BIOACOUSTIC PUBLICATIONS, 1987

The use of amplitudes to identify individuals has historically been ignored by bioacoustic researchers due to problems of attenuation. However, recent studies have shown that amplitudes encode identity in a variety of mammal species. Previously, individuality has been demonstrated in both fundamental frequency (F₀) and amplitude changes of captive Eastern wolf (Canis lupus lycaon) howls with 100% accuracy where attenuation of amplitude due to distance was controlled in a captive environment. In this study, we aim to determine whether both fundamental frequency and amplitude data collected from vocalizations of wild wolves recorded over unknown distances, in variable conditions and with different recording equipment, can still encode identity. We used a bespoke code, developed in Matlab, to extract simple scalar variables from 67 high-quality solo howls from 10 wild individuals and 112 chorus howls from another 109 individuals, including lower quality howls with wind or water noise. Principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out on the fundamental frequency and normalized amplitude of harmonic 1, yielding histogram-derived PCA values on which discriminant function analysis was applied. An accuracy of 100% was achieved when assigning solo howls to individuals, and for the chorus howls a best accuracy of 97.4% was achieved. We suggest that individual recognition using our new extraction and analysis methods involving fundamental frequency and amplitudes together can identify wild wolves with high accuracy, and that this method should be applied to surveys of individuals in capture–mark–recapture and presence–absence studies of canid species.     

Acoustic monitoring of golden jackals in Europe: setting the frame for future analyses

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) utters complex howls that can be used to monitor their population density and distribution in a specific area. However, little is known of the vocal behaviour of this species. In the present paper, we show the first results of the acoustic analysis that followed the acoustic monitoring of the golden jackal in Friuli–Venezia Giulia during 2011–2013. We estimated the number of callers by screening the fundamental frequency of the emissions within a howl. We analysed 42 vocalizations given by a single jackal or multiple individuals. The howling duration significantly increased with the number of emitters, which ranged between one and three in our estimates. Twenty-nine howls were then submitted to a quantitative semi-automatic analysis procedure based on dynamic time warping. Based on the resulting dissimilarity indices, vocal emissions were clustered in six different acoustically uniform groups, which showed a potential for these procedures to be developed into future monitoring tools. The results suggest the need for integration between jackal howling, bioacoustics and camera trapping.     

Howling as a Means of Communication in Timber Wolves

The communicatory function of howling was studied in three adultmale timber wolves (Canis lupus). Approximately 700 howls weresubjected to spectrographic and auditory analysis. The fundamentalfrequency of howls was divided into beginning, mid-section,and ending, and each section was studied separately. Harmonicfeatures were also examined. Much variation was found withinthe howls of each individual. However, unique features werefound in all howls of two wolves, of potential value in individualrecognition. The variation in characteristics of the fundamental within howlsof individuals was tested to see if it related to features ofthe animal's behavior or environment. Eleven significant relationshipswere found. The characteristics involved were considered potentiallyfunctional in conveying information of a behavioral or environmentalnature. Auditory discrimination was studied by stimulus-response experimentationinvolving simulated wolf howls by humans. By either howlingin response or remaining silent, one wolf demonstrated an abilityto detect the slight difference between live howls and recorded,played-back howls. This ability enhances the possibility thatindividual recognition and conveyance of information may takeplace by means of differences in howls. Analysis of the circumstances in which spontaneous howling (noknown auditory stimulation) occurred demonstrated that isolationresulted in increased howling. A form of long-distance communication is important to a socialunit whose members are often separated. This study suggeststhat howling identifies the species, functions in the locationof specific animals, provides specific information about thehowling animal, and is, therefore, of great value in coordinatingthe social activities of wolves.     

CHORUS HOWLING BY WOLVES: ACOUSTIC STRUCTURE,PACK SIZE AND THE BEAU GESTE EFFECT

ABSTRACT

A variety of structural parameters were measured from wolf choruses recorded in the Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA. Mean duration of 60s did not vary with pack size or composition. Packs replied to simulated howling after an average of 40s, often interrupting the stimulus howls. Choruses began with simply-structured howls, which became increasingly modulated as the chorus progressed. Little difference in mean fundamental frequency or other howl parameters was found among the choruses from packs of various sizes and compositions. In particular, choruses produced by single adult pairs did not differ from those of larger packs accompanied by pups. The lack of relationship between chorus parameters and pack size or composition indicates there is little useful information concerning a pack's size to be found in its chorus howling.

The observation that chorus howling by adult pairs is often perceived as that of larger groups with pups suggests that chorus structure has evolved to exaggerate the apparent size of the pack, especially those newly-established or otherwise reduced in number. If so, wolf howling choruses may represent a mammalian example of the Beau Geste effect, made particularly viable because of the relative immunity of the signal to probing.     

INFORMATION CONTENT OF COYOTE BARKS AND HOWLS

ABSTRACT

The information content of coyote (Canis latrans) vocalizations is poorly understood, but has important implications for understanding coyote behaviour. Coyotes probably use information present in barks or howls to recognize individuals, but the presence of individually-specific information has not been demonstrated. We found that coyote barks and howls contained individually specific characteristics: discriminant analysis correctly classified barks of five coyotes 69% of the time and howls of six coyotes 83% of the time. We also investigated the stability of vocalization characteristics at multiple distances from the source. Recordings were played back and re-recorded at 10 m, 500 m, and 1,000 m. Vocalization features were measured at each distance and analyzed to determine whether characteristics were stable. Most howl characteristics did not change with distance, and regardless of the distance discriminant analysis was 81% accurate at assigning howls among six individuals. Bark characteristics, however, were less stable and it is unlikely that barks could be used for individual recognition over long distances. The disparate results for the two vocalization types suggest that howls and barks serve separate functions. Howls appear optimized to convey information (i.e. data), while barks seem more suitable for attracting attention and acoustic ranging.     

Dawyck Botanic Garden: the Heron Wood cryptogamic project

Background: Arundinarieae are a large tribe of temperate woody bamboos for which phylogenetics are poorly understood because of limited taxon sampling and lack of informative characters.

Aims: This study assessed phylogenetic relationships, origins and classification of Arundinarieae.

Methods: DNA sequences (plastid trnL-F; nuclear ITS) were used for parsimony and Bayesian inference including 41 woody bamboo taxa. Divergence dates were estimated using a relaxed Bayesian clock.

Results: Arundinarieae were monophyletic but their molecular divergence was low compared to the tropical Bambuseae. Ancestors of the Arundinarieae lineage were estimated to have diverged from the other bamboos 23 (15–30) million years ago (Mya). However, the Arundinarieae radiation occurred 10 (6–16) Mya compared to 18 (11–25) Mya for the tropical Bambuseae. Some groups could be defined within Arundinarieae, but they do not correspond to recognised subtribes such as Arundinariinae or Shibataeinae.

Conclusions: Arundinarieae are a relatively ancient bambusoid lineage that underwent a rapid radiation in the late Miocene. The radiation coincides with the continental collision of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian Plates. Arundinarieae are distributed primarily in East Asia and the Himalayas to northern Southeast Asia. It is unknown whether they were present in Asia long before their radiation, but we believe recent dispersal is a more likely scenario.     

Aggressive howling in wolves

During two studies that investigated the responses of wolf packs to either human simulations or pre-recorded playbacks of wolf, Canis lupus, howling, single adult wolves from five different packs approached my location and howled on a total of six occasions. The howls uttered by these close-approaching wolves were significnatly deeper in pitch than comparable samples of howls recorded from animals that did not approach. In addition, howls of two of the five animals differed in structure from most of the other howls recorded during both studies. These close-approach howls were characterized by the presence of harmonically unrelated frequency sidebands near the end of the howl. This feature was rate in howls recorded during occasions when wolves kept their distance. These results indicate that the structure of wolf howling during aggressive interactions with strange wolves follows Morton's (1977) motivation-structural rules, which state that natural selection will favour the use of low-frequency, harsh sounds by hostile animals. This relationship follows from the physical constraints of vocal production: animals of larger size can produce sounds of lower pitch and harsher tonal quality. As body size is a primary determinant in the outcome of aggressive interactions, vocalizations signalling size (i.e.low-pitched, harsh sounds) will be of selective value for individuals engaged in aggressive interactions.     

Dingo Howls: The Content and Efficacy of a Long‐Range Vocal Signal

Signals are shaped through selective pressures impacting their information content (i.e. ‘what’ is conveyed) and their efficacy (i.e. ‘how’ is it conveyed). In the case of long‐range communication, a signal's structure should both convey information and allow for detection and discrimination despite the effects of environmental variability during propagation. Canid howls are an ideal example of a long‐range communication signal, although research has mostly focused on the relationships between howls’ acoustic characteristics and their potential information content in wolves, Canis lupus spp., and coyotes, Canis latrans. In this study, we quantified these relationships in another canid, the dingo, Canis familiaris dingo, to determine how their howls compare to that of other wild canids. We found that dingoes’ howls are individually distinctive and may convey gender cues. Playback experiments indicate that dingoes can perform class‐level recognition of familiar and unfamiliar individuals on the basis of vocalizations alone. These results mirror findings for other wild canids such as wolves and coyotes. Lastly, propagation experiments demonstrate that this signal's structure can permit long‐distance detectability and discriminability. We discuss our results in relation to the putative functions of canid howls and propose avenues for future research.     

ADVERTISEMENT CALLS OF THE TREE FROGS,HYLA ARBOREA AND HYLA SAVIGNYI (ANURA: HYLIDAE) IN TURKEY

ABSTRACT

The systematic classification of tree frogs (Hyla) inhabiting different regions of the country of Turkey is unclear. Recordings of natural advertisement calls of individual male tree frogs in different locations in Turkey were analyzed to determine variation in acoustic features that may be related to taxonomic status. Multivariate analysis of covariance showed that call duration, intercali interval and number of pulses per call varied significantly between frogs in different locales. Call duration, intercall interval, and number of pulses per call were related to air temperature. Dominant frequency differed significantly between different groups of frogs, and was temperature-independent. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that tree frogs in Turkey represent two distinct species, Hyla arborea and Hyla savignyi.     

The effect of female call on male howling in red howler monkeys(Alouatta seniculus)

Howler (Alouatta spp.)females often produce loud calls together with the males. Sometimes these howls are not heard above the much louder male call, but on other occasions most of the howls are produced by the females. Observations indicate that female howls are aggressive. Females howl at other troop females and at extratroop females; they also sit close to their mates and howl at other males. I suggest that howling by the females with their mate is important in strengthening the pair bond whereby the male recognizes his infants and acts protectively toward them. Playback experiments of female howls elicited more response from the males than did recordings of male/female and male-only howls, supporting the hypothesis that females howl in order to incite competition among the males.     

Howling on the edge: Mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) howling behaviour and anthropogenic edge effects in a fragmented tropical rainforest in Costa Rica

The function of long calling is a subject of interest across animal behaviour study, particularly within primatology. Many primate species have male‐specific long‐distance calls, including platyrrhines like the folivorous howler monkey (Alouatta spp.). Howler monkeys may howl to defend resources such as feeding trees or areas of rich vegetation from other monkey groups. This study tests the ecological resource defence hypothesis for howling behaviour in the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) and investigates how anthropogenic forest fragmentation may influence howling behaviour. More specifically, this study examines how howling bout rate, duration, precursors and tree species richness, DBH, and canopy cover vary in 100 m anthropogenic edge and interior forest zones at La Suerte Biological Research Station (LSBRS), a fragmented tropical rainforest in Costa Rica. Results show that tree species richness and canopy cover are higher in forest interior at this site, suggesting that monkeys should howl at greater rates in the interior to defend access to these higher‐quality vegetation resources. Overall, our results supported the ecological resource defence hypothesis. The main howl precursor was howling from neighbouring groups. Although howling rate did not differ between forest zones, howling bouts from forest interior were longer, had a greater number of howls per bout and were preceded by different precursors than howls from anthropogenic edge zones, including more howls from neighbouring groups. Our findings provide some of the first evidence for behavioural edge effects in primate vocal communication behaviour.     

Factors influencing the use of adaptive radiation therapy in vulvar carcinoma

AimWe aim to evaluate the variables affecting the frequency of adaptive radiotherapy (ART) in vulvar cancer.BackgroundART may be needed throughout a definitive RT course for vulvar carcinoma due to changes in patient’s anatomy and tumor response.Materials and methodsCharts of patients charts who had been treated with definitive concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for vulvar carcinoma, between January 2015 and December 2019 were inquired. Radiation therapy was delivered using intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with daily image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). ART was defined as re-simulation and re-planning based on deformation in the irradiated volume by more than 1 cm. Univariate analysis was conducted to study the impact of patient’s demographics as well as tumor characteristics on the frequency of ART.Results22 patients were eligible for analysis. Median age at diagnosis was 55 years (range 43–82). Radiotherapy dose was 60−66 Gy over 30–35 fractions (fx). Median primary tumor volume was 30cc (9–140). Median Body Mass Index (BMI) was 32 (range 21–40). Thirteen out of 22 patients (59%) required ART, with median timing at 25 fx (19–31). On univariate analysis, larger primary tumor volume (> = 30cc) was associated significantly with increased frequency of ART (p value = 0.0005). There was no significant impact of ART on the frequency with respect to patient’s age, BMI, tumor stage, grade and location.ConclusionChanges in radiation target volume are common among vulvar carcinoma patients who are treated with definitive radiotherapy, especially large primary tumors. This review highlights the importance of ART for patients with vulvar carcinoma treated with definitive radiotherapy.     

Isoxazol-5(2H)-one: a new scaffold for potent human neutrophil elastase (HNE) inhibitors

Human neutrophil elastase (HNE) is an important target for the development of novel and selective inhibitors to treat inflammatory diseases, especially pulmonary pathologies. Here, we report the synthesis, structure–activity relationship analysis, and biological evaluation of a new series of HNE inhibitors with an isoxazol-5(2H)-one scaffold. The most potent compound (2o) had a good balance between HNE inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ value =20?nM) and chemical stability in aqueous buffer (t_1/2=8.9?h). Analysis of reaction kinetics revealed that the most potent isoxazolone derivatives were reversible competitive inhibitors of HNE. Furthermore, since compounds 2o and 2s contain two carbonyl groups (2-N-CO and 5-CO) as possible points of attack for Ser195, the amino acid of the active site responsible for the nucleophilic attack, docking studies allowed us to clarify the different roles played by these groups.     

Changes in knee joint muscle activation patterns during walking associated with increased structural severity in knee osteoarthritis

PurposeTo determine whether alterations in knee joint muscle activation patterns during gait were related to structural severity determined by Kellgren–Lawrence (KL) radiographic grades, for those with a moderate knee OA classification.ScopeEighty-two individuals with knee OA, classified as moderate using a functional and clinical criterion were stratified on KL-grade (KL II, KL III and KL IV). Thirty-five asymptomatic individuals were matched for age and walking velocity. Lower limb motion and surface electromyograms from rectus femoris plus lateral and medial sites for the gastrocnemii, vastii and hamstring muscles were recorded during self-selected walking. Gait velocity and characteristics from sagittal plane knee angular displacement waveforms were calculated. Principal component analysis extracted amplitude and temporal features from electromyographic waveform. Analysis of variance models tested for main effects (group, muscle) and interactions (α = 0.05) for these features. No differences in anthropometrics, velocity, knee muscle strength and symptoms were found among the three OA groups (p > 0.05). Specific features from medial gastrocnemius, lateral hamstring and quadriceps amplitude and temporal patterns were significantly different among OA groups (p < 0.05).ConclusionsSystematic alterations in specific knee joint muscle activation patterns were associated with increasing structural severity based on KL-grades whereas other alterations were associated with the presence of OA.     

Genetic characterization of grapevine-infecting Botrytis cinerea isolates from Argentina

BackgroundBotrytis cinerea is an ascomycete with a high genetic diversity and complex population structure, as reported from several hosts and sites. However, nothing is known about its genetic diversity in Argentina.AimsThe aim of this work is to estimate the genetic diversity of a local population of B. cinerea isolates obtained from grapevine in Argentina.MethodsIn this work, 35 strains that had been isolated from grapevines were genotyped for the presence of transposable elements and PCR-based RFLP molecular markers. The obtained results were compared with those from a large French population of the fungus, and used to perform a population genetics analysis using the Genepop software.ResultsAll the analysed isolates were classified as Group II (according to the most recent proposed classification) and showed a high degree of genetic diversity, with 14 different haplotypes. A significant difference in allele frequency was recorded between the local and French populations.ConclusionsThese comparisons between fungal populations, led to the detection of a high level of diversity and the differentiation between local and French groups of isolates. This was confirmed by an Fst value of 0.3332, which was higher than that reported for other pairwise comparisons of populations. This work constitutes the first report on the genetic diversity of B. cinerea isolates and their population structure in Argentina.     

INDIVIDUALITY IN THE WHISTLE CALL OF THE ASIATIC WILD DOG CUON ALPINUS

ABSTRACT

The Asiatic wild dog or dhole Cuon alpinus is a threatened social canid that uses a repetitive whistle call to maintain group contact in dense habitats. Spectrographic analysis revealed significant differences between the whistles of captive dholes, allowing callers to be reliably identified. The most important discriminatory characteristics were the period from the start of one syllable to the next, the fundamental frequency, and the maximum frequency. The individual distinctiveness of the whistle is discussed in terms of its functional significance and possible survey applications.     

Fluoride in drinking water and osteosarcoma incidence rates in the continental United States among children and adolescents

IntroductionIt has been suggested that fluoride in drinking water may increase the risk of osteosarcoma in children and adolescents, although the evidence is inconclusive. We investigated the association between community water fluoridation (CWF) and osteosarcoma in childhood and adolescence in the continental U.S.MethodsWe used the cumulative osteosarcoma incidence rate data from the CDC Wonder database for 1999–2006, categorized by age group, sex and states. States were categorized as low (≤30%) or high (≥85%) according to the percentage of the population receiving CWF between 1992 and 2006. Confidence intervals for the incidence rates were calculated using the Gamma distribution and the incidence rates were compared between groups using Poisson regression models.ResultsWe found no sex-specific statistical differences in the national incidence rates in the younger groups (5–9, 10–14), although 15–19 males were at higher risk to osteosarcoma than females in the same age group (p < 0.001). Sex and age group specific incidence rates were similar in both CWF state categories. The higher incidence rates among 15–19 year old males vs females was not associated with the state fluoridation status. We also compared sex and age specific osteosarcoma incidence rates cumulated from 1973 to 2007 from the SEER 9 Cancer Registries for single age groups from 5 to 19. There were no statistical differences between sexes for 5–14 year old children although incidence rates for single age groups for 15–19 year old males were significantly higher than for females.ConclusionOur ecological analysis suggests that the water fluoridation status in the continental U.S. has no influence on osteosarcoma incidence rates during childhood and adolescence.