The early postnatal period is a critical neurodevelopmental stage characterized by rapid neural maturation and is adversely affected by early-life stressors. This study explored the behavioural, physiological, and epigenetic consequences of early-life stress in a population of homeless rescue kittens. This longitudinal study included 50 kittens rescued and placed into foster care by the Prince Edward Island Humane Society. They underwent behavioural testing at 8, 10, and 12 weeks of age. Hair cortisol concentration was measured at 8 weeks and served as a physiological marker of the previous 3 months’ cumulative stress response, which, for these kittens, included the late gestation period. A blood sample for relative telomere length measurement was taken at 10–12 weeks to estimate epigenetic changes as young kittens. Data were analyzed with respect to age and performance in all repeated measures tests, status as a stray or a surrender, and the presence of the dam in their foster homes. As expected, the performance of kittens in all tests changed over the 5 weeks of testing. Kittens separated from their mothers exhibited significantly higher hair cortisol concentrations (p = 0.02) and elongated relative telomere lengths (p = 0.04). No correlation was found between hair cortisol concentration and relative telomere lengths (p = 0.99). These results support the need for further study on the effects of epigenetics and early-life stress, both in kittens and across species.

Behavioral, emotional, and physical signs of distress are increasingly recognized in veterinary patients during routine care. Visits to veterinarians are associated with development or worsening of fearful behaviors. Veterinary patients experiencing fear and distress create a welfare concern. These negative emotional states may result in deferred veterinary care and incomplete veterinary evaluations. This study is part of our ongoing series of studies on assessing fear and distress in clinical situations using one population of dogs. We sought to evaluate whether there was one or a subset of behaviors in a benchmarked, behavioral scale that best predicted or correlated with a 5-point, subjective, ordinal scale. Both scales were used to evaluate each dog's behavior throughout a 10-step standardized physical exam. Here we discuss the association between global scoring and the more detailed physical exam scoring. We evaluated dogs (n = 35) that were enrolled in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study testing a novel pharmaceutical intervention for fear associated with veterinary exams. In the original study, the dogs were videotaped at the baseline visit and 2 weeks later at the interventional visit. All videos were coded and blinded. For the purposes of our study, the order of the exams and whether the dogs received placebo, or the novel compound were not revealed. Four people evaluated all videos: three residents and an experienced specialist/ researcher who participated in the original pharmaceutical study. The benchmarked behavioral scales indicated that dogs with low body or tail posture (scores of 4-5) during the paw-lift stage of the physical exam, stayed aroused for all subsequent parts of the exam. This was not the case for dogs with lower scores when their paws were lifted. A score of 4 or 5 for tail and/or body posture is a sensitive predictor of future exam behavior in this context, and lifting a paw appears to be a provocative intervention for many fearful dogs. These key behaviors are sufficiently informative so that these should be evaluated at specified exam stages during a standardized exam, as part of a valid baseline behavioral database.& COPY; 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Behavioral, emotional, and physical signs of distress are increasingly recognized in veterinary patients during routine care. Fear and distress are humane and welfare concerns themselves, but such behavior may also result in deferred veterinary care and less thorough veterinary evaluations. The first step in preventing and treating this fear is to routinely assess it. The aim of this study was to assess the inter-rater reliability of two five-point, subjective, standardized, and benchmarked Likert scales evaluating the dog's behavior during the entry into the exam room and throughout the exam, and one benchmarked, behavioral scale that evaluated 8 behavioral components for entry into the exam room and for each of 10 steps of a standardized physical exam. We also assessed repeatability/intra-rater reliability for these scales for a subset of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) studied. Dogs (N = 35) were enrolled in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study testing a novel pharmaceutical intervention for fear associated with veterinary exams. Dogs were videotaped at the baseline or no intervention visit and 2 weeks later at the interventional (compound/ placebo) visit. All videos were coded and blinded with respect to visit order and treatment. Videos were never unblinded for treatment for this study. Videos were only unblinded for order, after the videos were assessed and the data with the statistician. Four people evaluated all videos: three behavior-resident and an experienced specialist/researcher. As part of a series of studies on this population of dogs, we report on inter-rater reliability for all scores among the residents and comparing the specialist's versus residents' scoring, and the residents' intra-rater reliability/repeatability. The results show a fair-to-moderate inter -rater and intra-rater agreement. These data suggest that a standardized scale can be used reliably by multiple people and may be an essential component of a valid baseline behavioral database. (c) 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Many attempts at providing a single-scale exponent and mechanism to explain metabolic rate assert a monolithic selective mechanism for allometries, characterized by a universal allometric scale power (usually chosen to be 0.75). To test for the deviations from universal allometric scaling, we gathered data from previously published metabolic measurements on 903 bird species and performed regressions of log(basal metabolic rate) and log(body mass) for (1) all birds and (2) 20 monophyletic clades within birds. We constructed two Bayesian linear mixed models-one included ecological variables and the other included data for mammals from Sieg et al. (2009). Overall allometric patterns differed significantly among clades of birds, and some clades were not consistent with the 0.75 scale power. We were unable to find apparent physiological, morphological, phylogenetic, or ecological characteristics among clades, predicting a difference in allometry or consistency with any previously proposed universal allometry. The Bayesian analysis illuminated novel bivariate, clade-specific differences in scaling slope-intercept space, separating large groups of birds and mammals. While significantly related to basal metabolic rate, feeding guild and migratory tendency had small effects compared to clade and body mass. We propose that allometric hypotheses, in general, must extend beyond simple overarching mechanisms to allow for conflicting and interacting influences that produce allometric patterns at narrower taxonomic scales-perhaps including other processes whose optimization may interfere with that of the system proposed by the metabolic theory of ecology.

This chapter ties certain health issues seen in food animals to soil, plant, and human health concerns involving the overuse of glyphosate. This overuse occurs both from glyphosate's use on genetically engineered (GE) crops and from its use as a drying agent ("harvest aid") for non–Roundup Ready crops. The lack of public funding for the agricultural sciences and the concurrent lack of scientists who are truly knowledgeable generalists are of concern for agricultural sustainability. The generalists are needed to give direction to the specialists our current educational system produces and to formulate long-term public agricultural policy. Now that we are beginning to recognize the influences of epigenetics and fetal programing, and to acknowledge the importance of biodiversity, society needs a renewed environmental ethos to balance and direct our use of genomics. Today's complicated questions require multiple repetitions of new stand-alone studies. These studies should be superior to our often overreliance on metanalysis—the process of using many previous studies and declaring the majority opinion as the correct science. It is important that the precautionary principle is fully honored in our age of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, especially when they are used in various combinations.

As part of a larger problem solving study, 22 dogs who were identified by owners/clients as reacting to noise and 13 identified by owners/clients as not reacting to noise that had been previously compared for auditory function were compared with respect to their reported noise reactions, performance on a puzzle box test, response to a provocative noise recording, and movement. Each dog was evaluated using a standardized, validated, semi-quantitative objective questionnaire from which an Anxiety Intensity Rank (AIR) score was calculated. AIR score calculations reflect the number of categories of noise to which the dog reacts, the behaviors exhibited, and the intensity of the reaction. Each dog underwent a 13 item problem-solving test (The Canine Intelligence Test Protocol; CITP) designed to evaluate 4 standardly evaluated cognitive domains. We report on two of the 13 tests - the puzzle box test and the provocative noise test - for this group of dogs. During testing most dogs wore collars containing accelerometers using custom firmware which provided second-by-second 3D movement data. AIR scores for the 2 groups differed significantly (Welch's t tests; t = 4.34, df = 19.23, P < 0.0004), although the affected group was only mildly affected. Affected dogs took longer to solve the tasks and, overall, did more poorly (P < 0.5). Accelerometry revealed that during testing, movements of affected dogs were more erratic, less continuous and subject to greater extreme deviations and longer pauses than were the movements of unaffected dogs. Even dogs mildly affected with fear of noises differed from unaffected dogs, and performed more poorly on problem-solving tests possibly, in part, because their movements were characterized by a high degree of physical and behavioral/emotional reactivity. Reactions to noise affect how these dogs move, which may affect every investigatory and interactive aspect of their lives. Combining AIR scores with movement measures may be a useful method to assess welfare in pet dogs.

Working dogs trained to be detection/sniffer dogs must work closely with their human partners. Pet dogs are also often asked to perform tasks, whether in a casual context (e.g., going for a walk) or as part of more formal activity (e.g., competitive sport). For the best performance outcomes, each partner must signal well to the other, and accurately read and respond to the other's signals. As part of a larger study comparing problem-solving behavior and information use in working dogs and pet dogs, we compared the detailed responses of 40 detection dogs and 80 pet dogs to verbal signals under two conditions: when the handler was facing the dog (front-facing condition) versus when the handler had his back to the dog, while giving a verbal request (back-facing condition). We hypothesize that: (1) both groups of dogs would be more accurate and faster in response when they could see the humans' faces and anterior bodies (front-facing condition) than in the back-facing condition; (2) dogs who did not respond immediately and correctly to the signal would exhibit behavioral signs of anxiety, uncertainty, and possibly distress, and such signals would be more common in the back-facing condition; and (3) the working dogs would be more consistent and successful as a group when compared to the pet dogs because working dogs have been specifically trained to do a job, in joint collaboration with humans who signal to them when and where to do the job and when they are successful. As such, clear signaling and response was already part of their practiced and tested daily life, and so should be reflected in their testing in this study. All testing was video recorded using the same test design and same order of tests. Neither pet nor working dogs were familiar with the test before initial testing, and neither was tested in a physical space that was familiar to them. Video analysis determined latency to response, time to completion of requested task, and identification of behaviors exhibited during the two conditions (human facing the dog/front-facing condition, or with the human's back turned to the dog/back-facing condition). Requests were given verbally using a normal tone of voice. Handlers were asked not to use hand signals. The three requests used were “sit,” “down,” and “stay”. For most comparisons, dogs were slower to respond and took longer to complete each request when they were unable to see the handler's face (back-facing condition) (all P < 0.05). The behaviors exhibited when the working dogs could not see their handler's face were largely associated with seeking further information that would allow the dog to comply with the request. This pattern of response suggests that improvements in signaling behavior and understanding for both team members can and should be made and should lead to improvements in the dogs' welfare and better team performance. Pet dogs exhibited both information-seeking behaviors and those associated with anxiety when they could not see their owner's face, suggesting that working on efficient and accurate exchange of cues and responses would improve pet dog welfare and help to create a trusting relationship where anxiety about collaborative tasks is minimized.

The purpose of this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was to determine if the use of a pheromone collar was beneficial in reducing the stress of young Military Working Dogs (MWDs) transitioning from foster care into the training kennel at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Although the MWD is bred and trained to be robust and resilient, stark changes in environment and lifestyle can be a shock and lead to deleterious physiological and psychological effects, especially in young developing dogs. To evaluate the potential efficacy and utility of a pheromone collar on the dogs' behaviors during transition, each MWD that returned from foster between October 2014 and February 2015 was randomly assigned to either a placebo or treatment pheromone collar. Collars were worn for 4 weeks. Three behavioral assessments were performed before collar placement, then again at weeks 3 and 5 of the study, as well as 1 performance evaluation at week 3. The data were analyzed to determine if use of the pheromone collar had any effect on stress-related behaviors or performance. The results suggest that there was no reduction in observed behavioral signs of stress between the placebo and treatment groups. Further research should focus on a multimodal approach to mitigation of stressors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Noise reactivity is a common problem for dogs and may progress to true phobia. Survey studies report that some type of noise reaction occurs in up to half of all pet dogs throughout their lifetimes, indicating that noise reactivity and/or phobia is a welfare issue. Familial aggregations of affected dogs have been reported, and increased prevalence in certain breeds has been suggested. Reactivity to noise can severely compromise function in both pet and working dogs. Noise reactivity may be comorbid with many anxiety disorders for both canines and humans and is postulated to effect information processing in associated human, rodent, and dog conditions. Any putative effect of noise on information processing becomes a concern for problem solving and other aspects of cognition that are important to working dogs. Accordingly, we sought to phenotype 3 breeds of herding dogs commonly used for work as detection dogs, police and/or patrol dogs, search and rescue dogs, and/or service dogs: Australian shepherds (AUS), border collies (BOC), and German shepherds (GSD). We analyzed demographic information and behavioral responses to noises (guns, storms, and fireworks) known to provoke fearful or phobic responses for 59 AUS, 81 BOC, and 58 GSD, who were also included in a genetic analysis. Behaviors were compared using a metric constructed from information on type, frequency, and intensity of response, and the Anxiety Intensity Rank (AIR) score. Reactivity to noise was found to segregate in some family lines for the dogs in this study, although individuals expressed considerable variation in noise response. Such variation may be time and exposure dependent and presents a phenotyping challenge. In this study, the presence and intensity of reactivity as represented by AIR scores varied by breed but only slightly with age. The BOC studied were older, and BOC and AUS were more severely affected (higher AIR scores) than were GSD. Source and/or purpose of dog may also affect severity of affliction. Determination of crisp and accurate phenotypes is essential for understanding underlying genetic contributions. For noise reactivity and/or phobia, accurate phenotypes include age of onset and specific behavioral characterization. Standardized and objective assessments are essential for assessment of progression and comorbidity. Our data imply that accurate phenotypic assessment is possible at a relatively early age, providing for both humane treatment and accurate phenotyping that facilitates good genotyping.

Noise reactivity and noise phobia are anxiety- and panic-related conditions in dogs that may affect up to 50% of dogs across their lifetime. Affected dogs show a range of signs of distress including trembling, freezing, panting, social withdrawal, pacing, salivating, and escape behaviors. Noise reactivity and phobia have been shown to be comorbid conditions, and their presence may increase the risk and severity of other anxiety-related conditions. Anxiety disorders may interfere with dogs' abilities to perform problem-solving tasks or to interpret information that could be useful in such tasks, including tasks involving or affected by noise. The extent to which noise reactivity or phobia is related to auditory dysfunction or impairment is not known. In this study, we asked whether known noise reactivity in dogs was reflected in any of several measures of auditory function: the brainstem auditory-evoked response, auditory middle-latency response, and mismatch negativity. Most noise-reactive dogs in this study were mildly affected (mean anxiety intensity rank [noise] score 17.65, maximum = 64). Comparison of the major auditory measures of dogs who were noise reactive with those of dogs who were non noise reactive revealed a significant difference in only one variable of the brainstem auditory-evoked response test, right ear wave-V (RE-V) (Welch's t = 2.55, df = 22.41, P < 0.02). Auditory middle- and late-latency responses were present in all dogs that allowed for the completion of this test, providing initial evidence of higher order auditory-cognitive function. Behaviorally, the group of noise-reactive dogs was significantly different from the group of non noise-reactive dogs with respect to their ability to undergo this testing: 5 of the 17 noise-reactive dogs were too reactive to undergo or complete the test but none of the 14 non-noise dogs were unable to undergo and complete testing. This study suggests that the underlying pathology resulting in noise reactivity may not influence auditory middle-latency response or mismatch negativity related variables, but the study should be expanded to a larger and more severely affected population of dogs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hanging is one of the commonest methods of suicide. Epidemiological data of near-hanging patients from Nepal is limited. The present research from Nepal attempts to review the clinico-epidemiological profile of near-hanging patients. A retrospective review of case records was done for the near hanging patients admitted to a tertiary care teaching hospital in Nepal, between August 2012 and August 2014. Details regarding socio-demographic profile, circumstances of hanging, clinical details, and outcome etc. were obtained and examined. During the study period, 10 near hanging patients were admitted to the hospital. The majority of the patients were below 30 years. Mean age of the study group was 28.8 years. The GCS on arrival ranged between 5/15 and 15/15 with the mean GCS being 9.5/15. Hypoxic encephalopathy and cerebral edema were the only noted complications. None of the patient had a cervical spinal injury. All the patients survived the near hanging episode. The mean ICU and hospital stay were 3.9 days and 6.2 days respectively. Prompt resuscitation, active interventions and intensive care support favors a good prognosis. Psychiatric evaluation and support to the patients and their relatives is the key to preventing such attempts in future.

This study aimed to evaluate cell injuries in Bifidobacterium longum 51A caused by different microencapsulation processes. For this purpose, the probiotic was microencapsulated by emulsification using alginate with starch or chitosan as well as by spray drying using skim milk as the matrix. The microcapsules were characterized by atomic force microscopy, and cell viability was determined by plate count during storage (−20 °C/90 days). Under simulated gastrointestinal conditions cell injury was analysed using fluorescence of two probes followed by flow cytometry, and the hydrophobicity of cells was evaluated by bacterial adhesion to hexadecane. During storage, B. longum 51A remained above 7.51 log10 CFU g−1 in all microcapsules. However, flow cytometry showed that only microencapsulation by spray drying maintained the cells without injury and ensured viability under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The microstructural analysis showed few cells without coating in these microcapsules. In addition, flow cytometry showed the limitation of plate count method to assess cell viability, indicating that even when injured the bacterial cells grow in culture medium. Microencapsulation by spray drying also ensured the recovery of hydrophobicity during storage. Spray drying microcapsules can be an alternative to preserve the viability and functionality of probiotics to be incorporated into foods.

The need to generate income to fund drug misuse is assumed to be a driver of involvement in acquisitive crime. We examined the influence of drug misuse expenditure, and other factors, on acquisitive offending.Clients (N = 1380) seeking drug treatment within 94 of 149 Drug Action Teams (DATs) across England completed a comprehensive survey, incorporating validated scales and self-report measures, such as levels of drug and alcohol use and offending.Forty per cent (N = 554) had committed acquisitive crime in the previous month. Regression analysis showed that acquisitive offending was associated with the presence of problematic use of crack cocaine, poly-drug use, sharing injecting equipment, unsafe sex, overdose risk, higher drug spend, unemployment, reduced mental wellbeing, and younger age.Rates of acquisitive crime among drug users are high. Drug using offenders can be distinguished from drug using non-offenders by problematic crack cocaine use, younger age, income-related factors, and indicators of a chaotic life style and complex needs. Behavioural and demographic factors were associated more strongly with acquisitive crime than drug use expenditure, suggesting that the need to finance drug use is not necessarily the main factor driving acquisitive offending by drug users.

The availability of a high quality draft sequence of the dog genome has changed the way geneticists study companion animals and how we are tackling the problem of finding genes that control complex traits. Of particular interest are genes controlling the morphologic differences that define different domestic dog breeds, genes regulating behavior, and those that increase disease susceptibility. Central to our ability to use the newly available resources is an understanding of dog breed structure. We present a detailed discussion of a new cluster analysis involving 132 American Kennel Club recognized breeds and varieties. The completion of this experiment has facilitated our efforts to map disease genes where the same pathologic disorder is present in a small number of breeds, but absent in the remaining majority. We will discuss the application of this approach to the problem of specific cancers occurring in small numbers of related breeds. Also important is an understanding of the strengths and limitations of the current molecular resources, and consideration of the traits that are likely to lend themselves to mapping using available approaches. We describe our recent efforts to localize genes important in controlling breed-defined fixed morphologic features. This study is built on the analysis of hundreds of dogs representing more than 75 breeds that were interrogated using the canine specific Affymetrix SNP chip that features 127,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA). Analysis of these data for association with breed fixed traits identifies loci for a variety of morphologic features including, but not limited to, body size and skeletal shape. As an example of the power of this approach, we present new data for loci controlling leg morphology and coat type.

Power scaling relationships between body mass and organismal traits are fundamental to biology. Compilations of mammalian masses and basal metabolic rates date back over a century and are used both to support and to assail the universal quarter-power scaling invoked by the metabolic theory of ecology. However, the slope of this interspecific allometry is typically estimated without accounting for intraspecific variation in body mass or phylogenetic constraints on metabolism. We returned to the original literature and culled nearly all unique measurements of body mass and basal metabolism for 695 mammal species and (1) phylogenetically corrected the data using the fullest available phylogeny, (2) applied several different regression analyses, (3) resampled regressions by drawing randomly selected species from each of the polytomies in the phylogenetic hypothesis at each iteration, and (4) ran these same analyses independently on separate clades. Overall, 95% confidence intervals of slope estimates frequently did not include 0.75, and clade-specific slopes varied from 0.5 to 0.85, depending on the clade and regression model. Our approach reveals that the choice of analytical model has a systematic influence on the estimated allometry, but irrespective of the model applied, we find little support for a universal metabolic rate-body mass scaling relationship.