Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Yoga On Perceived Stress Level And Cognitive Ability In College-Aged Females, Rachel V. Taylor, Faith Flanders, Allison Esposito, Delaney Lister, Lauren Williams

The Corinthian

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if perceived stress levels and response inhibition scores (measure of cognitive function) differ in female college students who regularly participate in yoga compared to female college students who do not.

Methods: College-aged females ranging from 19-24 years of age were recruited to participate in this study. Subjects filled out a personal information sheet followed by a perceived stress level questionnaire to measure the amount of yoga each participant performed and assess their perceived stress level, respectively. Response inhibition and accuracy (cognitive function) were measured via a computerized Stroop Effect test consisting …

Undergraduate Bulletin 2017-2019, John Carroll University

Undergraduate Bulletin

No abstract provided.

Raising Consciousness About Chicken Consciousness, Bernard Rollin

Animal Sentience

The topics explored by Marino are definitive, and should work well to lay to rest forever the widespread belief that chickens have no personality, are unintelligent, or in any other way lack a mental life.

Chickens’ Brains, Like Ours, Are Lateralized, Lesley J. Rogers

Animal Sentience

This commentary draws attention to yet another attribute that has been instrumental in demonstrating the cognitive abilities of domestic chicks: lateralization of brain function. The discovery of lateralization in domestic chicks was part of the first evidence showing that humans are not unique in this respect. The effects on cognitive ability of sensory stimulation in critical stages of development have implications for the welfare of chicks, as well as other species.

Are Chicken Minds Special?, Rafael Freire, Susan J. Hazel

Animal Sentience

The number of publications on chicken cognition and emotion exceeds that on most birds and is comparable to the number of publications on some more “advanced” mammals. We argue that the chicken is an excellent model for this type of research because of (1) the presence of well-established fundamental mental processes in the chicken, (2) a challenging ethological environment and (3) social pressures that may have facilitated the evolution of cognitive abilities similar to those of some mammals. Marino’s (2017) review provides an excellent foundation for the continued study of complex mental abilities in this species.

Chicken Of The Sea, Jonathan Balcombe

Animal Sentience

Marino summarizes research showing that chickens perform cognitively and emotionally at a higher level than previously assumed. Here, I describe capacities of teleost fishes that parallel those of chickens, including the ability to recognize human faces, perspective-taking, and referential communication. Research on chickens and on fishes reveals an emerging trend in cognitive ethology: abilities once thought limited to a scant few highly intelligent non-humans may actually occur broadly across taxa.

In Memory Of Patrick Bateson, James A. Serpell

Animal Sentience

No abstract provided.

Chickening Out Of Change: Will Knowing More About Thinking Chickens Change Public Perceptions?, Ewan Bottomley, Steve Loughnan

Animal Sentience

This commentary examines the next step in Marino’s target article – changing people’s attitudes and beliefs about chickens. The scientific case seems clear: chickens are far more complex, psychologically and socially, than originally thought. Marino suggests we use this information to make people feel uncomfortable about their dietary choices in the hope of changing them. We review the psychological literature, examining how people maintain meat consumption despite the clash with their moral beliefs (the “meat paradox”). This work highlights the important gap between what science knows about animals and what people think about animals.

Individual Personality Differences In Goats Predict Their Performance In Visual Learning And Non-Associative Cognitive Tasks, Christian Nawroth, Pamela M. Prentice, Alan G. Mcelligott

Learning Ability Collection

Variation in common personality traits, such as boldness or exploration, is often associated with risk–reward trade–offs and behavioural flexibility. To date, only a few studies have examined the effects of consistent behavioural traits on both learning and cognition. We investigated whether certain personality traits (‘exploration’ and ‘sociability’) of individuals were related to cognitive performance, learning flexibility and learning style in a social ungulate species, the goat (Capra hircus). We also investigated whether a preference for feature cues rather than impaired learning abilities can explain performance variation in a visual discrimination task. We found that personality scores were consistent …

Evolutionary Continuity, Anne Benvenuti

Animal Sentience

The principle of evolutionary continuity states that all animal capacities and behaviors exist — with variations in degree — in continuity with other species. Rather than assuming discontinuity, we should ask why any behavior observed in humans would not be found in at least some other sentient animals under similar conditions. In the case of suicide, the more pertinent issue might be the ethical one: our human responsibility for creating conditions under which other animals might deliberately seek to end their own lives.

Non-Human Animal Suicide Could Be Tested, David Lester

Animal Sentience

Schaefer (1967) showed that mice can discriminate live from dead mice and lethal from nonlethal environments, and that they avoid a lethal environment; but the experiment lacked some controls. This might be a way to test whether mice would ever choose a lethal environment. Humans may also choose a potentially lethal environment unconsciously.

Understanding Animal Suicide And Death Can Lead To Better End-Of-Life Care, Jessica Pierce

Animal Sentience

Peña-Guzmán’s target article on animal suicide will help inform end-of-life care for animals by emphasizing the need for a broad research focus on animal thanatology. Greater scientific understanding of the continuum of death-related awareness, experiences, and behaviors will help us improve veterinary care for animals at the end of life.

Complicated Grief, Teya Brooks Pribac

Animal Sentience

My commentary discusses complicated grief and the ensuing sense of helplessness that may lead to suicide. I close with a story about a pygmy pig.

Winter Wheat Variety Trial Archive, John Rickertsen, Robert Hall, Amir Ibrahim, Kevin Kirby, Thandiwe Nleya, Bruce Swan, Steve Kalsbeck, Bill Berzonsky, Nathan Mueller, Christopher Graham, Shaukat Ali, S. M. Hawks

SDSU Extension Publications Archive

Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU.

Can Nonhuman Animals Commit Suicide?, David M. Peña-Guzmán

Animal Sentience

Many people believe that only humans have the cognitive and behavioral capacities needed for suicidal behavior, such as reflexive subjectivity, free will, intentionality, or awareness of death. Three counterarguments — based on (i) negative emotions and psychopathologies among nonhuman animals, (ii) the nature of self-destructive behavior, and (iii) the problem of model fidelity in suicide research — suggest that self-destructive and self-injurious behaviors among human and nonhuman animals vary along a continuum.

Tribute To Jaak Panksepp, Jonathan Balcombe

Animal Sentience

No abstract provided.

Surveys Of The Street And Private Dog Population Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, Tamara Kartal, Amit Chaudhari

Demographics and Populations

Humane Society International (HSI) conducted two dog population surveys in all 4 Zones of Jamnagar (human population of 609,613). One was a street dog survey and the other was a survey of the private (pet) dog population. The survey generated an estimated street dog population of 25,768 dogs (42.3 street dogs per 1,000 people; 24.4 street dogs per km). Results from the household survey generated an estimate of the private dog population of 5,472 dogs (9 pet dogs per 1,000 people). Sterilization rates among private dogs and among street dogs were very low. Zones 2 (14.9%) and 4 (14.5%) in …

An Examination Of An Iconic Trap-Neuter-Return Program: The Newburyport, Massachusetts Case Study, Daniel Spehar, Peter Wolf

Management - TNR

The use of trap-neuter-return (TNR) as a humane alternative to the lethal management of free-roaming cats has been on the rise for several decades in the United States; however a relative paucity of data from TNR programs exists. An iconic community-wide TNR effort; initiated in 1992 and renowned for having eliminated hundreds of free-roaming cats from the Newburyport; Massachusetts waterfront; is cited repeatedly; yet few details appear in the literature. Although the presence of feline population data was quite limited; a detailed narrative emerged from an examination of contemporaneous reports; extant TNR program documents; and stakeholder testimony. Available evidence indicates …

Operational Details Of The Five Domains Model And Its Key Applications To The Assessment And Management Of Animal Welfare, David J. Mellor

General - Animal Welfare

In accord with contemporary animal welfare science understanding, the Five Domains Model has a significant focus on subjective experiences, known as affects, which collectively contribute to an animal’s overall welfare state. Operationally, the focus of the Model is on the presence or absence of various internal physical/functional states and external circumstances that give rise to welfare-relevant negative and/or positive mental experiences, i.e., affects. The internal states and external circumstances of animals are evaluated systematically by referring to each of the first four domains of the Model, designated “Nutrition”, “Environment”, “Health” and “Behaviour”. Then affects, considered carefully and cautiously to be …

Physiological And Behavioural Evaluation Of Common Anaesthesia Practices In The Rainbow Trout, Kieran C. Pounder, Jennifer L. Mitchell, Jack S. Thomson, Tom G. Pottinger, Lynne U. Sneddon

Anesthesia and Analgesia Collection

Anaesthetic drugs are commonly administered to fish in aquaculture, research and veterinary contexts. Anaesthesia causes temporary absence of consciousness and may reduce the stress and/or pain associated with handling and certain invasive procedures. The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a widely-used model species with relevance to both aquaculture and natural ecosystems. This study sought to establish the relative acute impact of commonly used anaesthetics on rainbow trout when used for anaesthesia or euthanasia by exploring their effects on aversion behaviour and stress physiology. Five widely used anaesthetics were investigated at two concentrations reflective of common laboratory practises: MS-222, benzocaine, 2-phenoxyethanol, …

The Roles Of Individuals And Social Networking In A Small Group Of Domestic Horses At Pasture, C. Ricci-Bonot, Marthe Kiley-Worthington

Social Behavior Collection

100 h (500 horse h) of critically assessed observations where analysed from two pastural situations on decision making and social networking in a herd of 5 arab and arab x horses of the Druimghigha Stud, behaviourally studied since 1978. Roles such as decision maker (the oldest mare) or follower (the youngest filly) and the popularity of each individual from whom they chose to be near were analysed. Social netwok analysis indicated the centrality of an individual, cohesive bonds among 3 mares and a sub group of the filly and the gelding. A network closure towards the gelding was also illustrated, …

Animal Ethics And Animal Consciousness, Bernard E. Rollin

Ethics and Animal Welfare Collection

Commentary on Marino and Allen (2017) The Psychology of Cows

Representational Gesture As A Tool For Promoting Verb Learning In Young Children, Elizabeth M. Wakefield, Casey Hall, Karin H. James, Susan Goldin-Meadow

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The movements we produce or observe others produce can help us learn. Two forms of movement that are commonplace in our daily lives are actions, hand movements that directly manipulate our environment, and gestures, hand movements that accompany speech and represent ideas but do not lead to physical changes in the environment. Both action and gesture have been found to influence cognition, facilitating our ability to learn and remember new information (e.g., Calvo-Merino, Glaser, Grezes, Passingham, & Haggard, 2005; Casile & Giese, 2006; Chao & Martin, 2000; Cook, Mitchell, & GoldinMeadow, 2008; Goldin-Meadow, Cook, & Mitchell, 2009; Goldin-Meadow et al., …

Histology Of Rathke’S Glands In The Razor-Backed Musk Turtle, Sternotherus Carinatus (Chelonia: Kinosternidae), With Comments On Lamellar Bodies, S. E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

I examined the histology and ultrastructure of Rathke’s glands in two adult male razor-backed musk turtles (Sternotherus carinatus) collected in northeastern Arkansas. This species possesses two pairs of Rathke’s glands that are embedded beneath marginal bones and are named according to their anatomical location (i.e., axillary and inguinal). These integumentary glands are similar anatomically to one another. Each gland is comprised of a single, highly vascularized secretory lobule, which is surrounded by a thin tunic of asymmetrically arranged, striated muscle. Two types of large secretory vacuoles characterize most of the holocrine cells produced by a relatively thin secretory …

Persistence Of Urban Stream Syndrome Effects From Point Source And Non-Point Source Pollutants, T. S. Wakefield

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

In a previous study, Sager Creek, a small 1^st-3^rd order stream in northwest Arkansas was shown to be negatively impacted by urban land usage within the watershed, producing a stream that exhibited several indicators of urban stream syndrome. This included (1) physical disturbances: increases in impervious surfaces in the watershed, dams built across the stream, and alteration of the natural stream flow through the construction of retaining walls, (2) chemical disturbances: increases in electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS) as well as elevated PO₄ levels (3) and biological disturbances: low populations of pollution intolerant …

Bioassessment Of Four Karst Springs At Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area With A Focus On Diving Beetle (Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae) Species Of Concern, Scott Longing, L. A. Mack, Brian E. Haggard

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Four springs were surveyed at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area to provide an initial bioassessment and to determine occurrences of two endemic predaceous diving beetles of concern, Heterosternuta sulphuria and Sanfilippodytes sp. Habitat in the four spring runs were dominated by bedrock and gravel substrate with heavy accumulations of leaf litter. Thirty-three taxa representing 11 orders were collected from the four springs. Non-insect taxa included Oligochaeta, Physidae, and Isopoda, and predominant insect orders included Ephemeroptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, and Trichoptera. The total number of taxa across springs ranged from seven to 19, with total abundances ranging from 39 to 86 individuals. No …

Uni Today, V100n3, Winter 2017, University Of Northern Iowa Alumni Association

UNI Today

Inside This Issue:
--What it Takes to Run a University
--Make That Too
--Embedded in the Community and Growing the Future
--The Psychology of a New Year's Resolution
--More Than a Marching Band
--A New Chapter for the UNI Alumni Association
--Finding a Common Thread
--50 Years and Counting of Bonding and Brotherhood
--Honors Alumni Give Back
--Serving Iowa’s 99 Counties
--New Students Thrive at UNI
--Class Notes
--Historical Photos
--Alumni Travel Program
--Alumni Clubs
--Alumni Calendar of Events

Uni Grad Student News, V15n4, January 2017, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate College.

UNI Grad Student News

Inside this issue:

-- Message from the Dean
-- Current Student Profile: Jen Corrigan
-- Current Faculty Profile: Dr. Kay Weller
-- Alumni Profile: Dr. Mickye Johnson
-- UNI Job and Internship Fair 2017
-- Crow Forum Schedule of Events
-- Career Collection at Rod Library
-- Center for Academic Ethics Spring 2017 Events
-- McNair Scholars Program Welcomes New Director, Dr. Nievita Bueno Watts
-- Fall 2016 Commencement
-- Information Literacy for Graduate Students: Everything a Graduate Student Should Know Before Starting a Research Project
-- 10th Annual Graduate Student Symposium
-- Graduate College Staff and Contact Information

Hemp: A Composition Review Plus, Agustin Gonzalo Miguel Garcia

Food Science and Nutrition

Hemp has been utilized by many societies around the world yet is currently absent in U.S. food production. The paper described and assessed various sources to aggregate hemp seed composition data and to decipher hemp seed consumption effect on health. There are copious components in hemp seeds that are discussed; some beneficial to human health as well as some anti-nutritional components that interfere. Numerous articles were analyzed and aspects of each were compiled to provide a source to assess the effectiveness of hemp seed as a nutritious source. Many components found in hemp seeds are found to be beneficial to …

College Of Pharmacy And Allied Health Professions, South Dakota State University

Jackrabbits Script and Scope (Formerly called College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions Magazine)

[Page] 2 A day in the life—The medical laboratory science program as seen through the eyes of second year student Brittany Kramer.
[Page] 4 What makes MLS special?—After being presented their white lab coats, medical laboratory science students share what drew them to the program.
[Page] 6 Meet the president—Allyson Helms, a P1 student from Waseca, Minnesota, is only the second pharmacy student to serve as president of the Students’ Association.
[Page] 8 Balance—Internationally known professor tells students about his professional achievements and discovering a work/life balance.
[Page] 10 Scholarship planning • Joye Ann Billow—Legacy of pioneering faculty member continues …