Environmental Enrichment Influences Social Preference Task Behavior And Neural Activity In Adolescent Long-Evans Rats

Adolescence is a time of physiological growth and development in human beings featuring enhanced social interaction, risk-seeking behavior, and curiosity. Adolescent rats exhibit similar, species-specific characteristics. The aim of the current study was to observe changes in behavior and neural activity in adolescent rats through environmental manipulation. Environmental Enrichment (EE) is the stimulation of social and physical aspects of a laboratory animal's environment and can lead to various neurological and behavioral advancements. Subjects in this study were 24 Long-Evans rats that were divided into two conditions: experimental and control. The experimental group experienced EE sessions and the control group did not. After 20 EE sessions, rats from both groups participated in a social preference task (SPT). The SPT is a two-trial procedure commonly performed to analyze how EE affects the inclination of a rat to act toward a familiar or novel stimulus rat. Once behavior was observed, rats were euthanized and brain tissue was processed to identify neurons activated by the SPT using a neural activity marker, c-FOS. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the hippocampus' Cornu Ammonis 2 (CA2) were regions of interest. Combined, these areas are crucial for fear processing and social learning memory. Results showed that neither the EE nor the control rats displayed a significant preference for either stimulus rat during the SPT. It was, however, established that compared to other conditions, male enriched rats spent a significantly greater amount of total time (p < .001) and time per contact (p < .001) with either stimulus rat. Additionally, the BLA of enriched rats had greater mean neural activity than the CA2 of enriched rats (p = .008) and the BLA of non- enriched rats (p = .005). There was no significant evoked activity in the CA2 of either group. Overall, results suggest EE may decrease an adolescent rat's probability of engaging in risky behavior in a social setting through experience allowing for informal learning and memory that may promote neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. It is thought that analogous strategies could be employed to impact adolescent behavior and neurological structure in people

Community Impacts of International Service-Learning and Study Abroad: An Analysis of Focus Groups with Program Leaders

The ethical practice of international service-learning requires participants and institutions to examine their potential impacts on vulnerable host communities. This study reports on a series of focus groups with leaders of short-term international service-learning and other study abroad programs. The results of these focus groups suggests that while program leaders do not generally take into account the potential impacts of their programs on local communities in the design or implementation of their programs, they are very open to considering ways to mitigate negative impacts and promote positive ones once the issue has been raised. Program leaders are also collectively able to generate many excellent and creative strategies for improving their programs with respect to effects on communities, and are enthusiastic about engaging in this dialogue. We conclude that more research as well as substantial institutional commitment to addressing the community impacts of international service- learning and other study abroad programs are necessary for positive change, including training and other support to program leaders

Authorizing Gender and Development: "Third World Women," Native Informants, and Speaking Nearby

Postmodern and postcolonial feminist theories applied to development have opposed universalizing and essentializing notions of a homogeneous “third world woman” posited as in need of saving by first world experts. Deconstructing development requires a recognition of diverse experiences, which suggests the need to listen to the previously “silenced voices” of third world women. My paper will consider whether this can be done without relying on an equally problematic demand for authenticity from “native informants,” and explores the implications of such an analysis for a postcolonial feminist approach to (post)developmen

Different Commonalities: Gender Mainstreaming and the Marginalization of Difference in Economic Development

Gender mainstreaming in economic development has occurred in terms that contribute to the homogenization of women’s experiences and to the exclusion of difference as legitimate terrain of analysis at institutions such as the World Bank. Feminist difficulties with the theory and politics of difference have been and will continue to be complicit with this problematic aspect of gender mainstreaming at such institutions. Since differences among women are at least as important as commonalities in defining needs and grounds for political action, the exclusion of difference from the discourse of development must be challenged directly in feminist theory and practice

Transforming “Them” into “Us”: Some Dangers in Teaching Women And Development

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Client Choice Food Pantries: Benefits And Barriers

Introduction: Research has shown that using a choice pantry method has the potential to improve client’s nutrition status and improve self-efficacy. However, using this pantry method may not be feasible for many all food pantries. The purpose of this study was to identify effective strategies and potential barriers when offering a client-choice pantry. Materials and Methods: Interviews were conducted with staff members from 7 client-choice pantries across the US. Interviews were conducted by phone or email and consisted of 11 questions regarding the logistics of how the pantry operates. Qualitative data was measured by the frequency with which each concern or benefit was mentioned, and answers were comparatively analyzed for consensus between researchers. Results: All seven pantries food distributed based food distribution on household size. Over half the pantries utilized a shopping method. The primary benefits of the client choice model included personalization of food boxes, eliminating food waste, and a more dignified client experience. The main challenges reported were maintaining consistent inventory and reliance on volunteers.Discussion and conclusions: Study results provided a confirmation of how client choice pantries work most effectively, reflecting the benefits and barriers identified through previous research. Overall, the study confirmed a widespread transition to the client choice method of food distribution and away from the traditional food box model. Future research should continue to explore strategies to overcome barriers for client-choice food pantries. The limitations of the study include the small sample size and the variety in pantries surveyed

"And Now a Word From..." and "Answer This"

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Economic Marginalia: Postcolonial Readings of Unpaid Domestic Labor and Development

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Using An Elevation Gradient As A Surrogate For Climate Warming To Understand The Effects On Wood Anatomy And Water Relations Of Fraser Fir (ABIES FRASERI) Christmas Trees

Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) Christmas trees are an important part of the agro-economyof Western North Carolina, accounting for $100 million dollars in annual sales. Inorder to assess how warming-driven stressors of climate change could affect thesetrees, I examined water relations and wood anatomy of Fraser fir Christmas treesalong an elevation gradient from 664 m to 1228 m. Low elevations exhibited thehighest daytime maximum temperatures and higher associated evaporative demand(greater vapor pressure deficit, VPD) than the middle and high elevations, whilehigh elevations experienced greater cloud cover and immersion than the lowerelevations, as expected. Stomatal conductance varied over site and season, showinga strong response to VPD and temperature changes. Diurnal water potentialslikewise displayed a change over the season and with elevation, with the lowestwater potential at the low elevation in the early growing season. In the mid-seasonthe high elevation trees exhibited the lowest water potential because of a high VPD.Trees did not experience enough water stress to induce embolism in the currentfield sites and conditions. Hydraulic conductivity did not exhibit a change acrosselevations. From an anatomical perspective, xylem lumen area was similar amongall sites. The tracheid count, however, differed among sites with the fewestcells/mm2 at the low elevation. Middle elevations had the greatest cell wallthickness but neither differences in the tracheid anatomy was great enough tochange alter the hydraulic conductivity. Trees across elevations tended tocompensate for warming by physiology, namely stomatal control, rather than adjustanatomy. With climate warming, dryer soil, and lower relative humidity,physiological functioning will decrease and low elevation farms may experiencelonger periods of stress during the growing season

First, Do No Harm: Ideas for Mitigating Negative Community Impacts of Short-Term Study Abroad

This article presents the results from a research project on the host community impact of college students participating in university-sponsored international experiences. It finds that little reliable data is available on the impact that our students have on host communities. The article concludes that nondamaging international experiences require a substantial amount of planning, experienced group facilitation, and solid debriefing of students and community members. We recommend that geographers with a critical perspective and extensive foreign expertise should help guide the development of these experiences and urge their universities to screen study abroad for unintended negative outcomes on local communities