Digital Commons Network^™

Just Reductionism: In Defense Of Holistic Conservation, Bradley J. Bergstrom

Animal Sentience

Treves et al. (2019) argue that individual organisms should be protected by the courts. This already happens in many countries for rare and endangered species and for symbolically important species (e.g., raptors, songbirds, and bats in the U.S.), and through the international treaty for whales. But protection of these individuals stems from a focus on preserving their populations, whereas hunting of individuals is still a culturally accepted practice. Killing of individuals should be limited to valid reasons (e.g., eating the meat) and covered by fair-chase and humane-killing laws (which is not always the case). But “futurity” will not inherit present-day …

Just Preservation And The Half-Earth View, Helen Kopnina

Animal Sentience

For interspecies justice, animal welfare, and animal rights, the planet needs to be divided on the basis of species' natural resource requirements. The Half-Earth View is that to maintain viable populations of the Earth's remaining species, half of landscapes and seascapes need protection from intensive economic activity. This protection is needed outside the nature preserve system, such as in agricultural areas or cities, so nature can co-exist with local communities.

Human Interests, Helen Tiffin

Animal Sentience

Treves et al.’s proposal is welcome, but it will have to face at least four challenges: the interconnectedness of the human and the nonhuman portions of the biosphere, conflicts of interest, human overpopulation, and capitalism itself.

Against The Wind—Sustainability, Migration, Presidential Discretion, Steven Ferrey

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

The weekend before Christmas 2018, the United States government began its longest shutdown in history, which extended well into the new year. The crisis was the result of the ongoing legal controversies surrounding migratory rights and U.S. immigration policy, and following the shutdown, President Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border. The executive branch has a constitutional responsibility to enforce all U.S. laws. However, while the Trump administration has focused pointedly on executive branch enforcement of immigration and migratory laws at the southern border, it has made no effort to enforce an international treaty and three long-standing U.S. …

Intelligence, Complexity, And Individuality In Sheep, Lori Marino, Debra Merskin

Animal Sentience

Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are among the earliest animals domesticated for human use. They are consumed worldwide as mutton, hogget, and lamb, kept as wool and milk producers, and used extensively in scientific research. The popular stereotype is that sheep are docile, passive, unintelligent, and timid, but a review of the research on their behavior, affect, cognition, and personality reveals that they are complex, individualistic, and social.

Casting A Sheep’S Eye On Science, David M. Peña-Guzmán

Animal Sentience

Marino & Merskin review evidence that sheep are not just passive and reactive creatures. They have personalities that vary from individual to individual and endure over time. It follows that we must rethink what it means to study them scientifically.

Sentient Animals Do Not Just Live In The Present, John Webster

Animal Sentience

Sheep are particularly well-equipped with the cognitive and emotional skills appropriate to their phenotype and natural environment. These include spatial memory, the benefits of safety in numbers, and the ability to recognise special individuals in large flocks by sight and by sound. Marino & Merskin’s target article reviews convincing evidence on whether sheep are more or less clever than other mammalian species. Sheep are very good at being sheep. But sentient animals do not just live in the present. Their emotional state is not simply dictated by events of the moment. If they learn, they can cope; if not, they …

Positive Sentience Is Underrated, Teya Brooks Pribac

Animal Sentience

My commentary focuses on two aspects of ovine (well-)being considered in the review: the developmental context and (un)fulfilled potentialities.

Sheep In Aesop’S And Phaedrus’S Fables, Matteo Colombo, Chiara Raucea

Animal Sentience

Sheep feature in various animal fables. Marino & Merskin suggest that “we” view sheep as “docile, passive, unintelligent, and timid,” but animal fables do not support this view. In Aesop’s and Phaedrus’s fables, sheep are a primary target of injustice; but they are not passive targets. Sheep endure injustice actively and honestly. They are intelligent, aware and outspoken about their own condition.

Using Sheep Psychology To Guide Sheep Policy, Ralph Adolphs

Animal Sentience

Marino & Merskin’s valuable review of the literature on sheep cognition shows how entrenched common views of these animals’ mental lives are disputed by the research literature. Yet the evidence they muster faces three challenges that their target article does not discuss: (1) the behavioral tasks are strongly anthropocentric; (2) neuroscientific data are absent; and (3) applications are not discussed. I touch on all three of these here.

The Mental Lives Of Sheep And The Quest For A Psychological Taxonomy, Carrie Figdor

Animal Sentience

Research into nonhuman cognition has broadened and deepened in recent years. It supports and motivates a shift toward an ecological rather than an anthropocentric approach to cognition.

Our Disparaging View Of Sheep Is Indeed Based On Cognitive Inadequacy: Unfortunately, It’S Ours, Hank Davis

Animal Sentience

Additional data, such as those surveyed by Marino & Merskin, are unlikely to change our perception of sheep. Arguably, the problem lies deeper than insufficient information. There are indeed cognitive deficits at the core of the problem, but they reside in Homo sapiens, not sheep. Judgmental biases that originated in the Pleistocene age have been over-extended in the modern world and result in unreasoning discriminative practices including speciesism. “Ism’s” run deep and the more an “other” looks and acts like us, the more respect we give it. Sheep do not prosper as “individual sentient beings” under such a heuristic.

Cognition, Emotion, Personality And The Conservation And Management Of Wild Ungulates, Rob Found

Animal Sentience

Increasing public understanding of the complexity of wild ungulates can improve animal welfare and advance global conservation efforts of these keystone species. Unfortunately, shaping public opinion on wild species is challenging because personal experience with wildlife is declining, popular education is still biased towards the predator instead of the prey, and scientific research is more difficult to conduct on wild ungulates compared to those on farms, in zoos, or otherwise in captivity. Nevertheless, studies of cognition, individuality, and intelligence of wild ungulates are increasing. I briefly highlight some major results from my own work on complexity in wild elk, illustrating …

Adding Sheep To The Spectrum Of Comparative Psychology, James King

Animal Sentience

Marino & Merskin’s comprehensive review of cognitive complexity in sheep is a laudable and important contribution to comparative psychology. It is also valuable because it shows promising directions for future research on this neglected species. The relatively small number of neurons in the bovid cerebral cortex indicates that sheep cognitive performance on traditional measures of complex learning is limited. Nevertheless, the social and emotional complexity of sheep underscores the importance of further research into domains including personality and psychological well-being.

Complexity Of Wild Ruminants, Ozy Brennan

Animal Sentience

Marino & Merskin discuss ways that popular culture winds up depicting sheep as meek and unintelligent rather than as the complex, social species they are. I extend their analysis to apply to wild ruminants, particularly deer.

Social Cognition In Sheep: Welfare Implications, Keith M. Kendrick

Animal Sentience

More research has been carried out on social cognition in sheep than in other farm animal species. Although this has often been featured widely in the media, there is still limited public awareness of it. Marino & Merskin’s review is therefore both important and timely. In my commentary, I focus primarily on what has been established about the complexity of sheep social cognition, at the level of both brain and behavior, and on some of these findings for sheep welfare.

A Multitrophic Perspective On Biodiversity–Ecosystem Functioning Research, Nico Eisenhauer, Holger Schielzeth, Andrew D. Barnes, Kathryn Barry, Aletta Bonn, Ulrich Brose, Helge Bruelheide, Nina Buchmann, Francois Buscott, Anne Ebeling, Olga Ferlian, Grégoire T. Freschet, Darren P. Giling, Stephan Hättenschwiler, Helmut Hillebrand, Jes Hines, Forest Isbell, Eva Koller-France, Birgitta König-Ries, Hans De Kroon, Sebastian T. Meyer, Alexandru Milcu, Jörg Müller, Charles A. Nock, Jana S. Petermann, Christiane Roscher, Christoph Scherber, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, Bernhard Schmid, Andreas Schuldt, Teja Tscharntke, Manfred Türke, Nicole M. Van Dam, Fons Van Der Plas, Anja Vogel, Cameron Wagg, David A. Wardle, Alexandra Weigelt, Wolfgang W. Weisser, Christian Wirth, Malte Jochum

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Concern about the functional consequences of unprecedented loss in biodiversity has prompted biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) research to become one of the most active fields of ecological research in the past 25 years. Hundreds of experiments have manipulated biodiversity as an independent variable and found compelling support that the functioning of ecosystems increases with the diversity of their ecological communities. This research has also identified some of the mechanisms underlying BEF relationships, some context-dependencies of the strength of relationships, as well as implications for various ecosystem services that mankind depends upon. In this paper, we argue that a multitrophic perspective of …

The Inclusion Of Simulation Modeling Within A Supply Chain Management Curriculum: Some Considerations, Cynthia R. Lovelace

Journal of Business, Industry, and Economics

Supply Chain Management (SCM) exists today as a practical and possible management approach because of the exponential growth in information technology (IT) capabilities and the proliferation of their use. From a curricular perspective, U.S. academic programs in supply chain typically focus on traditional business content (economics, accounting, finance, operations management, etc.), with additional content in supply chain structure, governance, strategy, logistics and distribution, inventory management, and information systems, among others. Frequently, these courses incorporate pre-built simulation exercises to illustrate key supply chain strategic managerial concepts. However, when students have the opportunity to build their own simulation models of a unique …

Humans: Uniquely Responsible For Causing Conservation Problems, Uniquely Capable Of Solving Them, Michael L. Wilson, Clarence L. Lehman

Animal Sentience

We share Chapman & Huffman’s views on the importance of promoting animal welfare and conservation. We disagree with their implication, however, that reverence for life and concern for the wellbeing of global ecosystems depend on a belief that other living things are similar to humans in any of their capacities. Humans exhibit special traits — language, cumulative culture, extraordinary capacity for cooperation when we are at our best, and ever-advancing technological developments — that enabled them to dominate the planet, resulting in the current conservation crisis. It is precisely the fact that humans have become unique that provides hope for …

Unique In Degree Not Kindness, Jennifer Vonk

Animal Sentience

Humans are certainly unique among living species. This is evident in the transformation of human environments and its resulting impact on other animals. However, many of the traits unique to humans are costly as well as adaptive and should certainly not be used to elevate their status above that of other species.

Humans Have Always Been Unique!, William C. Mcgrew

Animal Sentience

Arguments about human uniqueness apply not only to extant species but also to extinct ones, that is, the hominin predecessors of anatomically modern Homo sapiens. Thus, unique and superior are doubly relative terms, in past and present. The scope for empirical comparison faces a spectrum of difficulty, from material (e.g., artefacts) to non-material (e.g., concepts) phenomena.

Human And Nonhuman Animals: Towards Equality, Catherine Price

Animal Sentience

Chapman & Huffman argue that we should not consider humans as unique and superior to nonhuman animals. Ecofeminism advocates the respectful treatment of humans, nonhuman animals, and the environment.

Human Superiority Is Obvious But Does Not Justify Cruelty, Yew-Kwang Ng

Animal Sentience

Humans are obviously superior, in general, to other animals. This is also supported by evolution and Jerison’s encephalization quotient. However, superiority does not justify cruelty towards other animals. Rather, it suggests higher responsibility. Just as adults are more capable than 2-year-olds, they also have a much higher responsibility in helping others in need, including other animals.

Mobilizing Heads And Hearts For Wildlife Conservation, Valérie A. M. Schoof, Simon L'Allier

Animal Sentience

Highlighting the shared evolutionary relationships between humans and animals — and recognizing that all species, including humans, are unique in their own way — may facilitate caring for and conserving animals by tapping into a human emotion: empathy.

Why Cod Don't Like To Sunbathe: Quantity And Quality In The Animal Kingdom, Christoph Jung

Animal Sentience

The difference between a cod and a lizard is not just a quantitative one. The recognition of qualitative differences between species does not imply a moral ranking. Our species’ special abilities to shape the earth mean we have a special responsibility for ensuring a liveable future for all organisms, human and non-human.

Evangelical Faith And Culture In The Lives Of Vietnam’S Upland Hmong - 1987-2017, Jim Lewis

Biblical and Theological Studies Faculty Works

This paper centers on the contemporary conversion movement to Christianity among the Hmong of the Northern Mountainous Region (NMR). Taking place within the brief scope of only 30 years, religious change among the 1.2 million highland Hmong in Vietnam’s fourteen provinces has resulted in some 330,000 declaring they have exchanged many traditional beliefs for faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They have embraced substantially the same faith as the Tin Lanh Church, which first came to Vietnam in 1911, one of Vietnam’s six officially approved religions. It is reasonable to claim that a mass movement of this magnitude among a …

Auditory And Somatosensory Pre-Pulse Inhibition In Mice, Anna Louthan

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Both hearing and somatosensation are sensory responses to vibrations, and here we show a way to investigate such mechanoreceptive psychophysics alone and in combination. Pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) is a well-known, unconditioned, and reflexive technique for measuring sensory thresholds with a wide variety of stimuli and laboratory animals. In this paper, we explore interactions between auditory and somatosensory PPI in normal mice. Fifteen C57/BL6J mice were tested three times each. Ages varied between one and six months. Testing followed published procedures from our lab and others, except the pre-pulses were auditory, somatosensory (vibration of the test chamber), or both. The auditory …

Investigating The Effect Of Sodium Benzoate On Immune Cells And Microbial Populations In The Small Intestine Of Murine Species., Shelby Pedigo

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Dietary ingredients can influence the mucosal surface morphology and mucosal immunity of the gastrointestinal tract. Additional health concerns and behavioral changes have been attributed to the consumption of foods containing preservatives and additives. Sodium benzoate (SB) is a commonly used bacteriostatic in food and beverages. This study investigates the effects of SB on the gut bacteria and mucosal health in the gastrointestinal tract of laboratory mice. The extent of lymphocytic infiltration in intestinal villi and granular density of Paneth cells in the ileum were used as evaluators of mucosal immunity. Adult C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to two …

The Effect Of Lactobacillus Genus On Weight Loss And Obesity Phenotype In Murine Species And Humans, Kelsey Zvejnieks

Health and Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students Plan B Capstone Projects

The review attempts to determine the effects of Lactobacillus genus supplementation on weight and weight related factors. A literature review produced nine studies that met selection criteria. Of the nine articles included in the review, eight of them demonstrated weight loss among the study population after supplementation with Lactobacillus species. To initiate routine supplementation of Lactobacillus species in dietetic practice additional research is need to better understand mechanisms of action, optimal dosage, impact of varied macronutrient composition, and timeframe required for supplementation.

Health & Nutritional Sciences Free Communication Day: Spring 2019 Plan B Abstracts, Viola Davies, Jonathan Shaeffer, Amy Hommes, Zachary Fehringer, Andrew Cheney, Alli Delay, Alyssa Finke, Kaitlin Reece, Jacob Elfmann, Maggan Froseth, Kala Nurnberg, Keith Thompson, David Andersen, Samantha Kratovil, Makenna Meier, Lezlie Pommer, Amanda Nack

Health and Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students Plan B Capstone Projects

This document contains Plan B abstracts presented by graduate students at the Health and Nutritional Sciences Free Communication Day, held on April 30th 2019.

Abstract titles include:

• Effect of supervised aquatic therapy and supervised land-based therapy on chronic low back pain.
• The College Football Recruiting Process and Ways to Improve It
• The Effects of Probiotics on Depression and Anxiety
• Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy versus Physical Therapy: Best Intervention to Improve Outcomes in Patients with Meniscal Tears?
• Does the inclusion of mental health education programs have an effect on the help seeking behavior of collegiate student-athletes?
• Establishing a Sustainable Nutrition Education Program …