Home on the electronic range: bringing the Journal of Animal Science online

This article describes why the American Society of Animal Science decided to make the Journal of Animal Science available online, some of the issues that were considered before and during the project, and the responses of those who use the electronic journal. The article also contains discussions of new additions to our electronic offerings and the challenge of granting library access to electronic publications. Based on feedback received from American Society of Animal Science members, our online endeavors have been well received, and members perceive these offerings as an important enhancement of membership services.     

Rounding the Regression

Rounding is a necessary step in many mathematical processes. We are taught early in our education about significant figures and how to properly round a number. So when we are given a data set and asked to find a regression line, we are inclined to offer the line with rounded coefficients to reflect our model. However, the effects are not as insignificant as they might seem at first. In this paper, we investigate some consequences of rounding the coefficients in a least squares linear regression with respect to the calculated value of R², and consider ways to minimize the amount of error that can arise.     

Acute short-term sleep deprivation does not affect metacognitive monitoring captured by confidence ratings: a systematic literature review

This article presents the results of a systematic review of the literature surrounding the effects that acute sleep deprivation has on metacognitive monitoring. Metacognitive monitoring refers to the ability to accurately assess one’s own performance and state of knowledge. The mechanism behind this assessment is captured by subjective feelings of confidence concerning the accuracy of our judgments or performance. These judgments influence decision behavior. How well these subjective feelings fit with reality is critical for good decision making. For example, a driver who is overconfident in their ability to remain vigilant after a night without sleep is at risk of having an accident. A learner who is overconfident in their ability to perform well on an exam without sleep is at risk of failing. A break down in metacognitive monitoring might be responsible for the increase in poor decision making observed when people are sleep deprived. Using defined search terms and exclusion criteria, electronic database searches identified ten empirical studies suitable for review. Participants in these studies completed performance-based tasks, typically cognitive, while remaining awake for 28–63 hours. In all studies, metacognitive monitoring was assessed via confidence ratings either pre-, on-, or post-task. Extended wakefulness had a significant negative effect on performance in most studies. Evidencing good monitoring, however, the monitoring estimates such as confidence also tended to decline. Moreover, two critical variables that assess the fit of these estimates to actual performance (bias and discrimination) were mostly unaffected by the number of hours awake. Still, some results indicated that these variables may be affected by substances intended to fight sleep deprivation, such as modafinil. Within the limitations of extant literature (e.g., a sampling bias towards young adult male participants), empirical observations to date converge to suggest that metacognitive monitoring remains largely unaffected by the examined quantities of acute sleep deprivation (up to 63 hours).