
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Abstract
Young pigs 4 to 7 wk old (7~15 kg) were exposed to 20 factorial combinations of five air temperatures (20, 24, 28, 32, and 36°C) and four air velocities (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m/s). Infrared imaging (0.06°C sensitivity) was used to simultaneously quantify postural pattern and surface temperature (T s ) of the pigs. Three postural indexes were evaluated for expressing thermal comfort level of the pigs: (1) ratio of occupied floor area (A f ) to the total surface area of the pigs— index I f ; (2) ratio of A f to its maximum possible value—index I m ; and (3) A f per 100 kg body mass—index A f(100) . The pigs shared common thresholds of postural indexes I f = 0.20~0.24 and I m = 0.75~0.84 and T s of 34.5~36.3°C for the thermoneutral zone (TNZ). In comparison, index A f(100) of TNZ was greatly dependent on pig age or size. The numerical indexes (I f and I m ) provide objective, quantitative assessment of thermal comfort of the pigs. Functional relationships were established between I m and T s . Moreover, I m was used to quantify the effects of air velocity on the effective environmental temperature of the pigs at cool to warm ambient temperatures.
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This article is from Transactions of the ASAE 43, no. 6 (2000): 1843–1851.