Does the provision of live black soldier fly and yellow mealworm larvae improve Muscovy duck welfare?

Background The provision of environmental enrichments to Muscovy ducks could reduce the expression of the aggressive behaviors.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of black soldier fly(BSF)and yellow mealworm(YM)live larva provision on Muscovy duck performance,excreta corticosterone metabolites(ECM),behavior,and blood parameters.Methods A total of 1263-day-old female Muscovy ducklings were allotted to 18 pens(6 replicates/treatment,7 birds/pen)and assigned to 3 experimental treatments:a control group fed commercial feed,and two experimental treatments fed commercial feed plus the 5%(based on the expected daily feed intake,as fed basis)of BSF and YM live larvae(BSF and YM groups,respectively).A two-phase feeding program was applied:starter(from 3 to 31 days of age)and grower-finisher(from 32 to 55 days of age).The live weight,average daily gain,average daily feed intake,and feed conversion ratio were calculated.Larva consumption times were collected,and video recordings were performed during 3 periods(P)each day:the hour before(P1),during(P2),and after(P3)the larva administration.ECM were evaluated at 3,31,and 55-day-old.Finally,the total red and white blood cell counts,serum proteins,lipids,and liver and renal function serum enzymes were evaluated on 12 birds/treatment.Results The experimental treatment did not affect the growth performance of the birds(P>0.05).Larva consumption times were always similar between the two insect species,except at 14–18 days of age,were BSF larvae were consumed faster than YM larvae(P<0.001).The birds showed less walking activity during P2,and preening behavior increased in YM birds during P3.The C birds increased the attack behavior over the weeks(P<0.05).During weeks 1–3 the YM group reduced the attack frequency(P1>P3;P<0.05).Finally,the provision of live BSF and YM larvae significantly reduced the ECM at 55 days of age and the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio(P<0.05).Conclusions Live BSF and YM larva supplementation in Muscovy duck improves duck welfare,without impairing birds'growth performance.

Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages in China:By volume or sugar content? A consumer welfare approach

Using scanner data on the consumption of packaged liquid beverages by Chinese urban households,we estimated the price elasticity of various beverages and compared the effects of volume-based versus sugar-content-based taxation strategies on consumer welfare.Compared to the volume-based tax,the sugar-content-based beverage tax was predicted to cost less in compensating variation under the same amount of sugar reduced,indicating that taxation based on sugar content may be more efficient in preserving consumer welfare.Further comparison across different socioeconomic groups reveals that,given current beverage consumption status in China,the efficiency advantage of the sugar-content-based taxation strategy is more pronounced than that of the volume-based taxation.Our conclusions can provide insights for the food industry and the government to reduce the sugar content in beverages.

Optimal social welfare:A many-to-many data transaction mechanism based on double auctions

With the development of Big Data and the Internet of Things(IoT),the data value is more significant in both academia and industry.Trading can achieve maximal data value and prepare data for smart city services.Due to data's unique characteristics,such as dispersion,heterogeneity and distributed storage,an unbiased platform is necessary for the data trading market with rational trading entities.Meanwhile,there are multiple buyers and sellers in a practical data trading market,and this makes it challenging to maximize social welfare.To solve these problems,this paper proposes a Social-Welfare-Oriented Many-to-Many Trading Mechanism(SOMTM),which integrates three entities,a trading process and an algorithm named Many-to-Many Trading Algorithm(MMTA).Based on the market scale,market dominated-side and market fixed-side,simulations verify the convergency,economic properties and efficiency of SOMTM.

Biomarkers of Stress and Inflammation in Assessing the Quality of Welfare of Conditioned Vaquejada Horses

In recent decades, the intensity of training and equestrian competitions has significantly increased, thus the assessment of the well-being of the equine athlete has become essential in all equestrian modalities. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether equine athletes submitted to a vaquejada simulation test (VqST), comprised of three races, presented changes in blood biomarkers related to stress and health status. Fourteen healthy Quarter Horses, used as pull horses in this equestrian modality, were evaluated. Ten animals were submitted to the VqST and the remaining four were used as a control group. Blood samples were collected pre-test (during fast), immediately after, and at 1, 4 and 24 hours of recovery. The assessed blood biomarkers included cortisol, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, iron, urea, creatinine, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) concentrations and results were analyzed using One Way ANOVA (time) with the SigmaStat 13.0 software. No differences between sample times were detected in both groups (p > 0.05) and no differences were found between groups (p > 0.05). The results suggest that all horses were well conditioned for the level of effort imposed by the three vaquejada races. The adaptation to physical exercise may enable the regulation of the acute response to stress in the tissues involved in the exercises, with no differences being observed in stress and health biomarkers, such as IL-6, IL-1β and cortisol. In conclusion, well-conditioned vaquejada horses exhibit a balanced regulation of biological processes, which contributes an increased athletic longevity and better quality of athletic life.

Environmental Enrichment and Its Effect on the Welfare of Two Asian Elephants in Africam Safari Wildlife Conservation Park (Puebla, Mexico)

Animal welfare is important in zoos to maintain the physical well-being and psychological health of individuals. An animal is considered to have welfare if it has good nutrition and also expresses its innate behavior, including sensations and feelings experienced as a result of physical health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of environmental enrichment on the behaviors of two Asian elephants in a wildlife conservation park. The behavior of two Asian elephants, a 46-year-old male and a 59-year-old female, was observed. Behavior was measured by quantifying the frequency, latency, and duration of behavioral actions. Measurements were done with ad libitum sampling during 5 days of testing, then observations were recorded with focal sampling for 25 days with environmental enrichment and 25 days without enrichment. Data were analyzed with the Chi-square statistical test using the statistical program SPSS 20, observing significant differences (P the application of environmental enrichment. The frequency of maintenance behaviors was higher when environmental enrichment was provided, and the frequency of social conducts (affiliative and agonistic) decreased. In fact, the behaviors most frequently presented by elephants with and without environmental enrichment were definitely maintenance behaviors. The environmental enrichment program helped to reduce the duration of abnormal behaviors and increase the frequency of typical behaviors of the species. It also increased independent movements within the exhibition area and helped to know each of the elephants individually in order to apply each enrichment combination according to their needs.

Welfare Balance of Different Interest Groups During Rural-urban Land Conversion

Rural-urban land conversion is currently a common social economic phenomenon during the process of economic development and rural urbanization in China. Rural-urban land conversion is positively effective as far as social and economic benefits are concerned (Yang, 2002), but its negative effect is also evident, resulting in such problems as low efficiency of rural land configuration and loss of social welfare. Consequently, farm-ers should also have an equal chance to enjoy the social welfare enhanced by land conversion. Based on the theories of welfare economy, this paper puts forward policy suggestions by discussing the welfare changes of various interest groups, builds the model of welfare distribution, and analyzes the conditions of maximizing social welfare. The absolute and opposite value of social welfare is closely related with the speed of rural-urban land conversion, and governments should give farmers and collectives fair compensa-tion to make up for the utility loss caused by land expropriation, which are conclusions drawn from this paper. This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for regulating targets and evaluation criteria, realizing the mechanism and implementation of public po-lices during rural-urban land conversion.

Integrated Welfare Systems and Disclosure： Approaching Emerging Issues

The aim of this paper is to investigate the integrated welfare and disclosure by proposing emerging issues in the contemporary scenario. Thus, company welfare is represented as internal sociability; environmental protection or innovation can be interpreted as external sociability, representing the uses of resources that a company does not incur costs, but demonstrates its health and social responsibility. Following a theoretical approach, the paper proposes as result a conceptual study introducing an updated literature analysis on the topic proposed of the integrated welfare systems and disclosure trying to point out emerging issues through a case study. Moreover, the research methodology is based on a qualitative approach and secondary sources in order to propose not only to scientific community a literature analysis. In this way, the implications of the research can be directed to academic communities and policy makers. The research question is the following： Which are emerging issues on the integrated welfare and its disclosure？

Preliminary Analysis on the Welfare of Adult Breeding Boar on Scale Swine Farm in China

Not so much attention has been paid to animal welfare in many pig farms in China yet and there are still some violations of Animal Welfare Practices.Breeding boar is the core of modern pig farm,which is responsible for the reproductive task of supplying sperm for sows. With the development of artificial insemination,breeding boar plays an increasingly important role in pig production and the welfare of it is becoming more and more important. The problems existing in the welfare of breeding boar in China scale pig farm were analyzed from the aspects of rearing method,feed,environment condition,exercise,artificial semen collection,sexual behavior and environment enrichment and the corresponding measures or countermeasures were put forwards to improve their welfare level.

Welfare for the Aged in Nigeria,a Sustenance for the Declining Older Population and Aged Male in Nigeria

A buttress on the need for welfare program in Nigeria and the important obligation to consider the Economics’and CIA’s contextual position for the dependency ratios,both total and elderly dependency ratio alongside the consideration of the age structure and demography statistics of Nigeria relatively to other economies,particularly as an elixir for the declining older population in Nigeria and the aged male contraction in the nation.Although,older female population is higher in every country as obtainable globally,the Nigerian case is that of drastic contraction in both aged male and older population generally.Therefore,the submission is that the government has to consider the total dependency ratio to the elderly dependency ratio,which is all-encompassing in order to cater for the declining older population and to appropriate the requisite welfare cum benefits programs in the nation.

Effects of relative humidity on animal health and welfare

Farm animals are sources of meat, milk and eggs for the humans, and animal health ensures the quality and security of these agricultural and sideline products. The animal raising conditions in livestock stations and poultry houses play vital roles in both animal health and production. One of the major factors affecting raising conditions, relative humidity, has not received much attention even though it is important for animal husbandry. In this review, we summarize the impacts of relative humidity on animal health and welfare to draw attention for its importance in the improvement of animal raising conditions in the future.

Review of human-animal interactions and their impact on animal productivity and welfare

Humans and animals are in regular and at times close contact in modern intensive farming systems.The quality of human-animal interactions can have a profound impact on the productivity and welfare of farm animals.Interactions by humans may be neutral,positive or negative in nature.Regular pleasant contact with humans may result in desirable alterations in the physiology,behaviour,health and productivity of farm animals.On the contrary,animals that were subjected to aversive human contact were highly fearful of humans and their growth and reproductive performance could be compromised.Farm animals are particularly sensitive to human stimulation that occurs early in life,while many systems of the animals are still developing.This may have long-lasting impact and could possibly modify their genetic potential.The question as to how human contact can have a positive impact on responses to stressors,and productivity is not well understood.Recent work in our laboratory suggested that pleasant human contact may alter ability to tolerate various stressors through enhanced heat shock protein（hsp） 70 expression.The induction of hsp is often associated with increased tolerance to environmental stressors and disease resistance in animals.The attitude and consequent behaviour of stockpeople affect the animals＇ fear of human which eventually influence animals＇ productivity and welfare.Other than attitude and behaviour,technical skills,knowledge,job motivation,commitment and job satisfaction are prerequisites for high job performance.

Empirical analysis of carbon tariff's effect on the export structure of China's manufacturing industry and social welfare based on the GTAP model

In recent years,carbon emissions have gradually evolved from an environment issue into a political and economic one.Carbon tariff has brought about new trade barriers of developed countries,and in order to enhance the industrial competitiveness of developed countries,it will produce unfavorable impact on developing countries.Concentrated on the manufacturing industry,which is the most intensive high-carbon industry in China's export structure,this article studies the relationship between carbon tariff policy and industry structure of export trade and builds up a relation between climate change and international trade.First,by means of establishing a partial equilibrium model,it applies geometric analysis and mathematical analysis to compute the impact on China's manufacturing export trade and the consequences of the introduction of the US carbon tariff to China's manufacturing industry that has already imposed a domestic shipping carbon tax.Furthermore,with the application of the GTAP model,it estimates the overall economic and welfare effects on China's manufacturing industry if the US and Europe introduce carbon tariff by means of four ways,and then analyzes the influence on China's manufacturing industry export structure and social welfare as well.The result shows that the introduction of the US carbon import tariff lowers China's export price and export volume,and the implementation of a domestic carbon tax justifies a higher export price and a lower export volume for China.However,the degree of export reduction is smaller than that under the effect of the US carbon tariff.In the case of developed countries imposing carbon tariff on China's energy-intensive industries,such as chemical rubber products,oil and coal-processing industry and paper industry,whose export would be reduced,the negative impact on the paper industry is the severest,which will decrease the paper industry's export ranging from 1.79%to 6.05%,whereas the other industries' export will increase.Anyhow,it will promote China's manufacturing industry to adjust the export structure to a certain extent.In addition,it will lead to a decrease in China's welfare,with a decrease between $2,134 billion and $8,347 billion.Finally,this paper provides information on international coordination,export structure adjustment and green manufacturing adjustment as a reference for the development of China's manufacturing industry.

Welfare effects of rural-urban land conversion on different aged land-lost farmers:exemplified in Wuhan city

Rural-urban land conversion is a universal phenomenon in the rapid process of economic development and urban growth.The welfare of farmers who lost their farmland attracted a widespread concern within the society and academia.However,further research about differentiated policies according to the characteristics of different farmer groups is still need to be conducted.This article divides the land-lost farmers into three age groups:younger than 45,45-65,and more than 65.It proposes a welfare index system including eight functional areas based on different age groups of affected farmers,taking four districts of Wuhan City as case study area.Fuzzy mathematics method is used to derive the aggregated welfare effect index.Our analysis show that the overall welfare levels of land-lost farmers of all age groups declined,but with a varying degree,with the level of welfare in those farmers who are 45-65 years old,younger than 45 years old,and older than 65 years old decreased by 18.7%,16.6%,and 12.7%,respectively.The direction and degree of effects on the functional activity index varies among different groups.Economic conditions,living environment,health,and social participation of all age groups decrease while social security and housing conditions increase.On the other hand,development opportunities,social communication,and leisure have different changing directions in different age stages.These results call for differentiated and tailor-made compensation policies for land-lost farmers,towards improving the welfare levels of all farmers and reduce the disparity among them.

Do cooperatives participation and technology adoption improve farmers’welfare in China?A joint analysis accounting for selection bias

This study examines the impact of farmers’cooperatives participation and technology adoption on their economic welfare in China.A double selectivity model(DSM)is applied to correct for sample selection bias stemming from both observed and unobserved factors,and a propensity score matching(PSM)method is applied to calculate the agricultural income difference with counter factual analysis using survey data from 396 farmers in 15 provinces in China.The findings indicate that farmers who join farmer cooperatives and adopt agricultural technology can increase agricultural income by 2.77 and 2.35%,respectively,compared with those non-participants and non-adopters.Interestingly,the effect on agricultural income is found to be more significant for the low-income farmers than the high-income ones,with income increasing 5.45 and 4.51%when participating in farmer cooperatives and adopting agricultural technology,respectively.Our findings highlight the positive role of farmer cooperatives and agricultural technology in promoting farmers’economic welfare.Based on the findings,government policy implications are also discussed.

Welfare and Market Impacts of Food Safety Measures in China: Results from Urban Consumers' Valuation of Product Attributes

This study provides an economics assessment of various food safety measures in China. A choice experiment approach is used to elicit Chinese consumer preferences for various food safety attributes using data from a 2008 urban consumer survey. An alternative welfare calculation is used to model aggregate market impacts of select food safety measures. Our results show that the largest welfare gains are found in the current government-run certiifcation program. The implementation of a third-party certiifcation system, a traceability network and a product label would generate signiifcant value and would help reduce current system inefifciencies in China. This study builds on previous research and provides an alternative approach for calculating consumer valuation of safety and quality attributes that can be used to estimate aggregate economic and welfare impacts.

Rural Migrant Workers' Welfare and Labor Protection in China under the Labor Contract Law

This paper employs difference-in-differences(DID) approach to evaluate the effects of China's Labor Contract Law's implementation on rural migrant workers' welfare.Our findings suggest that the Labor Contract Law has reduced rural migrant workers' working hours by 23%, and increased their social insurance coverage by 10% to 26%. This conclusion holds true after removal of sample selection bias and policy expectation factor.Further analysis reveals that Labor Contract Law's welfare improvement effect was more significant for migrant workers in regions where workers had poor bargaining power. Other economic factors during the same period of time did not affect the law's labor protection effect. Our findings give a clear answer to controversies over whether the Labor Contract Law can improve labor rights for underprivileged groups, and are of reference value for developing labor protection systems.

Recent advances in immunocastration in sheep and goat and its animal welfare benefits:A review

Castration of male animals is a common practice in the meat industry aimed at reducing aggressive behavior, preventing unpleasant flavor, and controlling undesirable breeding. For many years, mechanical castration and surgical castration have been practiced to sterilize the animals. However, these castration methods are not humane because of the associated risk of death, pain, and stress. Recently, immunocastration targeting the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis(HPG) axis has been reported as an animal-friendly approach that circumvents many of the concerns with conventional castration, and suggested by researches as an alternative to surgical castration. However, there is no compilation of updated information on the use of immunocastration in sheep and goats. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the developmental process from traditional surgical castration to immunocastration and to screen the process of immune targets. It also compares the respective advantages and disadvantages of traditional castration technologies and immunocastration, in particular including analyses in the characteristics, features application and welfare benefits of immunocastration in sheep and goats were also analyzed.

Effect of Cowshed Design and Cooling Strategy on Welfare and Productivity of Dairy Cows

Nine cowsheds were used, the differences between each cowshed are orientation （east-west or north-south）, cooling （with or without）, and height （3 m, 5 m or 8 m height）. Dry-bulb temperature, relative humidity, dew point, shaded area, air velocity, and maximum temperature were measured beneath each shed. The temperature-humidity index （THI） and the shading efficiency were calculated for each cowshed. The trials were conducted using 180 lactating Holstein Friesian cows; twenty cows housed beneath each shade structure. Measurements performed on cows were respiration rate, skin temperature, and rectal temperature; moreover, the milk produced by each cow was recorded, and the feed intake. High air velocities were recorded under high shade structures which enhance the aeration; consequently, maximum temperatures, and THI recorded beneath high sheds were less than those recorded beneath low sheds; also, skin temperatures, and respiration rates for cows housed under high sheds were less than those measured for animals housed under low sheds（differences were found to be significant）. Thereby, increasing shed height enhances dairy cows＇ microclimate under Egyptian conditions （hot climate）; consequently, the milk production increases. The best orientation is the east-west orientation, which is preferable for hot climates. The exploitation of cooling has significant effect on microclimate, cooling enhances the ambient environment and provides comfortable zone for dairy cows within which cows reach high production levels.

A novel mind-set in primate experimentation:Implications for primate welfare

We emphasize the importance of studying the primate brain in cognitive neuroscience and suggest a new mind-set in primate experimentation within the boundaries of animal welfare regulations.Specifically,we list the advantages of investigating both genes and neural mechanisms and processes in the emergence of behavioral and cognitive functions,and propose the establishment of an open field of primate research.The latter may be conducted by implementing and harmonizing experimental practices with ethical guidelines that regulate(1)management of natural parks with free-moving populations of target nonhuman primates,(2)establishment of indoor-outdoor labs for both system genetics and neuroscience investigations,and(3)hotel space and technologies which remotely collect and dislocate information regarding primates geographically located elsewhere.

Research Progress on Effects of Stocking Density on Performance, Health and Welfare of Duck

Stocking density is an important factor for animal production performance.It appears particularly urgent and important to research systematically on stocking density for the dual restriction of environmental protection and animal welfare.This review dealt with the influence of stocking density on ducks'productivity and health through production performance,animal behavior and animal welfare,and analyzed the possible mechanism of high stocking density reducing production performance,resulting in abnormal behavior and stress,causing welfare and health problems.We consider that it might be associated with heat stress,more spatial competition(to gather the food,drinking water,sports area,etc.),as well as the quality deterioration of litter and house air caused by high stocking density.Finally,we put forward some suggestions on the study of stocking density's effects on ducks,and proposed the future work that need to be studied and problems that need to be solved imminently.