Search Results (35)

Lameness remains one of the most significant welfare and economic challenges in modern dairy production. Traditional detection methods, particularly visual locomotion scoring, are limited by subjectivity, inconsistent application, and infrequent monitoring, which often delays the recognition of painful lesions. This review synthesizes recent validation studies of automated lameness detection (ALD) technologies and evaluates their diagnostic performance, validation design, and practical implementation across dairy systems. Studies were screened for relevance by a single reviewer based on title, abstract, and full-text content. Included studies represented sensor-based, pressure-based, vision-based, and multimodal detection platforms, with reported accuracies ranging from approximately 70% to 98% depending on modality and environmental setting. Vision-based systems demonstrated strong performance in controlled conditions, whereas field-validated systems showed more moderate but potentially more generalizable accuracy. Pressure-based platforms reported high diagnostic discrimination via area under the curve (AUC) analysis but face infrastructural limitations in commercial settings. Risk-of-bias assessment indicated that controlled experimental studies without external validation may overestimate deployment performance. Despite technological advances, variability in validation protocols, lesion thresholds, and environmental robustness limits direct comparison across systems. Future research should prioritize multi-farm external validation, standardized benchmarking frameworks, and multimodal integration within precision livestock farming ecosystems to improve reliability and adoption. Full article

This study was carried out to determine the reliability of the methods of transmission of information about the location of a train to the train control center using a digital radio channel and a method based on Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology. The study results were obtained based on the MATLAB R2024b model and showed resistance to external noise in fiber-optic communication with DAS technology. The proposed information transmission method allows the joint use of fixed- and moving-block section concepts in train traffic control systems. The effectiveness of the joint application of the concept of fixed and moving-block sections was analyzed using OpenTrack V1.10 microscopic simulation using the parameters of the operating railway section Kurozek-Ekpindi-Jarsu, locomotive TE33A series, trains No. 3002 and No. 3004, and the interval control system. The obtained research results in the form of a diagram showed the effectiveness of the proposed method of duplicating the concept of moving- and fixed-block sections. The reduction in inter-train intervals contributes to increasing the capacity of the railway line and is the key to the economic efficiency of railway transport. Full article

Dairy cow longevity is a key driver of farm profitability, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. Despite genetic progress in milk production, the average herd life has declined in many high-yielding dairy systems, raising concerns about early culling. This study analyzed data from 2057 Holstein–Friesian cows in Hungary to characterize the distribution and timing of culling events and to identify major risk factors affecting productive lifespan. We studied age, parity, milk yield, and culling reason using descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis tests, multinomial logistic regression, and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Udder health problems were found to be the most frequent cause of culling (22.8%), followed by metabolic disorders (18.2%), locomotive problems (17.3%), and reproductive disorders (17.1%). Economic reasons such as low milk production contributed to a smaller proportion of culling. Most cows were culled after the second or third lactation, with survival probability dropping sharply within the first 1500–2000 days of life. Cows reaching four or more lactations represented a small but economically and genetically valuable subset of the herd. Our results indicated that in Hungary culling decisions are largely determined by health problems, which represent a greater limitation to the productive potential of dairy cows than economic factors. This research recommends that breeding programs prioritize genetic selection for robustness and that herd management adopts preventive health and reproductive strategies to prolong cow longevity, ultimately enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of dairy production systems. Additionally, prevention of animal wastage to foster animal welfare could be suggested as an additional advantage. Full article

Lameness is a significant global welfare and economic problem in dairy farming. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between various claw lesions and locomotion scores (LCS). A total of 491 cows from ten Austrian dairy farms were included in the study. Each cow’s gait was individually evaluated and an ascending locomotion score ranging from 1 to 5 was assigned. Subsequently, functional hoof trimming was conducted on all cows. During this procedure the claws were examined and all lesions electronically documented. For statistical analysis, the prevalence of each LCS was calculated and the distribution of LCS in relation to parity and lactation stage examined. Additionally, a simple chi-square test and a generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) were applied to identify associations between specific types of lesions and LCSs. The results from the GLMM showed significant associations (p < 0.05) between ‘other causes’, thin soles and interdigital hyperplasia with acute digital dermatitis on its surface (IH-DD-M2) and an LCS ≥ 2, between DD-associated claw horn lesions, thin soles, interdigital hyperplasia IH-DD-M2 and an LCS ≥ 3, and between DD-associated claw horn lesions, IH-DD-M2, and ‘infectious claw disorders’ and an LCS ≥ 4. The results emphasise the importance of early and accurate detection of lameness to promptly treat underlying painful claw lesions, thereby promoting improved animal welfare. Full article

In order to study the generation, management, and disposal status of waste mineral oil in China’s railway transport industry, this article takes the Beijing Railway Bureau and its subordinate Tangshan Locomotive Depot as the research objects and comprehensively applies the survey, case study, and statistical analysis methods to analyze the source of the generation of railway waste mineral oil, the distribution of the disposal enterprises and locomotive depots, the management mode, and the economic and environmental benefits of recycling waste engine oil. The results show that waste oil mainly originates from locomotive overhaul and maintenance. There is significant regional imbalance in the generation and disposal capacity of railway waste oil. The Beijing Railway Bureau can achieve the timely disposal of waste mineral oil and reduce transport risks. Waste mineral oil management integrates generation, storage, transfer, and disposal. If cooperation is initiated with waste oil disposal enterprises, the use of recycled oil can save up to RMB 178,600/year and reduce carbon emission by 76.42 tCO₂/year for this locomotive depot. In view of the current situation, the railway industry should improve the management and disposal deficiencies and explore the new model of waste oil reduction, reuse, and recycling. Full article

Hoof disorders in small ruminants pose significant challenges to animal welfare and farm productivity. This study presents the first attempt to determine the prevalence of lameness and hoof disorders and their associated risk factors in goat and sheep farms in Selangor, Malaysia. Locomotion scores were collected from 226 animals (126 sheep and 100 goats) across 10 farms. A hoof examination was conducted, and hoof lesions were identified through detailed photographic evaluation. On-farm assessments and interviews were conducted to gather information on management practices from the farms. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and logistic regression models. The prevalence of lameness was 42.8% (95% CI 34.2 to 51.9) in sheep and 23.0% (95% CI 16.3–38.4) in goats. Significant variation (p > 0.05) in lameness prevalence was observed across farms, ranging from 26.7% to 61.5% in sheep and 7.7% to 30.8% in goat farms. The majority of lameness and hoof lesions were observed in the hindlimbs of both species. The prevalence of hoof disorders was 91.3% (95% CI 84.6–95.4) in sheep and 43.0% in goats (95% CI 21.4–58.0). The predominant hoof disorders were overgrown wall horn, white line disease, sole bruise, and wall fissures. No hoof affections of infectious origin were observed in the sampled animals. Risk factors for lameness and hoof lesions in sheep included pregnancy, semi-intensive management, and breeds other than Damara. Higher odds of lameness were observed in exotic goat breeds and those with overgrown wall horns. In conclusion, this study revealed a high prevalence of lameness and hoof disorders in goat and sheep farms, highlighting the need to address these important welfare and economic issues. While the identified risk factors could be considered for the management of hoof disorders in small ruminant farms, a larger sample size that is representative of the sheep and goat population is recommended for more generalizable results. Full article

Snake-like robots face critical challenges in energy-efficient locomotion and smooth gait transitions, limiting their real-world deployment. This study introduces a bio-inspired compliant joint design integrated with a hierarchical neural oscillator network and an energy-optimized control framework. The joint mimics biological skeletal flexibility using specialized wheeled mechanisms and adaptive parallel linkages, while the control network enables adaptive gait generation and seamless transitions through a phase-smoothing algorithm. Critically, this work adopts a synergistic design philosophy where mechanical components and control parameters are co-optimized through shared dynamic modeling. The proposed predictive control strategy optimizes locomotion speed while minimizing energy consumption. Experimental simulations demonstrate that the method achieves an 18% higher average forward speed (0.0563 m/s vs. 0.0478 m/s) with 7% lower energy use (0.1952 J vs. 0.2107 J) compared to conventional approaches. Physical prototype testing confirms these improvements under real-world conditions, showing a 12.9% speed increase (0.0531 m/s vs. 0.0470 m/s) and 7.3% energy reduction (0.2147 J vs. 0.2317 J). By unifying mechanical flexibility and adaptive control parameter tuning, this work bridges dynamic performance and energy efficiency, offering a robust solution for unstructured environments. Full article

This work provides a new solution for high-power quality traction power systems. The rapid development of electrified railways not only promotes economic development, but also seriously restricts the improvement of electric locomotive operation performance due to power quality problems, such as second harmonic distortion and negative sequence in the power supply system. In view of the shortcomings of the traditional in-phase power supply system in DC bus voltage stability control, a new in-phase power supply topology based on a back-to-back H-bridge power supply unit is proposed in this study. By establishing the iterative analysis model of the rectifier side double closed-loop control system, the internal correlation mechanism between the DC bus voltage second harmonic fluctuation and the grid side current harmonic is deeply revealed. On this basis, a rectifier-side disturbance compensation control strategy with a second harmonic suppression function is designed. Through real-time detection and compensation of second harmonic components, the active stability control of DC bus voltage is realized. The simulation model of the new cophase power supply system based on the experimental platform shows that the strategy can reduce the ripple coefficient of the DC bus voltage and the total harmonic distortion of the grid side current, which effectively verifies the superiority of the second harmonic suppression strategy in improving the power quality of the cophase power supply system. This work provides a new solution for a high-power quality traction power system. Full article

Due to the harsh and complex operating conditions, rolling element bearings (REBs) are prone to failures, which can result in significant economic losses and catastrophic breakdowns. To efficiently extract weak fault features from raw signals, singular value decomposition (SVD)-based signal denoising methods have been widely adopted in the field of rolling bearing fault diagnosis. In traditional SVD-based methods, singular components (SCs) with significant singular values are selected to reconstruct the denoized signal. However, this approach often overlooks low-energy SCs that contain important fault information, leading to inaccurate diagnosis. To address this issue, we propose a new selection scheme based on frequency domain multipoint kurtosis (FDMK), along with a reweighting strategy based on FDMK to further emphasize weak fault features. In addition, the estimation process of fault characteristic frequency is introduced, allowing FDMK to be calculated without prior information. The proposed FDMK-SVD can adaptively extract periodic fault features and accurately identify the health condition of REBs. The effectiveness of FDMK-SVD is validated using both simulated and experimental data obtained from a locomotive bearing test rig. The results show that FDMK-SVD can effectively extract fault features from raw vibration signals, even in the presence of severe background noise and other types of interferences. Full article

The regulation of locomotor behavior is essential for insects to perform their life activities. The central nervous system plays a pivotal role in modulating physiological behaviors, particularly movement, with neuropeptides serving as key modulators of these processes. Among these, adipokinetic hormone (AKH) was originally identified in insects as a neurohormone involved in lipid mobilization. This study investigates the functional role of AKHs (AKH1 and AKH2) and their receptor (AKHR) in regulating locomotion in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. Using functional calcium reporter assays, we demonstrated that AKHR is activated by two mature AKH peptides from T. castaneum, with half-maximal effective concentrations (EC₅₀) falling within the nanomolar range. Gene expression analysis confirmed the presence of AKH1 and AKH2 transcripts in the brain, while AKHR expression was localized to the fat body and carcass. The silencing of AKHs or AKHR through RNA interference resulted in a significant reduction in both movement distance and duration. Collectively, these findings highlight the regulatory influence of AKH/AKHR signaling in locomotor activity in T. castaneum, thereby advancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying locomotor control in this economically important insect species. Full article

With the increasing severity of global environmental issues and the pressure from the strict pollutant emission regulations proposed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the shipping industry is seeking new types of marine power systems that can replace traditional propulsion systems. Marine fuel cells, as an emerging energy technology, only emit water vapor or a small amount of carbon dioxide during operation, and have received widespread attention in recent years. However, research on their application in the shipping industry is relatively limited. Therefore, this paper collects relevant reports and literature on the use of fuel cells on ships over the past few decades, and conducts a thorough study of typical fuel cell-powered vessels. It summarizes and proposes current design schemes and optimization measures for marine fuel cell power systems, providing directions for further improving battery performance, reducing carbon emissions, and minimizing environmental pollution. Additionally, this paper compares and analyzes marine fuel cells with those used in automotive, aviation, and locomotive applications, offering insights and guidance for the development of marine fuel cells. Although hydrogen fuel cell technology has made significant progress in recent years, issues still exist regarding hydrogen production, storage, and related safety and standardization concerns. In terms of comprehensive performance and economics, it still cannot effectively compete with traditional internal combustion engines. However, with the continued rapid development of fuel cell technology, marine fuel cells are expected to become a key driver for promoting green shipping and achieving carbon neutrality goals. Full article

Dairy cow welfare can impact both the economic performance of an individual farm and the public perception of the sector, thus influencing the sustainability of the dairy farming industry. Intensive dairy farming in Iran started in the 1940s, but there is limited data available regarding dairy cattle welfare in the country. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design and use a comprehensive bespoke welfare assessment protocol in intensive Iranian dairy farms to provide baseline data for Iran and other countries with similar farming systems. The protocol consists of animal-based, stockperson-based, and resource-based measures. The first part of the welfare assessment protocol (being presented in this paper) was developed from the existing literature and contained 11 animal-based and 2 stockmanship measures. The protocol was applied in 62 intensive dairy cattle farms in five arid and semi-arid provinces of Iran. Welfare Quality sample size suggestions were used to reach the minimum sample size for all animal-based measures except for the locomotion score, where either the whole milking herd was scored or all cows in the early lactation (<150 days in milk) group. Results show that there was a good focus on nutrition management on the farms. Lameness prevalence and the incidence of hock lesions were too high, although within the range seen in many housed cows outside Iran. In addition, 13.5% of cows had damaged ears. The prevalence of dirty legs was high (≥80% of cows), and the hygiene score was unrelated to the farming system. Finally, the extremely high median prevalence of tail damage (60%) indicates a significant welfare issue that needs to be addressed with urgency. Full article

Locomotives are important vehicles, which serve for towing wagons, i.e., trains. Many factors influence the safe and cost-effective operation of locomotives and trains in general. One of these factors is adhesion at the wheel/rail contact. The adhesion determines how much power the locomotive can deliver and how the braking system will ensure that the train stops. The main way to improve adhesion is to use sand at the wheel/rail contact point. The aim of this study is to improve the efficiency of the sand system of the locomotive. For this purpose, a new sand system nozzle mounting design was proposed. The newly proposed sanding system is equipped with a nozzle mounted to the axlebox unlike the original one, which uses the nozzle attached to the bogie frame. To compare the proposed and existing design, simulation calculations were performed in Simpack software 2024.3. For the simulation computation of the locomotive bogie, two types of railway tracks were chosen. A straight track section with two angular frequencies and three amplitudes of track irregularities was created, and a real track section corresponding to several kilometers of track was modeled in the Simpack software. During the simulations, it was determined that the proposed nozzle mounting design has a smaller amplitude of motion, compared to the existing one; therefore, there is a more accurate and efficient operation of the sand system. This in turn has a favorable effect on the adhesion of the wheel with the rail. It was found out that the newly designed sanding system has a significant positive economic effect regarding saving sand. There is no sand loss during sandblasting compared with the original sanding system. This directly relates to saving costs during locomotive operation. Full article

Magnetic levitation (maglev) offers unique opportunities for guided transport; however, only a few existing maglev systems have demonstrated their potential benefits. This paper explores the potential of maglev-derived systems (MDS) in conventional rail, focusing on the use of linear motors to enhance freight operations. Such traction boosters provide additional propulsion capabilities by reducing the train consist’s dependence on wheel–rail adhesion and improving performance without needing an additional locomotive. The study analyses the Gothenburg–Borås railway in Sweden, a single-track, mixed-traffic line with limited capacity and slow speeds, where installing linear motors on uphill sections would allow freight trains to match the performance of passenger trains, even under challenging adhesion conditions. Target speed profiles were precomputed using dynamic programming, while a model predictive control algorithm determined the optimal train state and control trajectories. The results show that freight trains can achieve desired speeds but at the cost of increased energy consumption. A system-level cost–benefit analysis reveals a positive impact with a positive benefit-to-cost ratio. Although energy consumption increases, the time savings and reduced CO₂ emissions from shifting goods from road to rail demonstrate substantial economic and environmental benefits, improving the efficiency and sustainability of rail freight traffic. Full article

Acanthopagrus latus and Rhabdosargus sarba are economically important marine species along the coast of China, with similar external morphological characteristics and living habits, with wide distribution and strong adaptability. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptive evolution of these two species, we conducted whole-genome resequencing of 10 individuals of both species from the coastal waters of Wuyu Island, Fujian, China, using high-throughput sequencing technology. We obtained SNP, InDel, CNV, and SV variation information and annotated these variations, constructing a genomic variation database for both species. By comparing the resequencing data with reference genomes, we identified 9,829,511 SNP loci in the population of A. latus and 34,051,056 SNP loci in the population of R. sarba. Using whole-genome SNP data, we employed Fst and ROD methods to identify candidate genomic regions under selection. Functional annotation and enrichment analysis using GO and KEGG databases revealed potential adaptive evolution in R. sarba associated with immune response, feeding, growth and development, and locomotion, while A. latus showed potential adaptive evolution associated with immune response, nervous system, growth and development, and metabolism. Full article