Do Dogs Use Their Noses? Investigating Olfactory Perception in the Domestic Dog

Social and Behavioral SciencesThe nasal tissue lining the domestic dogs’ (Canis familiaris) nasal cavity can have over 200 million sensory receptor sites all dedicated to receiving smell molecules to be processed in the brain’s olfactory bulb. But how dedicated are dogs to their extraordinary olfactory abilities? It has generally been assumed that dogs depend more on olfaction than vision and audition to investigate, problem solve, and overall perceive the world. However recent research has shown evidence that contradicts this assumption (Horowitz 2013), making it unclear under what conditions dogs actually utilize olfaction. The goal of the present research is to further investigate the question of how much and when dogs utilize olfaction. It was assessed whether shelter dogs would investigate and choose greater over smaller quantities of food through olfaction alone, if provided with a short investigation period to smell two closed containers with differing amounts of food (1:5). The preliminary results of the present research indicate that dogs were not successful at choosing greater over smaller quantities of food through olfaction alone, choosing the container with more food at only chance levels (binomial test, p > 0.05). Perhaps, due to domestication and their reliance on human communication, dogs may need training in order to use olfaction for problem solving. Likewise it may be found that only certain dog breeds, ages, or temperaments have this ability. Future analysis will examine initial investigation time of the food sources, as well as possible age, breed, and stress effects on olfactory ability. Results of this research will contribute to our currently limited understanding of olfaction, and give clearer insight into how dogs perceive and learn about the world, that could extend into developing more efficient training methods for service dogs.OSU Undergraduate Research OfficeThe Capital Area Humane SocietyAcademic Major: Psycholog

Organic conversion strategies for stockless farming systems

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. The identification of appropriate stockless organic conversion strategies will help farmers and growers in their decision to convert to organic production. The current practice of a two-year red clover/ryegrass ley conversion relies on subsidies to be economically viable. This standard conversion and six alternatives were tested on a sandy loam soil entering organic conversion. A test crop of winter wheat will be grown across the entire experimental area in the first fully organic year (2001/2002). Strategies containing a legume ley phase returned the greatest amount of nitrogen to the soil. At the end of the second year, pre-cultivation, there were no differences in soil mineral nitrogen between strategies. Gross margins were greater from those strategies with cash cropping than those without, in spite of the generally depressed yields. Preliminary analysis suggests that growing red clover for seed in year 1 followed by a red clover ley in year 2 could be the most profitable option

The climate regulation service provided by miombo landscapes

A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2018The African miombo woodlands are perhaps the world’s largest relatively unexploited but potentially arable land resource, located on a subcontinent where population growth remains high and demands for food security and development are pressing. This study aims to quantify the tradeoff between landscape transformation of various types and the climate regulation service provided by the miombo landscape. Net radiative forcing, expressed in terms of its carbon dioxide emission equivalent (CO2e) over a one century horizon was calculated for an intact (‘historical’) miombo landscape and for three hypothetical but observation-constrained derivatives: one developed through extensive subsistence farming; another by intensive, large-scale commercial farming; and one developed using ‘eco-agriculture’ improved smallholder techniques. The time course of net radiative forcing resulting from net carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, from all significant sources (including production and decomposition processes, fires, cultivation, enteric emissions, termites, etc.) was assessed, as well as the net change in surface reflectance (albedo) for the four representative landscapes. It was found that the loss of climate regulation service was greatest when the entire landscape was converted to commercial agriculture, with conversion via subsistence extensification, offering the most protection for the climate regulation service. Conversion to eco-agriculture falls somewhere in between. If the loss of climate regulation service is expressed per unit agricultural production, the pattern is reversed, favoring commercial intensification as the choice mode of production. It was found that contrary to the conventional approach of evaluating the climate regulation service entirely on the basis of net carbon storage, the changes in other greenhouse gases (notably CH4, but also to a smaller extent N2O), and surface albedo made substantial contributions to the changes in the climate regulation service provided by miombo landscapes.MT 201

A Research Proposal: Does the Glass Ceiling Show Signs of Breaking in the 21st Century?

Unfortunately, today women are still trying to prove themselves equal to men. Women are often over looked in many industries just due to the fact of being a woman. There are many negative assumptions regarding women. Some examples are: women cannot do a job meant for a man, women cannot work late hours due to children, women are too soft and don’t represent a strong leader in a top level position. It’s hard to even think that in the 21st century the glass ceiling is continuing to block women from entering and advancing in managerial and supervisory roles. Women have been able to move into top level positions by leaving the traditional agencies where men have dominated. Women have found that it’s easier to move around the glass ceiling rather than trying to break through it. The aim of this research proposal is to validate whether the glass ceiling still occurs in the 21st century. If so, have women made strives to shrink the gap

A comparison of two fishery-independent survey programs used to define the population structure of American lobster (Homarus americanus) in the Gulf of Maine

The population structure and abundance of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) stock in the Gulf of Maine are defined by data derived from a fishery-independent trawl survey program conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Few sampling stations in the survey area are located inshore, in particular along coastal Maine. According to statistics, however, more than two thirds of the lobster landings come from inshore waters within three miles off the coast of Maine. In order to include an inshore survey program, complementary to the NMFS survey, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) initialized an inshore survey program in 2000. The survey was modeled on the NMFS survey program, making these two survey programs comparable. Using data from both survey programs, we evaluated the population structure of the American lobster in the Gulf of Maine. Our findings indicate that lobsters in the Gulf of Maine tend to have a size-dependent inshore-off-shore distribution; smaller lobsters are more likely to stay inshore and larger lobsters are more likely to stay offshore. The DMR inshore and NMFS survey programs focused on different areas in the Gulf of Maine and likely targeted different segments of the stock. We suggest that data from both survey programs be used to assess the lobster stock and to describe the dynamics of the stock in the Gulf of Maine

The Ground We Walk On: An Effective Analogy for Exploring Soil Characteristics

Soil is common to all of us, so common that few people think about it and its importance in our everyday lives. The activity presented here provides an analogy useful for helping students design experiments and explore how soil particle size affects its behavior. Originally a simple “cookbook” demonstration for community college students, we restructured it to be more inquiry oriented so that it mentally engages students and promotes several important goals for science teaching. We believe the modified activity is applicable across a broad grade/age range, perhaps from upper elementary to some introductory post-secondary science courses. This activity promotes National Science Education Content Standards A, B, D, and E, and Iowa Teaching Standards 2, 3, 4 and 6