The biomechanics of mobility: advancement of animal locomotion through kinematic and kinetic analysis

我的研究项目的长期愿景是通过促进社会中动物行为需求（例如食物生产，陪伴，研究，娱乐）的知识进步，开发新的饲养和管理动物的方法。我提出的五年研究计划的目标是描述其中一种行为需求：生活在运动受限环境中的动物对运动的需求。我们定义了三个短期目标：描述运动活动最大化的条件（目标1），并通过对动物运动方式的全面研究（目标2）和导致我们观察到的运动背后的生物力学（目标3），检查是否为动物提供更多的运动机会来提高它们的运动能力。我的假设是，牛有动力从事运动活动，而为奶牛提供更多的运动机会将提高它们的机动性。我将在奶牛生命的几个阶段对这些假设进行检验：小牛时期、成年泌乳期和产犊前后。在麦吉尔大学的奶牛综合设施中，拴栏内的奶牛和空间有限的单独栏内的小牛将被释放，并提供一个自由奔跑的区域。第一组实验将进行，以确定这个自由运行区域的特征，最大限度地提高运动活动（目标1）。为了量化奶牛在有机会自由活动时的活动量，并确定所发生的活动类型，将使用经过验证并可在我的实验室使用的自动记录技术（例如计步器，视频跟踪系统）对奶牛进行监控。将结合运动学（3D运动分析目标2）和动力学技术（力和压力分析目标3）来评估提供更多运动机会对奶牛流动性的影响。这些分析将在我的新实验室进行，该实验室最近配备了一个多功能平台，用于步态分析，结合运动，力和压力分布在增强型人行道上。这项研究计划将有助于通过增加对动物行为需求的了解来加强动物护理。刺激奶牛运动的因素将被描述，以及增加运动机会对福利、生理和性能结果的影响。随着城市化的增加，这些发现将为加拿大农民提供选择，不仅允许剩余的农民经营认识到福利和可持续性的系统，而且还满足大量城市人口的生产需求。该科学框架有可能应用于随后的动物行为和福利研究，以更好地了解加拿大社会中使用的其他物种的禁闭效果。

The long-term vision of my research program is to develop new ways of housing and managing animals under our care by contributing to the knowledge advancement of the behavioral needs in animals used in society (e.g. food production, companionship, research, recreation). The goal of my proposed five-year research program is to characterize one of those behavioral needs: the need for movement in animals living in a movement-restricted environment. Three short-term objectives were defined: characterize the conditions that maximize locomotor activity (Goal 1) and examine whether providing animals with more opportunities for movement improves their locomotor ability through a comprehensive study of how the animal moves (Goal 2) and the biomechanics behind what causes the movements we observe (Goal 3). My hypotheses are that cattle are motivated to engage in locomotor activities and that providing dairy cattle with extended opportunities for movement will improve their mobility. I will test these hypotheses at several stages of the cow's life: as a young calf, as an adult lactating cow, and around calving. Dairy cows in tie-stall housing and calves in individual pens with limited space at the McGill University Dairy cattle complex will be released from their stall/pen and provided with a free-run area. A first set of experiments will be carry out to define the characteristics of this free-run area that maximize locomotor activity (Goal 1). In order to quantify the amount of movement performed by dairy cattle when provided with opportunities to move freely and to identify the type of activities that take place, the cows will be monitored using automated recording technologies validated and available for use in my lab (e.g. pedometers, video tracking system). The effect of providing extended opportunities for movement on cow mobility will be evaluated using a combination of kinematics (3D motion analysis Goal 2) and kinetics technology (force and pressure analyses Goal 3). These analyses will be carried on in my new lab recently equipped with a multi-function platform for gait analysis combining motion, force, and pressure distribution in an enhanced walkway. This research program will contribute to the enhancement of animal care through an increased understanding of the animals' behavioral needs. Factors stimulating movement in dairy cattle will be characterised as well as the effect of increased movement opportunities on welfare, physiology and performance outcomes. With an increase in urbanization, these findings will provide options for Canadian farmers that not only allow remaining farmers to operate systems that are cognizant of welfare and sustainability, but to also meet the production demands of a large urban population. The scientific framework has the potential to be applied in subsequent animal behavior and welfare research to better understand the effect of confinement in other species used in Canadian society.