Effects of Caregiver-Implemented Aggression Reduction Procedure on Problem Behavior of Dogs

Problem behavior of companion animals poses a threat to caregivers, other targets of problem behavior (e.g., strangers, other nonhuman animals), and those animals engaging in problem behavior. This study examined the effects of an aggression reduction procedure (ARP) on dog problem behavior. After a baseline condition showing caregivers were unsuccessful in reducing dog aggression and the behaviors preceding aggression, caregivers were trained to implement a procedure to address dog problem behavior in relatively simple contexts. Generalization programming then was used to target caregiver plan implementation and dog problem behavior in more complex contexts. The ARP effectively reduced dog aggression for all dogs. A slight reduction and increased variability in dog precursor behavior was observed when the ARP was implemented. In addition, caregivers and experts rated the goals, procedures, and effects as acceptable. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Use of cultivated foods and matrix habitat by Bale monkeys in forest fragments: Assessing local human attitudes and perceptions

Primates inhabiting human-modified landscapes often exploit matrix habitat to supplement their diet with cultivated foods, at times resulting in economic losses and conflict with local people. Understanding human-nonhuman primate interactions and the attitudes and perceptions of local people towards crop feeding species are crucial to designing effective species-based management plans. Over a 12-month period, we used scan sampling to study the consumption of cultivated foods and matrix use patterns by two habituated groups of Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis), Ethiopian-endemic bamboo specialists, in two forest fragments (Kokosa and Afursa) set amidst human settlements and farmland in the southern Ethiopian Highlands. Further, we conducted interviews with local people to document their attitudes and perceptions towards Bale monkeys at the two sites. We found that Bale monkeys at Kokosa, a more degraded habitat by most measures, consumed significantly more cultivated foods than their counterparts at Afursa. Moreover, Bale monkeys at Kokosa spent significantly more time in the matrix than in the forest habitat, while monkeys at Afursa spent significantly less time in the matrix than in the forest habitat. Not surprisingly, local people displayed a more negative attitude towards monkeys inhabiting Kokosa than those inhabiting Afursa. The differences in Bale monkey cultivated food consumption and matrix use patterns—as well as in local people's attitudes and perceptions towards Bale monkeys—between Kokosa and Afursa are probably associated with differences in habitat structure, degree of habitat alteration, and land-use practices between the sites. We conclude that to ensure long-term coexistence between Bale monkeys and local people in human-modified landscapes, it is vital to incorporate nearby matrix habitats into management plans and to work closely with local communities to develop effective nonlethal crop protection strategies, thereby reducing the likelihood of negative interactions between Bale monkeys and humans.     

Southern right whales show no behavioral response to low noise levels from a nearby unmanned aerial vehicle

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used for wildlife research and monitoring, but little information exists on their potential effect on marine mammals. We assessed the effects of a UAV on the behavior of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) in Australia. Focal follows of ten right whale mother-calf pairs were conducted using a theodolite. Control data were recorded for 30 min, and then a DJI Inspire 1 Pro was flown above the whales for 10 min at 5 m altitude. Potential changes to horizontal behavior (swim speed and turning angle) and surfacing pattern (interbreath intervals) were investigated by comparing mother-calf behavior before and during UAV approaches. Changes in respiration rate were used to quantify energetic effects. We also explored acoustic cue perceptibility of the UAV at 5, 10, and 30 m altitude, by measuring the received UAV underwater noise level on whales equipped with acoustic tags (DTAGs). The received noise levels were 86.0 ± 3.9 dB re 1 μPa, while the measured ambient noise was 80.7 ± 7.3 dB re 1 μPa in the same frequency band (100–1,500 Hz). No behavioral response to the UAV was observed. This provides support for UAVs as a noninvasive tool to study baleen whale behavior and ecophysiology.     

Modular genetic control of innate behaviors

Many complex behaviors are genetically hardwired. Based on previous findings on genetic control of mating and other behaviors in invertebrate and mammalian systems, I suggest that genetic control of complex behaviors is modular: first, dedicated genes specify different behavioral patterns; secondly, separable genetic networks govern distinct behavioral components. I speculate that modular genetic encoding of complex behaviors may in part reflect modularity in brain development and function. Editor's suggested further reading in BioEssays From songs to synapses: Molecular mechanisms of birdsong memory Abstract     

Responses of pet cats to being held by an unfamiliar person,from weaning to three years of age

Abstract

We have determined the extent to which individual responses of domestic cats on being handled by an unfamiliar person are stable between 2 and 33 months of age. Twenty-nine household cats from nine litters were tested at 2, 4, 12, 24 and 33 months of age, by being held for 1 minute by a standard, unfamiliar person. Between 4 and 33 months of age, individual differences in the number of attempts made by the cat to escape, and in whether or not it showed signs of distress, were stable, with the partial exception of the test at 12 months. There was no consistency between tests in whether or not a particular cat purred. At 2 months of age, the number of escape attempts was highest in cats which had been handled the least in the second month of life, but this trend was reversed in the number of escape attempts made at 4 months. The lack of distress exhibited by all cats in the test at 2 months indicated that all had received at least adequate socialization to people, and that none were therefore comparable with the unsocialized cats used in several previous studies. We conclude that under normal domestic conditions, the behavior of a cat when handled by an unfamiliar person reflects a stable character trait, and that extensive handling during the socialization period may be subsequently associated with a reduction in inhibited behavior when interacting with an unfamiliar person.     

β‐Bulges: Extensive structural analyses of β‐sheets irregularities

β‐Sheets are quite frequent in protein structures and are stabilized by regular main‐chain hydrogen bond patterns. Irregularities in β‐sheets, named β‐bulges, are distorted regions between two consecutive hydrogen bonds. They disrupt the classical alternation of side chain direction and can alter the directionality of β‐strands. They are implicated in protein‐protein interactions and are introduced to avoid β‐strand aggregation. Five different types of β‐bulges are defined. Previous studies on β‐bulges were performed on a limited number of protein structures or one specific family. These studies evoked a potential conservation during evolution. In this work, we analyze the β‐bulge distribution and conservation in terms of local backbone conformations and amino acid composition. Our dataset consists of 66 times more β‐bulges than the last systematic study (Chan et al. Protein Science 1993, 2:1574–1590). Novel amino acid preferences are underlined and local structure conformations are highlighted by the use of a structural alphabet. We observed that β‐bulges are preferably localized at the N‐ and C‐termini of β‐strands, but contrary to the earlier studies, no significant conservation of β‐bulges was observed among structural homologues. Displacement of β‐bulges along the sequence was also investigated by Molecular Dynamics simulations.     

Cloning and Sequence Analysis of a cDNA Encoding Salmon (Onchorhynchus keta) Liver Transglutaminase

We isolated cDNA clones encoding a transglutaminase (TGase: EC 2.3.2.13) from a salmon (Onchorhynchus keta) cDNA library prepared from the liver. In the cDNA sequence combined, an open reading frame coding for a protein of 680 aa was found. The deduced sequence showed a considerable similarity (62.4%) to that of red sea bream TGase. By comparison of sequence similarity to other TGases, the structure of salmon TGase was like tissue type TGases, rather than membrane-associated type or plasma type TGases. As a structural feature of salmon TGase, 3 aa residues were substituted in the 25 aa sequence around the active site Cys residue, which is conserved among several tissue type TGases. The critical residues thought to form the catalytic-center triad (Cys²⁷², His³³¹, and Asp³⁰¹) were found in the highly conserved region, but the region surrounding Tyr⁵¹¹, which corresponds to the residue participates in hydrogen-bond interactions of active center domain, was less similar to other TGases, except for red sea bream TGase. These findings suggests that the overall structure of fish TGase resembles tissue-type TGases, but has some unique structure.