Concern that excessive temperatures arising from substrate fermentation could have a deleterious effect on voluntary feed intake and weight gain, especially during the hottest times of the year, might be a barrier to the widespread adoption of deep-bedding systems for pig production in Brazil. The aim of this study was to compare the behaviour and performance of pigs reared on deep bedding with two different substrates, wood shavings and rice husks, or in barren, part-slatted, concrete-floored pens (n = 4 pens per treatment), from 60 days of age through to slaughter, during the summer months in Santa Catarina, southwest Brazil. Floor and pigs’ skin temperatures were 2.2 and 3.9% higher, respectively, in the pens with bedding than with concrete flooring; these differences resulted in modest, non-significant effects on performance and meat quality. Certain elements of the behaviour of pigs reared with bedding, such as increased play activity and substrate manipulation and less peer-directed behaviours, indicated improved welfare compared to pigs reared in concrete-floored pens. Performance and meat quality were similar in bedded pens with either wood shavings or rice husks. In both bedding substrates, the animals spent more time lying or standing on the beds than on the concrete platforms, where the feed and the water troughs were located, despite the higher temperature in the substrate compared to the concrete platform; suggesting that such temperature differences were not relevant for the thermal comfort of the animals. These results indicate that both substrates, abundant and readily available in the region, are suitable bedding materials for pigs.
Herein, the effect of the addition of Ni‐coated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and morphology of zirconia porous cellular structures is studied, aiming to increase their mechanical strength. Highly porous structures of monolithic zirconia (ZrO2) and zirconia reinforced with Ni‐doped CNTs (ZrO2 + CNT/Ni) are fabricated through the replica method. Scanning electron microscopy and micro‐computed tomography (microCT) analyses show that ZrO2 + CNT/Ni specimens present lower overall porosity (88.0%) than monolithic ZrO2 (93.8%), indicating improved sintering kinetics. Compressive tests for the ZrO2 + CNT/Ni samples result in a compressive strength of 0.82 ± 0.10 MPa, a threefold value of that of the monolithic sample (0.25 ± 0.07 MPa). The ZrO2 + CNT/Ni samples also present a higher elastic modulus (41.02 ± 4.94 MPa) than the ZrO2 ones (21.92 ± 5.40 MPa). Thus, the addition of Ni‐coated CNTs significantly improves the strength of highly porous zirconia cellular structures.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.