scholarly journals From Science to Practice: A Review of Laterality Research on Ungulate Livestock

Symmetry ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leliveld

In functional laterality research, most ungulate livestock species have until recently been mainly overlooked. However, there are many scientific and practical benefits of studying laterality in ungulate livestock. As social, precocial and domestic species, they may offer insight into the mechanisms involved in the ontogeny and phylogeny of functional laterality and help to better understand the role of laterality in animal welfare. Until now, most studies on ungulate livestock have focused on motor laterality, but interest in other lateralized functions, e.g., cognition and emotions, is growing. Increasingly more studies are also focused on associations with age, sex, personality, health, stress, production and performance. Although the full potential of research on laterality in ungulate livestock is not yet exploited, findings have already shed new light on central issues in cognitive and emotional processing and laid the basis for potentially useful applications in future practice, e.g., stress reduction during human-animal interactions and improved assessments of health, production and welfare. Future research would benefit from further integration of basic laterality methodology (e.g., testing for individual preferences) and applied ethological approaches (e.g., established emotionality tests), which would not only improve our understanding of functional laterality but also benefit the assessment of animal welfare.

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Chamine ◽  
Barry S. Oken

Objective. Stress-reducing therapies help maintain cognitive performance during stress. Aromatherapy is popular for stress reduction, but its effectiveness and mechanism are unclear. This study examined stress-reducing effects of aromatherapy on cognitive function using the go/no-go (GNG) task performance and event related potentials (ERP) components sensitive to stress. The study also assessed the importance of expectancy in aromatherapy actions.Methods. 81 adults were randomized to 3 aroma groups (active experimental, detectable, and undetectable placebo) and 2 prime subgroups (prime suggesting stress-reducing aroma effects or no-prime). GNG performance, ERPs, subjective expected aroma effects, and stress ratings were assessed at baseline and poststress.Results. No specific aroma effects on stress or cognition were observed. However, regardless of experienced aroma, people receiving a prime displayed faster poststress median reaction times than those receiving no prime. A significant interaction for N200 amplitude indicated divergent ERP patterns between baseline and poststress for go and no-go stimuli depending on the prime subgroup. Furthermore, trends for beneficial prime effects were shown on poststress no-go N200/P300 latencies and N200 amplitude.Conclusion. While there were no aroma-specific effects on stress or cognition, these results highlight the role of expectancy for poststress response inhibition and attention.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjørn Bjorvatn

PurposeThe purpose of this conceptual paper is to describe and explain how organisations use internal projects to implement organisation-level strategy objectives.Design/methodology/approachTheory development with an emphasis on explaining key constructs and their mutual relationships. The theoretical contribution is represented in a diagram along with a detailed verbal account.FindingsThe paper develops a dynamic, cross-level framework to illustrate the organisational processes and outcomes that determine project-based strategy implementation within a single organisation. The interplay between the base organisation and the project, and benefits realisation were singled out as key future research areas. The proposed framework engages with central discourses in the fields of project management, strategic management, innovation studies, knowledge management and organisation studies.Research limitations/implicationsOnly the contours of an organisation-level theory of strategically motivated internal projects are outlined. Future research must elaborate on the complexities, the non-linear relationships and the boundary conditions that follow from the proposed framework.Practical implicationsManagers are alerted to the strategic role of internal projects, how these projects help connect strategy and performance and what the accompanying organisational processes and outcomes look like.Originality/valueThe paper constitutes an early conceptual treatment of strategy-driven internal projects as a distinct project category, thus addressing a major knowledge gap in project studies. Organisational project-management theory is extended with suggestions for future research.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Fred Seddon

<p>This review comments upon the article entitled above. The article is well written and describes an interesting and original study. This review critiques the Method and Discussion sections of the article and offers suggestions for future research. Three specific points from the method are considered relating to: dual roles as researcher-musicians, the use of reflective diaries in research, and the impact on the research of the prior relationship between the authors. The unique role of &ldquo;written empathy&rdquo; is discussed within the context of empathic relationships. Also, this review considers how shifts from verbal to non-verbal communication may indicate movement from a &ldquo;top-down&rdquo; to &ldquo;bottom up&rdquo; response, and how this shift is related to &ldquo;empathetic attunement.&rdquo;</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Busse ◽  
Ufuk Doganer

Purpose Fuelled by the latest scandals at Siemens, VW or Walmart, there is a lively debate on the role of compliance and ethics programmes. Unlike large corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) arguably tend to underestimate their significance and lag behind. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to shed light on the process of introducing compliance codes and its effects on employee acceptance and performance. Design/methodology/approach In line with the qualitative methodology, the authors conducted 12 in-depth interviews with German SME employees which the authors evaluated with the qualitative content analysis. Findings As for the major contribution, results indicate the emergence of a lack of understanding, anger, anxiety and operational performance losses – both at the individual and the corporate level – especially when employees feel uninvolved in the initial introduction stadium. Originality/value Practicing managers may benefit from the recommendation to facilitate staff involvement at earlier stages. As for theory advancement, the authors draw on Kotter’s (2007) long surviving “Eight Steps Change Management Model” and find significant support for shifting the spotlight of attention towards the first four phases. The authors discuss the original value of the research, admit limitations and illuminate some promising future research trajectories.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Marquis ◽  
Susan E. Jackson ◽  
Yuan Li

ABSTRACTAs China shifts its development model from focusing on economic growth at all costs to a model in which economic growth is balanced with solving pressing societal and environmental problems, there is an increasing need for management research on building sustainable organizations in China. This collection of papers focuses attention on the role of business in promoting sustainable economic development, highlighting a number of key processes including: the factors that foster transparency and CSR reporting, how stakeholders can influence corporations to abandon their CSR commitments, the benefits of environmental branding and labeling, and the antecedents and performance consequences of proactive environmental strategies. In this introductory essay we reflect on recent trends in sustainability research in China, and to encourage this important movement, provide recommendations for future research directions.


2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
Jane R. Stevens

Artificial tree hollows (nest or roost boxes) may be of considerable importance to the conservation and management of Australian hollow-using birds and microbats. This is suggested by recognition that the rate of collapse of hollow-bearing trees may exceed replacement in some landscapes. We review the published literature to synthesise current information on the use of artificial hollows by Australian birds and bats, and to provide guidance to future research and management. The use of artificial hollows has been documented in some detail for 15 native bird and eight microbat species. A range of hollow designs has been employed but there is a limited understanding of favoured designs. General designs (e.g. front-entry plywood boxes) have been used extensively by some species and should continue to be used until more effective designs are identified. Species tend to use artificial hollows that have entrance sizes just sufficient for their body size, and this should guide hollow design. Competitive interactions with a range of non-target species (native and non-native) may have a pronounced influence on artificial hollow use and must be considered in any management program involving artificial hollows. We highlight some design elements that may reduce interference by non-target species. Temperature inside artificial hollows may have a particular influence on their use by bats due to the role of microclimate in bat thermoregulation. Trials are needed to investigate this factor and to inform general approaches to positioning of artificial hollows. Several distinct management uses exist for artificial hollows, including assisting threatened species recovery, e.g. Kangaroo Island glossy black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus) and orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster). Artificial hollows offer an interim solution to hollow shortage but their full potential will only be realised when preferences for different designs are better understood. This will require a commitment to monitoring and should be conducted in an adaptive management context. Increased knowledge of the use of artificial hollows by Australian birds and bats should be of global relevance to the management of hollow-using species because it provides an independent test of ideas and strengthens any generalisations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-21
Author(s):  
Anouschka van Leeuwen ◽  
Carolien A. N. Knoop-van Campen ◽  
Inge Molenaar ◽  
Nikol Rummel

Teacher dashboards are a specific form of analytics in which visual displays provide teachers with information about their students; for example, concerning student progress and performance on tasks during lessons or lectures. In the present paper, we focus on the role of teacher dashboards in the context of teacher decision-making in K–12 education. There is large variation in teacher dashboard use in the classroom, which could be explained by teacher characteristics. Therefore, we investigate the role of teacher characteristics — such as experience, age, gender, and self-efficacy — in how teachers use dashboards. More specifically, we present two case studies to understand how diversity in teacher dashboard use is related to teacher characteristics. Surprisingly, in both case studies, teacher characteristics were not associated with dashboard use. Based on our findings, we propose an initial framework to understand what contributes to diversity of dashboard use. This framework might support future research to attribute diversity in dashboard use. This paper should be seen as a first step in examining the role of teacher characteristics in dashboard use in K–12 education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-111
Author(s):  
Rahmad Hidayat ◽  
Endi Sarwoko ◽  
Andi Nu Graha

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of transformational leadership on employee performance and to analyze the mediating role of work commitment. This research is a type of quantitative research, using a questionnaire arranged with a 5 point Likert scale. The research variables consisted of transformational leadership as an exogenous variable, employee performance as an endogenous variable, and work commitment while the mediating variable. The research sample was 80 employees of PT. Kalbe Farma, Tbk. The data analysis technique uses path analysis. The results showed that transformational leadership has a direct effect on employee performance. Other findings indicate that work commitment acts as a partial mediator of the relationship between transformational leadership and employee performance. Future research can develop research by including the role of organizational culture as a factor influencing commitment and performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Blumberg ◽  
Luciano Giromini ◽  
Konstantinos Papazoglou ◽  
A. Renee Thornton

First responders experience a myriad of stressors (e.g., operational, organizational, personal) over the course of their career. An abundance of empirical evidence shows that the impact of those stressors on first responders’ health, well-being, and performance can be detrimental. Nevertheless, previous research has mainly focused on the role of a specific technique (e.g., mindfulness, breathing exercises, psychoeducation) towards the promotion of well-being among first responders. This allows us to explore the role of a single technique in supporting first responders. However, given the complexity of stressors experienced by this population, it appears that a synergistic role of multileveled intervention is imperative to promote lasting improvement in first responders’ well-being. To this end, The HEROES Project, an eight-week online training program, was developed to address the aforementioned gap in the literature. The HEROES Project incorporates lessons that aim to build a cluster of skills that together promote first responders’ wellbeing. In the present study, a sample of first responders (n = 124) from the US Midwest were recruited and completed The HEROES Project. They were assessed before and after completion of the program, and then follow-up measurements were obtained for two years following the baseline assessment. Results showed that participants with higher distress and lower psychological resources before the training benefited most from The HEROES Project, but that the training significantly improved psychological capital and reduced stress, depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms for all participants. Clinical and training implications as well as future research directions are discussed.


Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (17) ◽  
pp. 2099
Author(s):  
Rafael Sancho-Zamora ◽  
Isidro Peña-García ◽  
Santiago Gutiérrez-Broncano ◽  
Felipe Hernández-Perlines

The purpose of this study was to understand how proactivity can affect the relationship between absorptive capacity and organisational performance. Most previous studies have ignored the role of proactivity in this relationship and have not considered the multidimensional nature of absorptive capacity. A questionnaire was sent to 800 CEOs of Spanish companies from different sectors, procuring a response rate of 38.25%. A structural equation model was applied to test the hypothesis. This study confirms the positive effect that absorptive capacity has on business performance and the moderating role of proactivity in this relationship. Companies that develop their capacity to absorb information from the environment achieve better results. Furthermore, if they engage in proactive behaviour within their company, this relationship is stronger. Future research should include more capacities that are related to knowledge and business performance (i.e., learning capability, innovation capacity, etc.). This study contributes to the understanding of how to manage a company’s knowledge in an appropriate way. It sheds new light on how knowledge management should be conducted, emphasising not only the gathering of information but also the promotion of a proactive attitude on the part of employees to achieve the goal of better performance.


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