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Thermal discomfort is one of the main causes of production losses in animals fully exposed to solar radiation under extensive livestock farming. The inclusion of trees in this farming system is the most efficient strategy to decrease the temperature and increase animal productivity without the need to explore new areas. In this context, the objective of this study was to characterize the microclimate in a silvopastoral system (SPS), a refuge area, and an open pasture, and evaluate thermal comfort and the ingestive behavior of animals under shade. The study was conducted at the Agronomic Institute of Paraná (IAPAR), located in Ibiporã, Paraná state, Brazil, in three areas with distinct management systems: a SPS of Eucalyptus grandis with Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.), a woodland of Leucena leucocephala that provided shade to cattle, and a pasture in full sun (PFS). Automatic meteorological stations were installed in the SPS (one station beside the tree lines and the other in an average distance perpendicular to the rows), one in the refuge area, and one in the PFS. The measured variables were air temperature and relative humidity. The mean temperatures of the shaded treatments were compared to those of the PFS using a t-test. The mean values of the temperature and humidity index (THI) were calculated for each season of the year. The animal ingestion behavior in the SPS was analyzed in three typical days in different seasons of the year. Significant differences were observed between shade treatments and full-sun pasture, with a temperature decrease ranging from 0.4 to 1.6 °C in the shaded systems. The comparison of animal thermal comfort between the study areas in different seasons of the year indicated that there were no significant differences in thermal comfort between the SPS and refuge area relative to the PFS, suggesting a need to monitor the animals' body temperature to better estimate thermal comfort. The evaluation of the ingestive behavior evidenced the animals' preference to perform activities under tree shade and that the SPS led to changes in their food habits, optimizing grazing time. Therefore, the trees directly affected the microclimate of the studied environments, attenuating the temperature, protecting the animals against direct solar radiation, and providing better thermal comfort.

"From the co-founder and president of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, and bestselling author Gene Stone comes Animalkind, a book that offers both a tour of the wonderful world of animals and a guide to simple ways in which we can reduce the harm we cause them in our everyday lives"--

"Foreword" -- "Acknowledgments" -- "Contents" -- "Editors and Contributors" -- "1: Introduction: Ecotourism's Promise and Peril" -- "References" -- "2: Physiological and Behavioral Consequences of Human Visitation" -- "2.1 Introduction" -- "2.2 Physiological Responses to Human Visitation" -- "2.2.1 Humans Are Perceived as Stressors" -- "2.2.2 Effects of Prolonged Human Visitation on Basal Stress Hormone Levels" -- "2.2.3 Frequent Human Visitation Disrupts Coping Abilities" -- "2.2.4 Effect of Ecotourism on Body Condition" -- "2.3 Behavioral Responses" -- "2.3.1 Avoidance: Flight and Displacement" -- "2.3.2 Behavioral Time Budgets" -- "2.3.3 Behavioral Responses to Provisioning" -- "2.3.4 Animal Personality" -- "References" -- "3: Ecological Consequences of Ecotourism for Wildlife Populations and Communities" -- "3.1 Introduction" -- "3.2 Scaling Up the Behavioral and Physiological Effects of Human Presence" -- "3.3 Mortality" -- "3.4 Consequences of Food Provisioning" -- "3.5 Habitat Degradation" -- "3.6 Biological Invasions" -- "3.7 Disease" -- "References" -- "4: Transgenerational Consequences of Human Visitation" -- "4.1 Introduction" -- "4.2 Changes in Animal Behavior as a Result of Human Proximity" -- "4.3 Mechanisms of Transgenerational Change in Behavior" -- "4.3.1 Microevolutionary Changes in Behavior" -- "4.3.2 Epigenetic Changes in Behavior" -- "4.3.3 Changes in Behavior Caused by Habituation to Humans" -- "4.3.4 Changes in Behavior Caused by Phenotypic Sorting" -- "4.3.5 The Biological Effects of Human Contact on Wild Animals" -- "4.4 Future Directions" -- "References" -- "5: Impacts of Fish Tourism" -- "5.1 Introduction" -- "5.2 Impacts of Humans Observing Fish" -- "5.2.1 Physiology" -- "5.2.2 Behavior" -- "5.2.3 Ecology" -- "5.3 Impacts of Food Provisioning

Livestock welfare, including dairy cows and calves, has gained importance for society, politics, and agriculture over the last decades. Providing kept animals with a high level of animal welfare requires the implementation of scientific recommendations and husbandry standards affecting dairy cow and calf welfare, on top of the minimum standards set by law. In this regard, it is essential to better understand the decision-making process of animal keepers, as they ultimately have the most significant impact on the welfare of their animals. Accordingly, this thesis aimed at investigating the implementation of management recommendations for calf husbandry on dairy farms, at deriving recommendations for management aspects that have been neglected so far, at analyzing the relationship between the attitude of animal keepers and animal welfare management, and at evaluating the applicability of animal welfare self-assessments in calf husbandry. Management recommendations and animal welfare indicators were derived from the literature and evaluated in interviews with livestock farmers and calf assessments (n > 800 calves). The evaluation of the farm management showed that many management recommendations have not been implemented yet. Furthermore, the stockpersons' view on animal welfare was identified as a significant factor influencing the implementation of recommendations. In this thesis, it was found that wound lesions caused by legally required ear tagging are a prevalent animal welfare problem. Corresponding recommendations to minimize the risk of such lesions were derived. The implementation of animal welfare self-assessments could increase awareness of the performing livestock keepers to the described welfare aspects. Animal welfare indicators suitable for inclusion in self-assessments were evaluated. Furthermore, related influencing factors such as calf age or climatic conditions were analyzed to increase the reliability of welfare indicators. Evaluated behavioral assessments for self-assessment in calves were ...

"The Imperial Animal offers a compelling perspective on the controversy over humans and their biology. This now-classic study is about the social bonds that hold us together and the antisocial theories that drive us apart. The authors divulge how the evolutionary past of the species, reflected in genetic codes, determines our present and coerces our future. This book gives us a direct and intimate look at how we see ourselves. It offers insight into our politics, our ways of learning and teaching, reproducing and producing, playing and fighting. The authors assert that the purpose of this book is twofold: to describe what is known about the evolution of human behavior, and then to try to show how the consequences of this evolution affect our behavior today. To do this they draw from numerous disciplines--zoology, biology, history, and primatology, among others. In the new introduction, Tiger and Fox outline then- reasons for originally writing the book as well as the process they used to do their research. The Imperial Animal is a classic work that will continue to be of interest to sociologists, zoologists, biologists, and primatologists."--Provided by publisher.

Worldwide, suicide is a leading cause of death. Although a sizable proportion of deaths by suicide may be preventable, it is well documented that despite major governmental and international investments in research, education and clinical practice suicide rates have not diminished and are even increasing among several at-risk populations. Although nonhuman animals do not engage in suicidal behavior amenable to translational studies, we argue that animal model systems are necessary to investigate candidate endophenotypes of suicidal behavior and the neurobiology underlying these endophenotypes. Animal models are similarly a critical resource to help delineate treatment targets and pharmacological means to improve our ability to manage the risk of suicide. In particular, certain pathophysiological pathways to suicidal behavior, including stress and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction, neurotransmitter system abnormalities, endocrine and neuroimmune changes, aggression, impulsivity and decision-making deficits, as well as the role of critical interactions between genetic and epigenetic factors, development and environmental risk factors can be modeled in laboratory animals. We broadly describe human biological findings, as well as protective effects of medications such as lithium, clozapine, and ketamine associated with modifying risk of engaging in suicidal behavior that are readily translatable to animal models. Endophenotypes of suicidal behavior, studied in animal models, are further useful for moving observed associations with harmful environmental factors (for example, childhood adversity, mechanical trauma aeroallergens, pathogens, inflammation triggers) from association to causation, and developing preventative strategies. Further study in animals will contribute to a more informed, comprehensive, accelerated and ultimately impactful suicide research portfolio.

Zoosemiotics (ZS)-anatural &behavioral sci which has lately crystallized at the intersection of semiotics & ethology-is decomposed into 3 subfields: zoopragmatics (1-3), zoosemantics (6),& zoosyntactics (4, 5) , labels which cover the 6 aspects of a communicative event which have been variously studied by field O's or laboratory exp'ers working with animals: (1) source, (2) destination, (3) channel, (4) code, (5) message, & (6) context. Each of these aspects is considered & exemplified in some detail; eg, systems such as chemical, optical, tactile, acoustic, & several other channels are discussed in turn. 3 approaches are then mapped out: pure ZS, comprehending the elaboration of theoretical models; descriptive ZS, constituting the main subject of this paper; & applied ZS, aiming to deal with the exploitation of animal systems for the benefit of man. Linguists & psycholinguists who are concerned with animal COMM are interested chiefly in disclosing the biological & anthrop'al origins of human COMM, &, further, seek answers to particular questions such as these: what are the anatomical & physiological is of verbal behavior & what sensory & cognitive specializations are required for language perception; what motivates the onset & accomplishment of language learning in the development of human infants; why do subhuman forms lack the capacity to acquire even the beginnings of language; how can present evolutionary theory account for the uniqueness of both form & behavior of language specialization in man; & what is the genetic basis for language propensity, man's species-specific biological endowment?AA.

Worldwide, suicide is a leading cause of death. Although a sizable proportion of deaths by suicide may be preventable, it is well documented that despite major governmental and international investments in research, education and clinical practice suicide rates have not diminished and are even increasing among several at-risk populations. Although nonhuman animals do not engage in suicidal behavior amenable to translational studies, we argue that animal model systems are necessary to investigate candidate endophenotypes of suicidal behavior and the neurobiology underlying these endophenotypes. Animal models are similarly a critical resource to help delineate treatment targets and pharmacological means to improve our ability to manage the risk of suicide. In particular, certain pathophysiological pathways to suicidal behavior, including stress and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction, neurotransmitter system abnormalities, endocrine and neuroimmune changes, aggression, impulsivity and decision-making deficits, as well as the role of critical interactions between genetic and epigenetic factors, development and environmental risk factors can be modeled in laboratory animals. We broadly describe human biological findings, as well as protective effects of medications such as lithium, clozapine, and ketamine associated with modifying risk of engaging in suicidal behavior that are readily translatable to animal models. Endophenotypes of suicidal behavior, studied in animal models, are further useful for moving observed associations with harmful environmental factors (for example, childhood adversity, mechanical trauma aeroallergens, pathogens, inflammation triggers) from association to causation, and developing preventative strategies. Further study in animals will contribute to a more informed, comprehensive, accelerated and ultimately impactful suicide research portfolio

Preface -- Addiction Vulnerability -- Interventions -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Contributors -- Chapter 1: Introduction -- References -- Chapter 2: Overview and Perspectives -- What Does One Mean by Developmental Trajectories? -- Etiological Factors-Risk and Protective Factors -- Data Requirements and Availability -- References -- Chapter 3: Developmental Trajectories of Drug Use Among Whites and African-Americans: Evidence for the Crossover Hypothesis -- Methods -- The Data -- Statistical Analysis -- Results -- Racial/Ethnic Specific Patterns of Drug Use

Eigentlich wissen wir ja, wie wir kommunizieren sollten: uns geschickt ausdrücken, anderen gut zuhören und immer darauf achten, das auch wirklich das ankommt, was wir meinen. Tja, eigentlich... Aber wir kennen auch diese lästige Stimme in uns: "Quatsch einfach drauf los!", "Hauptsache, du gewinnst die Diskussion!" oder "Aufs Verständnis zu achten ist Kinderkram!". Diese Stimme kommt von Günter, unserem inneren Schweinehund. Obwohl Günter es gut mit uns meint, pfuscht er uns immer wieder ins Handwerk. Besser also, Günter erfährt endlich, wie man wirklich gut miteinander spricht: Wie sagt man, was man sagen will? Wie versteht man, was andere meinen? Und wie kommuniziert man, wenn's mal brenzlig wird? Dr. med. Stefan Frädrich ist Experte für erfolgreiche Selbstmotivation. Bekannt wurde er durch seine Bestseller und eine umfangreiche Medienpräsenz mit eignen TV-Sendungen. Er ist konzeptioneller und textlicher "Vater" von Günter, dem inneren Schweinehund, und gehört zu den Top-Speakern im deutschsprachigen Raum.

The Healing Species program aims to reduce disruptive behaviors at school by increasing students' abilities to avoid conflict when possible and to resolve conflicts peaceably when they occur. The program's 11 lessons incorporate elements of behavior theory that postulate behavior follows belief. This study hypothesized that 5th and 6th grade students who completed the Healing Species curriculum would show fewer normative beliefs favoring aggression, greater empathy, and fewer disciplinary infractions, than a comparable group of students who did not receive the Healing Species program. Lessons included the participation of rescued dogs to emphasize compassion, empathy, responsibility, and forgiveness. Study results offered evidence of improved overall behavior and specific reductions in violence and aggression.