The Mental Number Line in Domestic Chicks

The estimation of number by humans shows evidence for a mental number line in which magnitude increases from left to right. Rugani, Vallortigara, Priftis, and Regolin (2015) recently reported a similar mental number line in domestic chicks. This is an unexpected result given the role of language and culture in the human mental number line. Animals do not possess language or arithmetic concepts like the mental number line. Because the results reported by Rugani et al. (2015) seem improbable from this perspective, my study sought to determine whether the observations of Rugani et al. (2015) occur reliably. I tested for the occurrence of a mental number line in domestic chicks following as closely as possible the procedure described by Rugani et al. (2015). Domestic chicks were trained and tested for left / right preferences in a food-rewarded choice task. Chicks were trained to find food behind an opaque panel with varying arrangements of 5 red squares. Two identical panels with the same number of red squares on each were presented in each test. The number of squares was either large or small compared to the number of squares the chicks had seen on a sample panel. The prediction was that if the number on the test panels was small compared to the sample, chicks would choose left and if it was large chicks would choose right. The chicks showed no left / right preference. I found no evidence that a mental number line plays a role in domestic chicks’ numerical abilities

Academic Medicine as a Bridge to Peace: Building Arab and Israeli Cooperation

Can you imagine Canadian, Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian medical students singing, volunteering, and working together to develop programs to address issues related to global pediatric emergency medicine? Such a program was first held in Toronto in 2003 and continues annually. Can you imagine Canadians, Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians jointly teaching and developing solutions, via video teleconference, to address behavioral neurological problems affecting elderly populations? Such an initiative began in 2006 and continues to expand today. Can you imagine senior Jordanian and Israeli ear surgeons operating together, successfully carrying out pioneering cochlear implant surgery on deaf infants, on Jordanian national television? Such a surgery was performed in Amman in December 2003. Can you imagine every newborn baby in Jordan having her or his hearing tested? Such a program began in January 2005 as a result of Canadian, Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian service, educational, and scientific research cooperation, becoming national health policy in Jordan in 2007. All of this and much more are the result of the Canada International Scientific Exchange Program (CISEPO) and its cooperation network of knowledge

Building cooperation through health initiatives: an Arab and Israeli case study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ongoing conflict in the Middle East poses a major threat to health and security. A project screening Arab and Israeli newborns for hearing loss provided an opportunity to evaluate ways for building cooperation. The aims of this study were to: a) examine what attracted Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian participants to the project, b) describe challenges they faced, and c) draw lessons learned for guiding cross-border health initiatives.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A case study method was used involving 12 key informants stratified by country (3 Israeli, 3 Jordanian, 3 Palestinian, 3 Canadian). In-depth interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using an inductive qualitative approach to derive key themes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Major reasons for getting involved included: concern over an important health problem, curiosity about neighbors and opportunities for professional advancement. Participants were attracted to prospects for opening the dialogue, building relationships and facilitating cooperation in the region. The political situation was a major challenge that delayed implementation of the project and placed participants under social pressure. Among lessons learned, fostering personal relationships was viewed as critical for success of this initiative.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Arab and Israeli health professionals were prepared to get involved for two types of reasons: a) Project Level: opportunity to address a significant health issue (e.g. congenital hearing loss) while enhancing their professional careers, and b) Meta Level: concern about taking positive steps for building cooperation in the region. We invite discussion about roles that health professionals can play in building "cooperation networks" for underpinning health security, conflict resolution and global health promotion.</p