Handler beliefs affect scent detection dog outcomes

Our aim was to evaluate how human beliefs affect working dog outcomes in an applied environment. We asked whether beliefs of scent detection dog handlers affect team performance and evaluated relative importance of human versus dog influences on handlers’ beliefs. Eighteen drug and/or explosive detection dog/handler teams each completed two sets of four brief search scenarios (conditions). Handlers were falsely told that two conditions contained a paper marking scent location (human influence). Two conditions contained decoy scents (food/toy) to encourage dog interest in a false location (dog influence). Conditions were (1) control; (2) paper marker; (3) decoy scent; and (4) paper marker at decoy scent. No conditions contained drug or explosive scent; any alerting response was incorrect. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used with search condition as the independent variable and number of alerts as the dependent variable. Additional nonparametric tests compared human and dog influence. There were 225 incorrect responses, with no differences in mean responses across conditions. Response patterns differed by condition. There were more correct (no alert responses) searches in conditions without markers. Within marked conditions, handlers reported that dogs alerted more at marked locations than other locations. Handlers’ beliefs that scent was present potentiated handler identification of detection dog alerts. Human more than dog influences affected alert locations. This confirms that handler beliefs affect outcomes of scent detection dog deployments

Affect, Relationality and the 'Problem of Personality'

This peer-reviewed journal article sets out an argument regarding the importance of genealogical work for understanding concepts such as affect and suggestion

Towards numerical cognition's origin: insights from day-old domestic chicks

Instead of the scepticism on animal numerical understanding that characterized the first half of the twentieth century, in recent decades, a large and increasing body of the literature has shown that adult animals can master a variety of non-symbolic (in the absence of symbols such as mathematical words) numerical tasks. Nonetheless, evidence proving early numerical abilities in non-human animals was sparse. In this paper, I report the ongoing work to investigate numerical cognition in the day-old domestic chick (Gallus gallus). Unlike previous studies on adult animals, chicks can be tested very early in life, which gives us the opportunity to discover the origins of numerical comprehension. Here, I discuss studies revealing that day-old domestic chicks can: (i) discriminate between different numbers of objects; (ii) solve rudimentary arithmetic operations; and (iii) use ordinal information, identifying a target element (e.g. the fourth) in a series of identical elements, on the basis of its serial-numerical position. Some of these abilities are number-specific, while others underlie the interplay between number and continuous extents (continuous-quantity cues that covary with number, such as area and perimeter). These data are discussed in terms of ontogenetic development of mathematical comprehension

Estimates of energy intake and expenditure in professional Rugby League players

The nutritional and activity habits of professional Rugby League players remain unclear. Ten professional players (23±1 years, 1.85±0.02 m, 97.3±3.1 kg) recorded their dietary intake and activity habits during a competitive week including four training days (pre-match), a match day (match), and two rest days (recovery). The intake of carbohydrates (4.9±0.3 g·kg-1·d-1), proteins (2.2±0.2 g·kg-1·d-1) and fats (1.3±0.1 g·kg-1·d-1) represented 50±2%, 23±1%, and 30±1% of mean daily energy intake, respectively and a mean daily energy deficit of 947±214 KCal was estimated. Fiber intake was 26±8% lower than Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) values and fat intake (% energy yield) during recovery was 21±7% higher than match. Therefore, opportunities exist to optimize the diets of professional Rugby League players as fiber intake was insufficient relative to RNI values and differences between estimated energy intake and expenditure were observed. Timing throughout the competitive week also influenced dietary intake

The Body We Care for: Figures of Anthropo-zoo- genesis

M. Akrich et M. Berg, (éds.) Body and Society. Special Issue on « Bodies on Trial ». Sage Publications (London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi)SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe