scholarly journals Assessing and Enriching the Cage Environment of Laboratory Rats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Emily Gay Patterson-Kane
Keyword(s):  
Open Field ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Behavioural Economics ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Laboratory Rats ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
To Come ◽  
Assessment Procedures

<p>Public concern with the caging conditions of animals kept in laboratories led to research assessing the standard conditions of rats housed in New Zealand laboratories. A total of 113 rats were used in experiments of four basic types. The experiments presented in the first and second chapters assessed the behaviours of rats housed in enriched, standard and deprived conditions. The assessment procedures used were the emergence box, open field and Hebb William's maze as well as the T-maze and a range of operant procedures. The behaviour of rats housed in standard conditions for the emergence box, open field and maze were intermediate between the enriched and deprived rats, but more closely resembled that of the deprived rats. However, the deprived rats displayed no general cognitive deficits on procedures other than the Hebb William's maze, causing the validity of the maze in this context to be questioned. A more specific cognitive deficit relating to attention at the time of encoding was indicated. The thesis then moved from looking for behavioural damage to examining what conditions rats would prefer, and extending these findings using behavioural economics. The rats showed significant preferences for only a small number of cage modifications. They clearly preferred nesting boxes and shredded paper, and showed some preference for a larger group size of rats. The demand experiments demonstrated that the rats worked hardest for access to moderately sized environments with a group size of six. Therefore, the recommendation arising from the current study is that rats should be provided with nest boxes and paper, and provision should be made in the future for using cages suitable for groups of around six. There were also implications for the range of procedures used during the course of this investigation. The open field data suffers from an unstandardised procedure that probably allows a range of confounding variables to come into effect, specifically changes in activity across time. The preference tests (T-maze and continuous access) gave broadly equivalent data although there were small systematic differences in the results between the two tests which suggest they should be used together in order to cancel out these biases. The demand procedure is the pre-eminent option from a theoretical point of view but the detail of the procedure is in need of some development. The best way to achieve this progress would be through more extensive applied use of behavioural economics.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing and Enriching the Cage Environment of Laboratory Rats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Emily Gay Patterson-Kane
Keyword(s):  
Open Field ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Behavioural Economics ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Laboratory Rats ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
To Come ◽  
Assessment Procedures

<p>Public concern with the caging conditions of animals kept in laboratories led to research assessing the standard conditions of rats housed in New Zealand laboratories. A total of 113 rats were used in experiments of four basic types. The experiments presented in the first and second chapters assessed the behaviours of rats housed in enriched, standard and deprived conditions. The assessment procedures used were the emergence box, open field and Hebb William's maze as well as the T-maze and a range of operant procedures. The behaviour of rats housed in standard conditions for the emergence box, open field and maze were intermediate between the enriched and deprived rats, but more closely resembled that of the deprived rats. However, the deprived rats displayed no general cognitive deficits on procedures other than the Hebb William's maze, causing the validity of the maze in this context to be questioned. A more specific cognitive deficit relating to attention at the time of encoding was indicated. The thesis then moved from looking for behavioural damage to examining what conditions rats would prefer, and extending these findings using behavioural economics. The rats showed significant preferences for only a small number of cage modifications. They clearly preferred nesting boxes and shredded paper, and showed some preference for a larger group size of rats. The demand experiments demonstrated that the rats worked hardest for access to moderately sized environments with a group size of six. Therefore, the recommendation arising from the current study is that rats should be provided with nest boxes and paper, and provision should be made in the future for using cages suitable for groups of around six. There were also implications for the range of procedures used during the course of this investigation. The open field data suffers from an unstandardised procedure that probably allows a range of confounding variables to come into effect, specifically changes in activity across time. The preference tests (T-maze and continuous access) gave broadly equivalent data although there were small systematic differences in the results between the two tests which suggest they should be used together in order to cancel out these biases. The demand procedure is the pre-eminent option from a theoretical point of view but the detail of the procedure is in need of some development. The best way to achieve this progress would be through more extensive applied use of behavioural economics.</p>

scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF ELECTRONIC PARTICIPATION ON SUSTAINABLE GOVERNANCE OF COUNTRY

2021 ◽  
pp. 136-139
Author(s):  
Olha Afonina ◽  
Vitalii Seryohin
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Industrial Society ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Political Rights ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
To Come ◽  
Common Understanding

The world community’s shift from an industrial society to an information one has significantly affected all types of citizens’ political activity. More and more such forms are carried out by information and communication technologies and get constitutional and legislative foundations due to their importance for developing e-democracy and ensuring the political rights and freedoms of citizens. It is an important part of constitutional mechanisms for implementation of political rights as a part of e-democracy. The aforementioned issues are relevant not only from a theoretical point of view, but also in the praxeological aspect. To come to a common understanding of how information and communication technologies can positively support democratic processes such as improving government through engaging citizens in decision-making, this essay concerns the topic of influence of electronic participation on sustainable governance of country.

Discussion of the Papers of Tonu Parming, Konstantyn Sawczuk, and Laszlo M. Tikos

1973 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-35
Author(s):  
Andris Skreija
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Moral Issues ◽  
Government Action ◽  
To Come ◽  
The One

First, a comment on all three papers. The authors seem to confuse the terms dissent and dissenter with nationalism and nationalist. To me the two types of concepts are quite different. Nationalists are concerned with the establishment, exaltation, liberation or preservation of their own ethnic group–nation. Their intellectual position is basically amoral. I do not mean to imply that they have no morals, but that moral issues have little emphasis in their arguments and polemics. In contrast, the dissenters argue that some government action, law or policy is morally wrong and ought to be stopped or repealed. There may be similarities in the tactics adopted and issues espoused by these two groups. Still, scholars and especially behavioral scientists ought to keep the two types separate for analytical purposes. Of the three papers under discussion the one that “sins” the most in this respect is the one by Mr. Parming. And yet there the differentiation should have been the most explicit since the paper is trying to come to grips with the question from a theoretical point of view.

Timber Auctions in the Context of the Modern Auction Theory

2007 ◽  
pp. 86-94
Author(s):  
A. Manakov
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Auction Theory ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
English Auction ◽  
Analysis And Evaluation

The article provides theoretical analysis and evaluation of the timber auctions reforms in Russia. The author shows that the mechanism of the "combined auctions", which functioned until recently, is more appropriate from the theoretical point of view (and from the point of view of the Russian practice) as compared to the officially approved format of the English auction.

A novel cryptosystem based on abstract automata and Latin cubes

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-232
Author(s):  
Pál Dömösi ◽  
Géza Horváth
Keyword(s):  
Block Cipher ◽  
Finite Automata ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Transition Matrices ◽  
Encryption And Decryption ◽  
Secret Keys ◽  
Automata Network ◽  
Fully Functioning

In this paper we introduce a novel block cipher based on the composition of abstract finite automata and Latin cubes. For information encryption and decryption the apparatus uses the same secret keys, which consist of key-automata based on composition of abstract finite automata such that the transition matrices of the component automata form Latin cubes. The aim of the paper is to show the essence of our algorithms not only for specialists working in compositions of abstract automata but also for all researchers interested in cryptosystems. Therefore, automata theoretical background of our results is not emphasized. The introduced cryptosystem is important also from a theoretical point of view, because it is the first fully functioning block cipher based on automata network.

Graffiti als Version und Subversion–Praxen kultureller Re-Regulierung und die Möglichkeit von Gratiforschung

2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Dollinger
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Wird Eine ◽  
Multiple Perspectives

Der Beitrag geht von Versuchen aus, integrative Perspektiven einer überaus heterogenen Graffitiforschung zu bestimmen. In Auseinandersetzung insbesondere mit Bruno Latours Ansatz des »Iconoclash« wird eine kulturtheoretische Referenz bestimmt, die Graffiti als Version identifiziert, d. h. als semiotisch orientierte Veränderung räumlich situierter Ordnungs- und Regulierungspraxen. Ihnen kann, wenn auch nicht zwingend, eine subversive Qualität zukommen. Durch die Ausrichtung am Konzept einer Version wird beansprucht, Forderungen einer normativ weitgehend abstinenten, nicht-essentialistischen und für komplexe Fragen der Identitäts- und Raumpolitik offenen Forschungspraxis einzulösen.<br><br>The contribution attempts to integrate multiple perspectives of current largely heterogeneous graffiti scholarship. Referring to Bruno Latour’s concept »iconoclash«, we discuss graffiti from a cultural-theoretical point of view as a »version«. It appears as a semiotically oriented modification of spatially situated practices that regulate social life. Often, but not necessarily, these practices involve subversive qualities. The concept of »version« facilitates a non-normative and non-essentialist strategy of research. This enables an explorative research practice in which the complex matters of identity and space politics that are associated with graffiti can be addressed.

scholarly journals How Digital Inclusion Increase Opportunities for Young People: Case of NEETs from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7894
Author(s):  
Gabriela Neagu ◽  
Muhammet Berigel ◽  
Vladislava Lendzhova
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Multidimensional Analysis ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
Virtual Mobility ◽  
Alternative Research ◽  
High Share

This paper examines the perspectives of rural NEETs in the information society. Our analysis focuses on the situation of three European countries—Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey—characterized by a high share of rural areas and a population of NEETs. From a methodological point of view, we use alternative research methods (secondary data analysis) with statistical methods (simple linear regression). From a theoretical point of view, we will opt for a multidimensional analysis perspective: the theory of digital divide, digital inclusion, virtual mobility, etc. Through data analysis, we expect to obtain a more complete and detailed picture of the ICT situation in rural areas (level of digital skills, level of digital inclusion) to demonstrate the importance of ICT in optimizing virtual mobility for the living conditions of the population, especially the NEET population.

scholarly journals Verbena officinalis Verbenaceae (Lamiales): a new plant model system for phyllotaxis research

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Zagórska-Marek ◽  
Magdalena Turzańska ◽  
Klaudia Chmiel
Keyword(s):  
Vascular System ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Inflorescence Axis ◽  
Organ Identity ◽  
Lateral Organ ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
Secondary Transitions

AbstractPhyllotactic diversity and developmental transitions between phyllotactic patterns are not fully understood. The plants studied so far, such as Magnolia, Torreya or Abies, are not suitable for experimental work, and the most popular model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, does not show sufficient phyllotactic variability. It has been found that in common verbena (Verbena officinalis L.), a perennial, cosmopolitan plant, phyllotaxis differs not only between growth phases in primary transitions but also along the indeterminate inflorescence axis in a series of multiple secondary transitions. The latter are no longer associated with the change in lateral organ identity, and the sequence of phyllotactic patterns is puzzling from a theoretical point of view. Data from the experiments in silico, confronted with empirical observations, suggest that secondary transitions might be triggered by the cumulative effect of fluctuations in the continuously decreasing bract primordia size. The most important finding is that the changes in the primary vascular system, associated with phyllotactic transitions, precede those taking place at the apical meristem. This raises the question of the role of the vascular system in determining primordia initiation sites, and possibly challenges the autonomy of the apex. The results of this study highlight the complex relationships between various systems that have to coordinate their growth and differentiation in the developing plant shoot. Common verbena emerges from this research as a plant that may become a new model suitable for further studies on the causes of phyllotactic transitions.

scholarly journals Modeling and theoretical description of magnetic hybrid materials—bridging from meso- to macro-scales

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas M. Menzel ◽  
Hartmut Löwen
Keyword(s):  
Colloidal Particles ◽  
Colloidal Particle ◽  
Theoretical Description ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Material Behavior ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Mechanical Stiffness ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Particle Level

Abstract Magnetic gels and elastomers consist of magnetic or magnetizable colloidal particles embedded in an elastic polymeric matrix. Outstanding properties of these materials comprise reversible changes in their mechanical stiffness or magnetostrictive distortions under the influence of external magnetic fields. To understand such types of overall material behavior from a theoretical point of view, it is essential to characterize the substances starting from the discrete colloidal particle level. It turns out that the macroscopic material response depends sensitively on the mesoscopic particle arrangement. We have utilized and developed several theoretical approaches to this end, allowing us both to reproduce experimental observations and to make theoretical predictions. Our hope is that both these paths help to further stimulate the interest in these fascinating materials.

The expectation marker of course in a cross-linguistic perspective

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Simon-Vandenbergen ◽  
Karin Aijmer
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theoretical Point ◽  
Pragmatic Markers ◽  
Semantic Fields ◽  
Explanatory Account ◽  
Semantics And Pragmatics ◽  
Multilingual Corpus ◽  
Core Meaning

The study of of course presented in this article has an applied, a descriptive and a theoretical aim. Since of course proves to be very frequent in English, learners will need to know what meanings the item has and in what pragmatic contexts it is used. It has indeed been shown that some learners tend to use of course in contexts where it is felt by native speakers to be inappropriate. In order to explain such inappropriate uses we need detailed descriptions of the semantics and pragmatics of of course. From a theoretical point of view such multifunctional items raise the question of whether semantic polysemy or pragmatic polysemy is the best explanatory account. It is argued in this paper that empirical cross-linguistic work can contribute to providing answers to all three research questions. First, the study of correspondences and differences between languages with regard to the meanings and uses of pragmatic markers is a necessary step in the explanation of learner problems. Second, the bidirectional approach to equivalents, which involves going back and forth from sources to translations, enables us to show to what extent the equivalents have partially overlapping pragmatic functions. An in-depth comparison of the semantic fields in which the translation equivalents operate is the ultimate goal. Third, the translation method helps to see to what extent a core meaning account is justified. In this paper three languages are brought into the picture, viz. English, Swedish and Dutch. The cross-linguistic data have been gathered from three translation corpora, i.e. the English-Swedish Parallel Corpus, the Oslo Multilingual Corpus and the Namur Triptic Corpus.

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