Factors Affecting Persistence of Canines at an Independent Task

The development of problem-solving behaviors in canines, including persistence, has implications for canine training, welfare, and the human-dog bond. Past research has shown that a variety of factors, including genetics (domestication) and training experience, play a role in a how a canine might behave during a problem-solving task. Less well understood is how certain populations of dogs may behave differently during a problem-solving task or how the actions of the human during the test and the dog's relationship with or perception of humans may affect a dog's behavior during a problem-solving task; in particular, one that the dog must solve independently of a human. To evaluate these questions, three experiments were conducted utilizing an independent task to compare the performance and persistence of wolves and domestic dogs from different populations, and under different environmental and testing contexts. Experiment one compared the problem-solving behavior of socialized wolves, pet dogs and free-ranging dogs from India. In experiment two, trained search and rescue dogs and untrained pet dogs were compared performing the same independent task under three conditions: a neutral, human-present condition; an alone condition; and an encouragement condition. In experiment three, pet dogs were compared for their ability to solve the task when they were presented with the testing apparatus in one of three conditions: a neutral condition, followed by encouragement; an encouragement condition followed by a neutral condition; and a neutral condition followed by a neutral condition. Results demonstrated that factors such as lifetime experience, relationship with humans, testing environment, and actions of the human during testing all influence a canine's behavior during an independent task. Further research is needed to better understand the impact of genetic and lifetime factors that affect persistence in canines and to identify ways that this information can be used to increase the persistence of dogs in working and training contexts. Promising areas of future research include investigations into possible breed differences and the influence of the human-canine relationship on problem solving behavior

The Effects of Pet Parenting Styles on Owner and Dog Behavior

The domestic dog is one of the most popular pets in the world, and many pet owners consider their pets to be members of their family. Studies have suggested that dogs behave like pseudo-children in many contexts. Despite this, there is very little research on how dog owners may behave like parents towards their dogs; in particular, there are no studies examining how parenting styles may influence a pet’s behavior. To examine how dog owners behave like parents and how “pet parenting” may influence a dog’s behavior, two studies were undertaken. In the first, a pet parenting survey was developed using existing studies on parenting styles and the human-dog bond. A final survey of 36 items was validated based on responses from over 1000 dog owners. Results from this survey revealed that these owners fell into three parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive). Pet owners participated in behavior tests with their dogs and, as expected, authoritative pet parents laughed significantly more during an attachment test compared to authoritarian or permissive pet parents and were more active when encouraging their dog to solve a task. Authoritative pet parents also talked to their dog using long, consistent encouragement when their dog was attempting to solve the task; in contrast, authoritarian pet parents spoke using short, quick commands. Permissive pet parents talked to their dog less than authoritative pet parents and spoke less often than authoritarian pet parents. This suggested that parenting styles exist among dog owners and the Pet Parenting Survey can be used to detect these parenting styles. In study two, pet parents and their dogs participated in three behavior tests: an attachment test, a sociability test, and a solvable task test. Dogs with authoritative pet parents were significantly more likely to have secure attachment styles compared to dogs with authoritarian or permissive pet parents. Dogs with authoritative and authoritarian pet parents appeared to have a preference for their owner compared to a stranger, whereas dogs from permissive pet parents showed no such preference. Dogs with authoritative pet parents were responsive to social cues from their owner and a stranger; in contrast, dogs with authoritarian pet parents remained relatively unresponsive to the social cues from an unfamiliar person and spent very little time with the stranger overall, whereas dogs with permissive pet parents were relatively unresponsive to the social cues from their owner and spent a large amount of time with their owner, regardless of what the owner was doing. During the solvable task, dogs from authoritative pet parents were generally more persistent than dogs from authoritarian or permissive pet parents. Dogs from authoritarian and permissive pet parents spent more time gazing at their owners compared to authoritative pet parents when the person was standing in the room but providing no encouragement. When the owners were allowed to encourage their dog, dogs with authoritative pet parents were more engaged with the task compared to dogs from authoritarian or permissive pet parents. Dogs with authoritarian pet parents seemed unresponsive to encouragement from their owner and dogs with permissive pet parents spent more time looking at the puzzle box but did not touch the puzzle box more when encouraged. Overall these results indicate that parenting styles exist among pet owners and these parenting styles are related to a dog’s attachment, social behavior, and problem-solving ability. More research is needed to establish the full extent of how pet parenting styles influence a pet’s behavior in a variety of contexts

Magnetic Resonance Angiography Visualization of Abnormal Tumor Vasculature in Genetically Engineered Mice

Previous research on the vasculature of tumor-bearing animals has focused upon the microvasculature. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) offers a noninvasive, complementary approach that provides information about larger vessels. Quantitative analysis of MRA images of spontaneous preclinical tumor models has not been previously reported. Eleven Tg

Novel Genetic Tools for Diaminopimelic Acid Selection in Virulence Studies of Yersinia pestis

Molecular studies of bacterial virulence are enhanced by expression of recombinant DNA during infection to allow complementation of mutants and expression of reporter proteins in vivo. For highly pathogenic bacteria, such as Yersinia pestis, these studies are currently limited because deliberate introduction of antibiotic resistance is restricted to those few which are not human treatment options. In this work, we report the development of alternatives to antibiotics as tools for host-pathogen research during Yersinia pestis infections focusing on the diaminopimelic acid (DAP) pathway, a requirement for cell wall synthesis in eubacteria. We generated a mutation in the dapA-nlpB(dapX) operon of Yersinia pestis KIM D27 and CO92 which eliminated the expression of both genes. The resulting strains were auxotrophic for diaminopimelic acid and this phenotype was complemented in trans by expressing dapA in single and multi-copy. In vivo, we found that plasmids derived from the p15a replicon were cured without selection, while selection for DAP enhanced stability without detectable loss of any of the three resident virulence plasmids. The dapAX mutation rendered Y. pestis avirulent in mouse models of bubonic and septicemic plague which could be complemented when dapAX was inserted in single or multi-copy, restoring development of disease that was indistinguishable from the wild type parent strain. We further identified a high level, constitutive promoter in Y. pestis that could be used to drive expression of fluorescent reporters in dapAX strains that had minimal impact to virulence in mouse models while enabling sensitive detection of bacteria during infection. Thus, diaminopimelic acid selection for single or multi-copy genetic systems in Yersinia pestis offers an improved alternative to antibiotics for in vivo studies that causes minimal disruption to virulence

Structural variants in genes associated with human Williams-Beuren syndrome underlie stereotypical hypersociability in domestic dogs

Although considerable progress has been made in understanding the genetic basis of morphologic traits (for example, body size and coat color) in dogs and wolves, the genetic basis of their behavioral divergence is poorly understood. An integrative approach using both behavioral and genetic data is required to understand the molecular underpinnings of the various behavioral characteristics associated with domestication. We analyze a 5-Mb genomic region on chromosome 6 previously found to be under positive selection in domestic dog breeds. Deletion of this region in humans is linked to Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS), a multisystem congenital disorder characterized by hypersocial behavior. We associate quantitative data on behavioral phenotypes symptomatic of WBS in humans with structural changes in the WBS locus in dogs. We find that hypersociability, a central feature of WBS, is also a core element of domestication that distinguishes dogs from wolves. We provide evidence that structural variants in GTF2I and GTF2IRD1, genes previously implicated in the behavioral phenotype of patients with WBS and contained within the WBS locus, contribute to extreme sociability in dogs. This finding suggests that there are commonalities in the genetic architecture of WBS and canine tameness and that directional selection may have targeted a unique set of linked behavioral genes of large phenotypic effect, allowing for rapid behavioral divergence of dogs and wolves, facilitating coexistence with humans

Structural variants in genes associated with human Williams-Beuren syndrome underlie stereotypical hypersociability in domestic dogs.

Although considerable progress has been made in understanding the genetic basis of morphologic traits (for example, body size and coat color) in dogs and wolves, the genetic basis of their behavioral divergence is poorly understood. An integrative approach using both behavioral and genetic data is required to understand the molecular underpinnings of the various behavioral characteristics associated with domestication. We analyze a 5-Mb genomic region on chromosome 6 previously found to be under positive selection in domestic dog breeds. Deletion of this region in humans is linked to Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS), a multisystem congenital disorder characterized by hypersocial behavior. We associate quantitative data on behavioral phenotypes symptomatic of WBS in humans with structural changes in the WBS locus in dogs. We find that hypersociability, a central feature of WBS, is also a core element of domestication that distinguishes dogs from wolves. We provide evidence that structural variants in GTF2I and GTF2IRD1, genes previously implicated in the behavioral phenotype of patients with WBS and contained within the WBS locus, contribute to extreme sociability in dogs. This finding suggests that there are commonalities in the genetic architecture of WBS and canine tameness and that directional selection may have targeted a unique set of linked behavioral genes of large phenotypic effect, allowing for rapid behavioral divergence of dogs and wolves, facilitating coexistence with humans

What happens to the posterior compartment and bowel symptoms after sacrocolpopexy? evaluation of 5-year outcomes from E-CARE.

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to describe posterior prolapse (pPOP) and obstructed defecation (OD) symptoms 5 years after open abdominal sacrocolpopexy (ASC).MethodsWe grouped the extended colpopexy and urinary reduction efforts trial participants with baseline and 5-year outcomes into 3 groups using baseline posterior Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) points and concomitant posterior repair (PR) (no PR, Ap <0; no PR, Ap ≥0; and +PR). Posterior colporrhaphy, perineorrhaphy, or sacrocolpoperineopexy were included as PR, which was performed at surgeon's discretion. Outcomes were dichotomized into presence/absence of pPOP (Ap ≥0) and OD symptoms (≥2 on 1 or more questions about digital assistance, excessive straining, or incomplete evacuation). Composite failure was defined by both pPOP and OD symptoms or pPOP reoperation.ResultsNinety participants completed baseline and 5-year outcomes or were retreated with mean follow-up of 7.1 ± 1.0 years. Of those with no PR (Ap <0), 2 women (2/36; 9%) developed new pPOP with OD symptoms; 1 underwent subsequent PR. Nearly all (23/24; 96%) with no PR (Ap ≥0) demonstrated sustained resolution of pPOP, and none underwent PR. Fourteen percent (4/29) of +PR underwent repeat PR within 5 years, and 12% had recurrent pPOP. Regardless of PR, OD symptoms improved in all groups after ASC, although OD symptoms were still present in 17% to 19% at 5 years.ConclusionsSymptomatic pPOP is common 5 years after ASC regardless of concomitant PR. Obstructed defecation symptoms may improve after ASC regardless of PR. Recurrent pPOP and/or reoperation was highest among those who received concomitant PR at ASC. Further studies identifying criteria for concomitant PR at the time of ASC are warranted