Thermographical Quantification of Physiological and Behavioral Responses of Group-housed Young Pigs

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2000-01-01
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Ye, Wenyu
Xin, Hongwei
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Xin, Hongwei
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
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Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

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.

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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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Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
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.

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Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2000
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