Publications

Early social deprivation negatively affects social skill acquisition in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

In a highly social species like chimpanzees, the process by which individuals become attuned to their social environment may be of vital importance to their chances of survival. Typically, this socialization process, defined by all acquisition experiences and fine-tuning efforts...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Rearing & Weaning, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: van Leeuwen, E. J. C., Mulenga, I. C., Chidester, D. L. 2014. Early social deprivation negatively affects social skill acquisition in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Animal Cognition 17(2), 407–414.

UV deprivation influences social UV preference in juvenile sticklebacks

Social aggregations occur in many different animal taxa and mainly result from non-random assortment. Investigating factors that shape and maintain the composition of social aggregations are among others a main topic for understanding ecological speciation processes. Aggregation decisions are mediated...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish

Citation: Modarressie, R., Gunther, C., Bakker, T. 2015. UV deprivation influences social UV preference in juvenile sticklebacks. Animal Behavior and Cognition 2(2), 186–199.

Effects of early noise exposure on hippocampal-dependent behaviors during adolescence in male rats: Influence of different housing conditions

Central nervous system (CNS) development is a very complex process that can be altered by environmental stimuli such as noise, which can generate long-term auditory and/or extra-auditory impairments. We have previously reported that early noise exposure can induce hippocampus-related behavioral...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Molina, S. J., Lietti, Á. E., Carreira Caro, C. S. et al. 2022. Effects of early noise exposure on hippocampal-dependent behaviors during adolescence in male rats: Influence of different housing conditions. Animal Cognition 25(1), 103–120.

Effect of a geothermal heat pump in cooling mode on the housing environment and swine productivity traits

This study compared the effects of the cooling mode of a geothermal heat pump (GHP) system with those of a traditional cooling system (ventilation fans) inside a pig house on the internal house temperature, harmful gas emissions, and the growth...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Mun, H.-S., Dilawar, M. A., Rathnayake, D. et al. 2021. Effect of a geothermal heat pump in cooling mode on the housing environment and swine productivity traits. Applied Sciences 11(22), 10778.

The legislative, ethical, and conceptual importance of replicability in farm animal welfare science

In this commentary, we discuss three replicability issues that are specifically relevant to research regarding farm animal welfare: (1) Legislative action, and its potential economic consequences, should derive from robust and replicable research to benefit animals kept in an industrial...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: Cattle, Chicken, Equine, Fowl, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Nawroth, C., Gygax, L. 2020. The legislative, ethical, and conceptual importance of replicability in farm animal welfare science. agriRxiv 2020, 20203211980.

Unmasking the adverse impacts of sex bias on science and research animal welfare

Sex bias in biomedical and natural science research has been prevalent for decades. In many cases, the female estrous cycle was thought to be too complex an issue to model for, and it was thought to be simpler to only...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Nunamaker, E. A., Turner, P. V. 2023. Unmasking the adverse impacts of sex bias on science and research animal welfare. Animals 13(17), 2792.

Animal-friendly behavioral testing in field studies: Examples from ground squirrels

Field studies of behavior provide insight into the expression of behavior in its natural ecological context and can serve as an important complement to behavioral studies conducted in the lab under controlled conditions. In addition to naturalistic observations, behavioral testing...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive TestingAnimal Type: Other Rodent, Rodent

Citation: Nunes, S. 2023. Animal-friendly behavioral testing in field studies: Examples from ground squirrels. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17.

A fine-scale and minimally invasive marking method for use with conventional tungsten microelectrodes

In neurophysiology, achieving precise correlation between physiological responses and anatomic structures is a significant challenge. Therefore, the accuracy of the electrode marking method is crucial. In this study, we describe a tungsten-deposition method, in which tungsten oxide is generated by...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Imaging & Electrophysiological RecordingAnimal Type: Macaque, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Rodent

Citation: Oikawa, T., Nomura, K., Hara, T. et al. 2023. A fine-scale and minimally invasive marking method for use with conventional tungsten microelectrodes. eNeuro 10(9), ENEURO.0141-23.2023.

The role of sound in livestock farming—Selected aspects

To ensure the optimal living conditions of farm animals, it is essential to understand how their senses work and the way in which they perceive their environment. Most animals have a different hearing range compared to humans; thus, some aversive...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Husbandry & Management, VocalizationAnimal Type: Cattle, Chicken, Equine, Fowl, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Olczak, K., Penar, W., Nowicki, J. et al. 2023. The role of sound in livestock farming—Selected aspects. Animals 13(14), 2307.

Saliva sampling material matters: Effects on the results of saliva analysis in pigs

The use of saliva as a biological sample from pigs is of high practical interest because blood collection from pigs is difficult and stressful. In this study, the influence of two different materials, a cotton roll and a polypropylene sponge,...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Ortín-Bustillo, A., Botía, M., López-Arjona, M. et al. 2023. Saliva sampling material matters: Effects on the results of saliva analysis in pigs. Animals 13(24), 3757.