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

我的研究计划的长期愿景是通过促进社会中使用的动物行为需求的知识进步（例如食品生产，陪伴，研究，娱乐），开发在我们的照顾下饲养和管理动物的新方法。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。定义了三个短期目标：表征最大化运动活动的条件（目标1），并通过全面研究动物如何运动（目标2）和导致我们观察到的运动背后的生物力学（目标3）来检查是否为动物提供更多的运动机会可以提高它们的运动能力。我的假设是，牛的动机，从事运动活动，并提供奶牛的运动延长的机会，将提高他们的流动性。我将在奶牛生命的几个阶段检验这些假设：作为一个年轻的小牛，作为一个成年泌乳奶牛，和周围的产犊。在麦吉尔大学奶牛场，在空间有限的个人围栏中的奶牛和小牛将从它们的围栏/围栏中释放出来，并提供一个自由奔跑的区域。将进行第一组实验，以确定最大化运动活动的自由奔跑区域的特征（目标1）。为了量化奶牛在有机会自由活动时的运动量，并识别所发生的活动类型，将使用经验证并可在我的实验室中使用的自动记录技术（例如，计步器、视频跟踪系统）对奶牛进行监测。将使用运动学（3D运动分析目标2）和动力学技术（力和压力分析目标3）的组合评价提供延长的运动机会对奶牛活动性的影响。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，将运动，力和压力分布结合在一个增强的走道中。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表征，以及增加运动机会对福利，生理和性能结果的影响。随着城市化程度的提高，这些研究结果将为加拿大农民提供选择，不仅使剩余的农民能够经营认识到福利和可持续性的系统，而且还能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.