Michael Simmler

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Simmler

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Michael

ORCID

0000-0002-4095-4111

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Publications 1 - 10 of 13

The effect of neck strap positioning relative to dairy cow body size on rising, lying down, and defecation behaviour in lying cubicles
Brouwers, Stijn P.; Schug, A.F.E.; Simmler, Michael; et al. (2025)
Animal
In cubicle housing systems for dairy cows, neck rails/straps/chains are used to limit bedding soiling by faeces and urine. Flexible neck straps are an alternative to rigid neck rails, which are associated with animal welfare issues such as painful collisions, injuries, and atypical behaviours. However, no literature exists on the positioning of flexible neck straps in relation to their effectiveness in limiting soiling of the bedding material and their effect on cow behaviour. In a research barn with 40 cows, we experimentally investigated how neck strap positioning relative to cow body size affects rising and lying down behaviours, general lying behaviour, and defecation behaviour in lying cubicles. To expand the range of body-relative positioning beyond that resulting from the herd's variation in body size, we varied the neck strap height (105, 120, and 135 cm) and its distance from the curb (155 and 170 cm) in two experiments. The resulting ratios of neck strap height to withers height (NSH ratio) ranged from 0.65 to 0.96, and the ratios of neck strap distance from the curb to diagonal body length (NSD ratio) ranged from 0.85 to 1.11. With the exception of sideways head lunging, atypical rising and lying down behaviours were rare throughout the study. A higher (less restrictive) NSH ratio was associated with a reduced probability of crawling backwards on the carpal joints during rising. We found no statistical support for an effect of neck strap positioning relative to cow body size on the probabilities of other atypical rising and lying down behaviours, or daily lying time and frequency. For defecations within a 120 s time window around rising events while in the lying cubicle, a higher (less restrictive) NSH ratio was associated with a higher probability of faeces landing in the cubicle. This probability also increased with a higher (less restrictive) NSD ratio. Overall, our results indicate that the positioning of flexible neck straps relative to cow body size, as tested in this study, does not considerably affect dairy cow behaviour, suggesting that flexible straps can accommodate cows of different sizes. The effectiveness of positioning cows in the lying cubicle in such a way that limits soiling of the bedding around rising events increased with a lower (more restrictive) NSH ratio. Thus, flexible neck straps can be a viable alternative to rigid neck rails by limiting soiling of lying cubicles around rising events without considerably impeding dairy cow movements during rising and lying down.
Towards a novel method for detecting atypical lying down and standing up behaviors in dairy cows using accelerometers and machine learning
Brouwers, Stijn P.; Simmler, Michael; Savary, Pascal; et al. (2023)
Smart Agricultural Technology
Free-stall cubicles are designed so that cows do not defecate in the bedding material, while still providing comfortable lying places. However, fixed cubicle elements, such as the partition and neck rail, restrict available movement space and may hinder cows from performing natural lying down and standing up movement patterns. Although there are various types of cubicle partitions that differ in shape, dimensions, or materials, there is no method other than visual observations to assess their effects on cow welfare. An automated detection system could improve the efficiency and promote objectivity of such assessments. Therefore, the aim of this research was to explore which atypical lying down and standing up behaviors could be detected using body-mounted accelerometers and machine learning. Three leg- and one head-mounted accelerometer set to record at 20 Hz were fitted to 48 lactating dairy cows (Brown Swiss and Holstein × Swiss Fleckvieh). Lying down and standing up events were simultaneously assessed through video observations, by assigning binary presence/absence labels for atypical behaviors, such as lunging the head sideways when standing up and pawing the bedding material before lying down. Different time series classification algorithms were employed for model development using a nested cross-validation strategy. The best performing classifiers were MiniRocket and the deep learning algorithm InceptionTime. Atypical behaviors performed during standing up events, namely Hesitant head lunge and Crawling backwards, were identified as most promising candidates for accelerometer-based detection. These behaviors were detected with balanced accuracies of 0.67 and 0.74, respectively, and their learning curves indicated that more training data might further improve model performance. Overall, achieved performances were not yet satisfactory for application in the evaluation of new dairy cow housing installations. Potentially, ethograms designed for human observers are not optimal for machine learning and adjustments with machine learnability in mind might be necessary. The behaviors identified as promising are good candidates for further development into an efficient and objective method that could complement human observations in the assessment of dairy cow housing installations.
Environmental Impacts of Mine Waste Contamination in a River Floodplain: Arsenic Plant Uptake, Effects on Microbial Communities, and Reductive Solubilization
Simmler, Michael (2018)
Linking soil N dynamics and plant N uptake by means of sensor support
Argento, Francesco; Liebisch, Frank; Simmler, Michael; et al. (2022)
European Journal of Agronomy
Monitoring the spatial and temporal plant availability of nitrogen (N) in agroecosystems is a key step to improve the synchronization between N fertilizer application and crop N demand, consequently reducing the risk of N emissions to the environment. Using a winter wheat N fertilization dataset from six site-years, we linked dynamic nitrate data measured in the soil solution to standard soil and crop analyses data and multispectral imagery acquired by an unmanned aerial vehicle. Wheat N uptake was determined as remotely estimated N uptake (REN) from the spectral data with a power regression model (mean absolute error = 17 kg N ha−1). The nitrate-N in the soil solution (NSS), extracted by means of suction cups, was measured with an ion-selective electrode. The REN proved to be suitable for monitoring the accumulation of N in the plants along the season. The NSS was characterized by low values and found of limited use as a direct indicator for potentially plant-available N. The N balances resulted in N surplus in the range of 43–100 kg N ha−1 over the six site-years. The most important contribution to the N balances was the soil N supply (67–143 kg N ha−1; mineralization and atmospheric input). Including this factor in the fertilization strategy was investigated post-season by calculating the ‘adjusted N fertilization norm’, reflecting the current best fertilization practice in Switzerland. The approach suggested lower N fertilization rates in the fields with higher N surplus. However, such static empirical strategies do not allow to react to in-season changes. Sensor-based monitoring could help to overcome this shortcoming.
Lignite Reduces the Solubility and Plant Uptake of Cadmium in Pasturelands
Simmler, Michael; Ciadamidaro, Lisa; Schulin, R.; et al. (2013)
Environmental Science & Technology
Environmental drivers for arsenic solubilization from floodplain soils
Simmler, Michael; Bommer, Jérôme; Frischknecht, S.; et al. (2017)
Arsenic contamination of the Ogosta River floodplain and its environmental impacts
Christl, Iso; Simmler, Michael; Kotsev, Tsvetan; et al. (2018)
Geophysical Research Abstracts
Intersektorale Innovationspolitik im Forstbereich als Beitrag zur Regionalentwicklung
Hansmann, Ralf; Kilchling, Petra; Simmler, Michael; et al. (2009)
Effect of extreme metal(loid) concentrations on prokaryotic community structure in floodplain soils contaminated with mine waste
Simmler, Michael; Christl, Iso; Kretzschmar, Ruben (2019)
Applied Soil Ecology
Reductive solubilization of arsenic in a mining-impacted river floodplain: Influence of soil properties and temperature
Simmler, Michael; Bommer, Jérôme; Frischknecht, Sarah; et al. (2017)
Environmental Pollution

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Michael Simmler

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