PD Dr. Lorenz Gygax
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Forschungsthemen3
Präventive Diagnostik für Kühe mit Hilfe eines Pansensensors
Quelle ↗Förderer: Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank Zeitraum: 01/2020 - 09/2022 Projektleitung: Prof. Dr. Edna Hillmann, Manfred Krocker, PD Dr. Lorenz Gygax
Schweinewohl durch Verhaltenskomplexität «Piglexity»
Quelle ↗Förderer: Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung Zeitraum: 07/2021 - 11/2024 Projektleitung: PD Dr. Lorenz Gygax, Prof. Dr. Edna Hillmann
Was Tiere wollen: ein Pilotversuch mit Ratten
Quelle ↗Zeitraum: 10/2019 - 09/2021 Projektleitung: PD Dr. Lorenz Gygax, Prof. Dr. Edna Hillmann
Mögliche Industrie-Partner10
Stand: 26.4.2026, 19:48:44 (Top-K=20, Min-Cosine=0.4)
- 82 Treffer85.0%
- Präventive Diagnostik für Kühe mit Hilfe eines PansensensorsK85.0%
- Präventive Diagnostik für Kühe mit Hilfe eines Pansensensors
- 137 Treffer58.2%
- Tiere zum Sprechen bringen. Logistik, Wissenschaft, PräsentationP58.2%
- Tiere zum Sprechen bringen. Logistik, Wissenschaft, Präsentation
- 69 Treffer56.6%
- CowData (Verbesserung des Betriebsmanagements durch Kombination von Stall- und Weidedaten)P56.6%
- CowData (Verbesserung des Betriebsmanagements durch Kombination von Stall- und Weidedaten)
- 26 Treffer56.1%
- Züchterische Erschließung und Nutzbarmachung pflanzengenetischer Ressourcen durch on-farm/insitu-Erhaltung und Positionierung von Produkten im Bio-LebensmitteleinzelhandelP56.1%
- Züchterische Erschließung und Nutzbarmachung pflanzengenetischer Ressourcen durch on-farm/insitu-Erhaltung und Positionierung von Produkten im Bio-Lebensmitteleinzelhandel
BIJO-DATA Informationssysteme GmbH
PT67 Treffer55.2%- NutriCheck – Frühwarnsystem zur Beurteilung der Nährstoffversorgung in Milchviehbeständen mittels Erfassung und Auswertung der Fress- und WiederkäuaktivitätenP55.2%
- NutriCheck – Frühwarnsystem zur Beurteilung der Nährstoffversorgung in Milchviehbeständen mittels Erfassung und Auswertung der Fress- und Wiederkäuaktivitäten
BITSz engineering GmbH
PT66 Treffer55.2%- NutriCheck – Frühwarnsystem zur Beurteilung der Nährstoffversorgung in Milchviehbeständen mittels Erfassung und Auswertung der Fress- und WiederkäuaktivitätenP55.2%
- NutriCheck – Frühwarnsystem zur Beurteilung der Nährstoffversorgung in Milchviehbeständen mittels Erfassung und Auswertung der Fress- und Wiederkäuaktivitäten
- 11 Treffer54.4%
- INTeractive RObotics Research NetworkP54.4%
- INTeractive RObotics Research Network
- 11 Treffer54.4%
- INTeractive RObotics Research NetworkP54.4%
- INTeractive RObotics Research Network
- 52 Treffer54.1%
- UfIB: Etablierung und Anwendung von In-Vitro-Methoden zur Untersuchung immunomodulatorischer Wirkungen von zootechnischen Futterzusatzstoffen beim HuhnP54.1%
- UfIB: Etablierung und Anwendung von In-Vitro-Methoden zur Untersuchung immunomodulatorischer Wirkungen von zootechnischen Futterzusatzstoffen beim Huhn
- 24 Treffer53.4%
- Embodied Audition for RobotSP53.4%
- Embodied Audition for RobotS
Publikationen25
Top 25 nach Zitationen — Quelle: OpenAlex (BAAI/bge-m3 embedded für Matching).
Developmental Psychology · 372 Zitationen · DOI
Homosexual adults tend to be more gender nonconforming than heterosexual adults in some of their behaviors, feelings, and interests. Retrospective studies have also shown large differences in childhood gender nonconformity, but these studies have been criticized for possible memory biases. The authors studied an indicator of childhood gender nonconformity not subject to such biases: childhood home videos. They recruited homosexual and heterosexual men and women (targets) with videos from their childhood and subsequently asked heterosexual and homosexual raters to judge the gender nonconformity of the targets from both the childhood videos and adult videos made for the study. Prehomosexual children were judged more gender nonconforming, on average, than preheterosexual children, and this pattern obtained for both men and women. This difference emerged early, carried into adulthood, and was consistent with self-report. In addition, targets who were more gender nonconforming tended to recall more childhood rejection.
Applied Animal Behaviour Science · 207 Zitationen · DOI
Archives of Sexual Behavior · 203 Zitationen · DOI
Animal Behaviour · 168 Zitationen · DOI
Journal of Dairy Science · 135 Zitationen · DOI
In the artificial rearing of dairy calves, the same feeding plan is applied to all animals during the milk-feeding period, with individual differences attributable to development or health status rarely considered. The aim of this study was 1) to analyze whether the parameters of feeding behavior automatically recorded by a feeding computer and weight gain are suitable for predicting the health status and rumen development of male dairy calves, and 2) to compare a conventional weaning method (end of milk provision at 12 wk of age, n = 23 calves) with a concentrate-dependent weaning method (with reduction in the milk amount depending on the consumption of concentrate, n = 24). The health status of each animal was evaluated daily by a scoring list (health score), and body temperature was measured automatically during each milk intake. In addition, the number of veterinary treatments per calf was recorded. Rumen development was assessed by measuring rumen papillae in 8 rumen areas after slaughter (n = 24, half of each treatment group). During the milk-feeding period, body temperature was elevated (>/=39.5 degrees C) on 40.8 and 43.2% of all days for calves on the concentrate-dependent weaning method and the conventional weaning method, respectively. Hay and concentrate intake (but not milk intake) and weight gain were clearly affected by health status. In addition, health score and the probability of being treated by a veterinarian were significantly related to decreases in concentrate consumption. During the milk-feeding period, increased body temperature, an increased number of veterinary treatments, and decreases in milk consumption were all associated with reduced weight gain. Calves on the concentrate-dependent weaning method were weaned at an average age of 76 d, which was significantly shorter than the age at the end of milk provision for conventionally fed calves (84 d). Weight gain and health status did not differ between treatment groups. Weight gain was positively associated with papillae length. A treatment effect on rumen development could not be found. We conclude that the concentrate-dependent weaning method allows a faster physiological development without any negative impact on rumen development, weight gain, or health status; we therefore recommend its use in practice.
Journal of Dairy Science · 128 Zitationen · DOI
Lameness is one of the most prevalent diseases affecting the welfare of cows in modern dairy production. Lameness leads to behavioral changes in severely lame cows, which have been investigated in much detail. For early detection of lameness, knowledge of the effects of moderate lameness on cow behavior is crucial. Therefore, the behavior of nonlame and moderately lame cows was compared on 17 Swiss dairy farms. On each farm, 5 to 11 nonlame (locomotion score 1 of 5) and 2 to 7 moderately lame (locomotion score 3 of 5) cows were selected for data collection in two 48-h periods (A, B) separated by an interval of 6 to 10 wk. Based on visual locomotion scoring, 142 nonlame and 66 moderately lame cows were examined in period A and 128 nonlame and 53 moderately lame cows in period B. Between these 2 periods, the cows underwent corrective hoof trimming. Lying behavior, locomotor activity, and neck activity were recorded by accelerometers (MSR145 data logger, MSR Electronics GmbH, Seuzach, Switzerland), and feeding and rumination behaviors by noseband sensors (RumiWatch halter, ITIN + HOCH GmbH, Liestal, Switzerland). Furthermore, visits to the brush and the concentrate feeder, and the milking order position were recorded. In comparison with nonlame cows, moderately lame cows had a longer lying duration, a longer average lying bout duration, and a greater lateral asymmetry in lying duration. Average locomotor activity, locomotor activity during 1 h after feed delivery or push-ups, and average neck activity were lower in moderately lame cows. Eating time and the number of eating chews (jaw movements) were reduced in moderately lame compared with nonlame cows, whereas no effect of moderate lameness was evident for ruminating time, number of ruminating chews and boluses, and average number of ruminating chews per bolus. Moderately lame cows visited the concentrate feeder and the brush less frequently, and they were further back in the milking order compared with nonlame cows. In conclusion, nonlame and moderately lame cows differed in a biologically relevant way in many of the behavioral variables investigated in this study. Therefore, the use of these behavioral changes seems to be promising to develop a tool for early lameness detection.
Animal Behaviour · 103 Zitationen · DOI
Behaviour · 102 Zitationen · DOI
In studies of animal behaviour investigators correlate dominance with all kinds of behavioural variables, such as reproductive success and foraging success. Many methods are used to produce a dominance hierarchy from a matrix reflecting the frequency of winning dominance interactions. These different methods produce different hierarchies. However, it is difficult to decide which ranking method is best. In this paper, we offer a new procedure for this decision: we use an individual-based model, called DomWorld, as a test-environment. We choose this model, because it provides access to both the internal dominance values of artificial agents (which reflects their fighting power) and the matrix of winning and losing among them and, in addition, because its behavioural rules are biologically inspired and its group-level patterns resemble those of real primates. We compare statistically the dominance hierarchy based on the internal dominance values of the artificial agents with the dominance hierarchy produced by ranking individuals by (a) their total frequency of winning, (b) their average dominance index, (c) a refined dominance index, the David's score, (d) the number of subordinates each individual has and (e) a ranking method based on maximizing the linear order of the hierarchy. Because dominance hierarchies may differ depending on group size, type of society, and the interval of study, we compare these ranking methods for these conditions. We study complete samples as well as samples randomly chosen to resemble the limitations of observing real animals. It appears that two methods of medium complexity (the average dominance index and David's score) lead to hierarchical orders that come closest to the hierarchy based on internal dominance values of the agents. We advocate usage of the average dominance index, because of its computational simplicity.
Physiology & Behavior · 92 Zitationen · DOI
Ethology · 91 Zitationen · DOI
Abstract Farm animals may serve as models for evaluating social networks in a controlled environment. We used an automated system to track, at fine temporal and spatial resolution (once per minute, ±50 cm) every individual in six herds of dairy cows ( Bos taurus ). We then analysed the data using social network analyses. Relationships were based on non‐random attachment and avoidance relationships in respect to synchronous use and distances observed in three different functional areas (activity, feeding and lying). We found that neither synchrony nor distance between cows was strongly predictable among the three functional areas. The emerging social networks were tightly knit for attachment relationships and less dense for avoidance relationships. These networks loosened up from the feeding and lying area to the activity area, and were less dense for relationships based on synchronicity than on median distance with respect to node degree, relative size of the largest cluster, density and diameter of the network. In addition, synchronicity was higher in dyads of dairy cows that had grown up together and shared their last dry period. This last effect disappeared with increasing herd size. Dairy herds can be characterized by one strongly clustered network including most of the herd members with many non‐random attachment and avoidance relationships. Closely synchronous dyads were composed of cows with more intense previous contact. The automatic tracking of a large number of individuals proved promising in acquiring the data necessary for tackling social network analyses.
Applied Animal Behaviour Science · 84 Zitationen · DOI
Biology Letters · 77 Zitationen · DOI
The concept of animal welfare is evolving due to progress in our scientific understanding of animal biology and changing societal expectations. Animal welfare science has been primarily concerned with minimizing suffering, but there is growing interest in also promoting positive experiences, grouped under the term positive animal welfare (PAW). However, there are discrepancies in the use of the term PAW. An interdisciplinary group arrived at a consensus that 'PAW can be defined as the animal flourishing through the experience of predominantly positive mental states and the development of competence and resilience. PAW goes beyond ensuring good physical health and the prevention and alleviation of suffering. It encompasses animals experiencing positive mental states resulting from rewarding experiences, including having choices and opportunities to actively pursue goals and achieve desired outcomes'. The definition also considers individual and species-specific differences. It provides a framework for researchers to investigate PAW and thereby generate innovative, informative and reproducible science. Studies of PAW can contribute to a richer picture of an animal's life and may elucidate the biological foundations of happiness. The definition creates opportunities to inspire scientific progress in animal biology and to align animal care practices, legislation and markets with societal expectations.
Ethology · 77 Zitationen · DOI
Abstract Animals choose a course of action countless times each day. To do so, they need to prioritise their behaviour within a set of alternative actions and decide which of these actions to perform at any one time and for how long, that is, determine when the behaviour has reached its desired effect. This process has classically been called the proximate behavioural control mechanism. Several aspects contribute to this process: internal and external stimuli, the emotions that they elicit, motivation (wants), behavioural goals, valuation, decision‐making and its modulation by mood, and the assessment of behavioural outcomes (liking). I will address all these aspects in the form of an integrated conceptual model. In the process of behavioural control, options need to be valued, and I will refer to evidence showing that an affective hedonic process in respect to (future) reward and punishment heavily affects this value. Moreover, I view motivation, the force that finally drives a specific behavioural output, as being primarily influenced by affective states or even corresponding fully to them. Given the feedback in behavioural control by (dis‐)liking outcomes of behaviour, I reason that in respect to welfare it is more important for animals to reach proximate goals than to avoid negative stimuli. All behavioural choices are modulated, and I show how mood, a long‐term affective state, can cause such modulation. Proximate control of behaviour takes place in the brain, and I will briefly discuss how current and future brain research may elucidate how the brain computes these processes. Furthermore, the inclusion of affective states in the conceptual model raises the question of the subjective experience of animals, and I will address some of the important open questions in this area of research. I will conclude that neural studies cannot currently provide a detailed and general theory on the algorithms of proximate behavioural control. In parallel to further developing these approaches, I propose to strengthen a refined ethological approach with a focus on the states of “wanting” and “liking” in ecologically meaningful circumstances and with a strong ontogenetic (within species) and comparative (between species) component. I consider this ethological approach to be a highly promising step in understanding proximate behavioural control.
Applied Animal Behaviour Science · 74 Zitationen · DOI
Applied Animal Behaviour Science · 74 Zitationen · DOI
Atmospheric Environment · 64 Zitationen · DOI
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology · 63 Zitationen · DOI
Milk Cortisol Concentration in Automatic Milking Systems Compared with Auto-Tandem Milking Parlors
2006Journal of Dairy Science · 62 Zitationen · DOI
Milk cortisol concentration was determined under routine management conditions on 4 farms with an auto-tandem milking parlor and 8 farms with 1 of 2 automatic milking systems (AMS). One of the AMS was a partially forced (AMSp) system, and the other was a free cow traffic (AMSf) system. Milk samples were collected for all the cows on a given farm (20 to 54 cows) for at least 1 d. Behavioral observations were made during the milking process for a subset of 16 to 20 cows per farm. Milk cortisol concentration was evaluated by milking system, time of day, behavior during milking, daily milk yield, and somatic cell count using linear mixed-effects models. Milk cortisol did not differ between systems (AMSp: 1.15 +/- 0.07; AMSf: 1.02 +/- 0.12; auto-tandem parlor: 1.01 +/- 0.16 nmol/L). Cortisol concentrations were lower in evening than in morning milkings (1.01 +/- 0.12 vs. 1.24 +/- 0.13 nmol/L). The daily periodicity of cortisol concentration was characterized by an early morning peak and a late afternoon elevation in AMSp. A bimodal pattern was not evident in AMSf. Finally, milk cortisol decreased by a factor of 0.915 in milking parlors, by 0.998 in AMSp, and increased by a factor of 1.161 in AMSf for each unit of ln(somatic cell count/1,000). We conclude that milking cows in milking parlors or AMS does not result in relevant stress differences as measured by milk cortisol concentrations. The biological relevance of the difference regarding the daily periodicity of milk cortisol concentrations observed between the AMSp and AMSf needs further investigation.
animal · 60 Zitationen · DOI
In farm animals, salivary cortisol has become a widely used parameter for measuring stress responses. However, only few studies have dealt with basal levels of concentration of cortisol in pigs and its circadian rhythm. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of ambient temperature and thermoregulatory behaviour on the circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol levels in fattening pigs. Subjects were 30 fattening pigs of different weight (60 to 100 kg), kept in six groups in an uninsulated building in pens with partly slatted floors. Saliva samples were taken every 2 h over periods of 24 h at different ambient temperatures at two times in winter and four times in summer. Thermoregulatory behaviour was recorded in the same 24-h time periods. The effect of time of day, body weight, ambient temperature and behaviour on the cortisol level was analysed using a mixed-effects model. Two peaks of cortisol levels per day were found. This circadian pattern became more pronounced with increasing weight and on days where thermoregulatory behaviour was shown. Mean cortisol levels per day were affected by weight but not by thermoregulatory behaviour. From our data, we conclude that long-term variations in cortisol concentration may be influenced by increasing age and weight more than by the respective experimental situation. In assessing animal welfare, it seems more reliable to consider the circadian pattern of cortisol concentration instead of only one value per day.
Applied Animal Behaviour Science · 60 Zitationen · DOI
Anthrozoös · 58 Zitationen · DOI
Previous data indicated that cats influence the moods of singly living people only by decreasing negative moods, while not affecting positive moods. In this study, we asked if such an effect can be 1) replicated, 2) is comparable to the effect of a human partner, and 3) related to the owner's attachment towards the cat. Two hundred and twelve couples with cats, 31 couples without cats, singly living people with cats (47 women, 45 men) and singly living people without cats (43 women, 9 men) volunteered to participate. We used a list of adjectives (the “EWL”-Questionnaire) to assess their mood, which they responded to on an evening of their choice. The Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS) was additionally completed by the cat owners. Selected adjectives were reduced by factor analyses and labeled bad mood, activity, good mood, and seclusion, according to the highest loadings of mood items within each factor. Each mood factor was explained by cat ownership, presence or absence of a partner, and the person's sex. Further, sex, partner status and attachment towards cats explained moods amongst the cat owners. Only the partner, but not the cat, enhanced positive moods. Cats alleviated negative moods, and this effect was comparable to the effect of a human partner. This compensatory effect of cat ownership on negative moods was not comparable to a similar effect of degree of attachment towards the cat on human mood. Possible reasons for the unidirectional effect of cats on human mood are discussed.
Behavioural Brain Research · 56 Zitationen · DOI
Equine Veterinary Journal · 55 Zitationen · DOI
A stable group hierarchy and a housing system that provides adequate space and is adapted to horse-specific behaviour are important factors in prevention and kick and bite injuries.
Comparison of Functional Aspects in Two Automatic Milking Systems and Auto-Tandem Milking Parlors
2007Journal of Dairy Science · 54 Zitationen · DOI
Milk yield, milking frequency, intermilking interval, teat-cup attachment success rate, and length of the milking procedure are important functional aspects of automatic milking systems (AMS). In this study, these variables were compared for 2 different models of AMS (AMS-1, with free cow traffic, and AMS-2, with selectively guided cow traffic) and auto-tandem milking parlors (ATM) on 4 farms each. Data on milking-stall visits and milkings of 20 cows were recorded on 3 successive days by means of video observations. Data were evaluated with mixed-effects models. Milk yield did not differ among the 3 milking systems. Milking frequency in the AMS was 2.47/d [95% confidence interval (CI) = (2.38, 2.56)], and was significantly higher than the 2 milkings/d in ATM. Milking frequency was lower for cows with a higher number of days in milk (DIM) in AMS-1 [change of -0.057/10 DIM, CI = (-0.070, -0.044)], but remained constant for cows with varying DIM in AMS-2 [change of -0.003/10 DIM, CI = (-0.034, 0.027)]. As a consequence, milking frequency was higher in early lactation [by 0.603, CI = (0.102, 1.103)] and lower in late lactation in AMS-1 than in AMS-2 [by -0.397, CI = (-0.785, -0.008)]. The intermilking interval showed the opposite pattern. Teat-cup attachment was more successful in AMS-1 than in AMS-2 (98.4 vs. 94.3% of the milkings), with some variation among farms (range: AMS-1 96.2 to 99.5%; AMS-2 91.5 to 96.1%). The length of the entire milking process did not differ among the milking systems [454 s, CI = (430, 478)], although the preparation phase was longer [changes in comparison with ATM: in AMS-1 by a factor of 2.90, CI = (2.30, 3.65), and in AMS-2 by 5.15, CI = (4.09, 6.48)] and the actual milking phase was shorter in both AMS-1 and AMS-2 than in ATM [changes in comparison with ATM: in AMS-1 by a factor of 0.76, CI = (0.62, 0.94), and in AMS-2 by 0.75, CI = (0.60, 0.93)]. The admission [changes in comparison with ATM: in AMS-1 by a factor of 2.56, CI = (1.55, 4.22), and in AMS-2 by 3.07, CI = (1.86, 5.08)] and preparation phases lasted longer in AMS-2 than in AMS-1, whereas the time required by the cows to leave the milking stall did not differ among the systems [changes in comparison with ATM: in AMS-1 by a factor of 0.89, CI = (0.55, 1.44), and in AMS-2 by 1.02, CI = (0.63, 1.66)]. In conclusion, different technical approaches to automatic milking led to differences in teat-cup attachment success rates, in the duration of several phases of the milking process, and in milking frequency. The capacity of an AMS could be further improved by shortening the preparation phase and reducing the proportion of failed milkings.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 53 Zitationen · DOI
Emotion expression plays a crucial role for regulating social interactions. One efficient channel for emotion communication is the vocal-auditory channel, which enables a fast transmission of information. Filter-related parameters (formants) have been suggested as a key to the vocal differentiation of emotional valence (positive versus negative) across species, but variation in relation to emotions has rarely been investigated. Here, whether pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) closed-mouth grunts differ in source- and filter-related features when produced in situations assumed to be positive and negative is investigated. Behavioral and physiological parameters were used to validate the animals' emotional state (both in terms of valence and arousal, i.e., bodily activation). Results revealed that grunts produced in a positive situation were characterized by higher formants, a narrower range of the third formant, a shorter duration, a lower fundamental frequency, and a lower harmonicity compared to negative grunts. Particularly, formant-related parameters and duration made up most of the difference between positive and negative grunts. Therefore, these parameters have the potential to encode dynamic information and to vary as a function of the emotional valence of the emitter in pigs, and possibly in other mammals as well.
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Präventive Diagnostik für Kühe mit Hilfe eines Pansensensors
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Präventive Diagnostik für Kühe mit Hilfe eines Pansensensors
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Stammdaten
Identität, Organisation und Kontakt aus HU-FIS.
- Name
- PD Dr. Lorenz Gygax
- Titel
- PD Dr.
- Fakultät
- Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät
- Institut
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institut für Agrar- und Gartenbauwissenschaften
- Arbeitsgruppe
- Tierhaltungssysteme und Ethologie
- Telefon
- +49 30 2093-46932
- HU-FIS-Profil
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- 26.4.2026, 01:05:33