Owner Perceived Behavior in Cats and the Influence of Husbandry Practices, Housing and Owner Attitudes in Sweden

Simple Summary In this paper, we describe the results from an online survey that targeted cat owners in Sweden. The aim of the study was to investigate how owners perceived the behavior of their cats, and if the cat characteristics could influence the owner attitudes. In this study, we describe the data from 3253 cats and their owners. Less than one in five cat owners reported that they had experienced behavioral problems with their cats. Owners of cats with outdoor access reported experiencing fewer problems. However, we could not find an effect of the length of time a cat was left home alone. If owners had university level knowledge in animal behavior, we could see an effect on the perception of cat behaviors such as cats misbehaving out of spite. Many owners did not believe that cats could be trained to overcome behavior problems, and many owners also thought that cats could manage on their own. These attitudes can in the long run have negative effects on the welfare of cats. This study consisted of an online survey based on a convenience sample among cat owners in Sweden. The aim was to investigate how owner and cat characteristics influenced the perceived behavior of cats, focusing on perceived behavioral or temperamental problems. The relation between owner knowledge, the provided environment, and owner perceived behavior of 3253 pet cats were investigated. Few respondents (18%) reported behavioral or temperamental problems, and consequently 82% perceived no problem whatsoever. Fewer cats with outdoor access were reported to display behavioral or temperamental problems. However, there was no effect of the length of time a cat was left home alone. Having studied animal behavior at university level influenced the perception of some cat behaviors, but not the incidence of reporting perceived problems. Many owners did not believe that it was possible to prevent behavioral problems in cats by training (58.5%), and many owners thought that cats could manage independently on their own (66%). Attitudes like this can cause challenges in the owner-cat interactions. The perception of problems with cats will be influenced by factors relating to husbandry routines such as outdoor access, which in the future could help to implement recommendations for cat husbandry and care

The Miseducation Of Marianne Dashwood: Jane Austen’s Politicization of Sentimental Discourse

Examining the love triangle between Marianne Dashwood, Colonel Brandon, and John Willoughby provides new insight into how Austen decided to politicize the notion of the novel to demonstrate the inherent flaw in how sentimental novels to depicted romances bared a threat to women. I work against the conventional opposition of good versions of masculinity versus poor versions to posit a notion that instead, most masculinities are unstable and a detriment to the fairer sex. In this essay, I will argue that Sense and Sensibility disclose Austen\u27s anxieties regarding sentimentalism because, from this perspective, Marianne Dashwood\u27s character arc illustrates the author\u27s unhappiness with the growing sway of sentimental beliefs on impressionable young women. This thoroughgoing re-evaluation of the love triangle challenges the standard readings of Sense and Sensibility

Development of existing scoring systems to assess behavioural coping in shelter cats

Assessing how cats cope with the housing and husbandry at shelters is an important part of maintaining good animal welfare. There are non-invasive methods to assess how cats cope with their environment. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of the behaviours used in an extended Stress Assessment protocol for cats to detect stress. Looking at which behaviours are salient and possible to observe accurately, and which correlate with time until adoption. The study was carried out at a non-governmental medium sized cat rescue shelter in Midwestern USA. The shelter had a no-kill policy with screening of cats before intake from county shelters. The observed cats were either group-housed in five rooms (n = 70) or singly housed in double cages (n = 13). Observations were carried out during both morning and afternoon sessions, during which two 1-min observations recorded if cats performed any of 85 behavioural elements (BEs). Time at shelter and if cats were declawed or not were collected from shelter records after the observations. Statistical analysis of the BEs that best predicted the total time at shelter was calculated using the Survival Analysis based on the Cox proportional hazards regression model using a stepwise regression analysis separately for each scoring. The median time at shelter for group-housed cats was 26 days (IQR = 6-54) and for single-housed cats 29 days (IQR = 7-97). In total, 24 % of the BEs (20 of 85) were never recorded, however there were significantly more BEs recorded in group-housed cats (63 BEs) than in single-housed cats (49 BEs, p < 0.05). The survival analysis found 16 unique BEs to predict "Short time at shelter" (14 BEs in group-housed, two in single-housed), 14 were positively correlated meaning that they increased the chance of early adoption and two were negative meaning that they decreased the chance of early adoption. The survival analysis also calculated "Long time at shelter" and found 14 unique BEs where 12 BEs were in group-housed cats and three BEs were in single-housed cats. Seven of these were positively correlated meaning that they decreased the chance of early adoption, whereas seven were negatively correlated meaning that they increased the chance of early adoption. The conclusion is that the extended Stress Assessment could be used to detect BEs indicating stress of cats at shelters, and that there are BEs that can predict shorter time at the shelter. However, further investigations could help reduce the number of BEs needed

Die Iberoamerikanische Gemeinschaft nach dem Panhispanismus: Eine empirisch-linguistische Analyse der Redebeiträge König Juan Carlos’ I. im Rahmen der Iberoamerikanischen Gipfeltreffen

Die vorliegende Arbeit geht der Frage nach, wie sich König Juan Carlos I. als maßgeblicher Initiator der Iberoamerikanischen Gipfeltreffen und damit einhergehend der Iberoamerikanischen Gemeinschaft im Ideologiekonstrukt des Panhispanismus Ende des 20. / Anfang des 21. Jahrhunderts positioniert. König Juan Carlos’ I. politische Einstellung gegenüber der iberoamerikanischen Geschicke wird im Rahmen einer empirisch-linguistischen Analyse seiner Gipfelreden festgemacht, um vor dem Hintergrund der Betrachtung der Begriffe Ideologie und Panhispanismusideologie den ideologischen Gehalt der königlichen Aussagen zu ergründen. Die Untersuchung ist im Rahmen einer qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse nach Philipp Mayring durchgeführt worden. Als einen bemerkenswerten Vorteil des inhaltsanalytischen Verfahrens im Vergleich zu anderen Textanalysemethoden definiert Mayring (2015) seine Verankerung in einem kommunikationswissenschaftlichen Kontext. Das heißt, dass das Datenmaterial in seinem Kommunikationszusammenhang erfasst wird und folglich sowohl seine Entstehung als auch seine Wirkung in die Interpretation einfließen. In Anlehnung an die Lasswell’sche Formel (Lasswell 1957) und an das inhaltsanalytische Kommunikationsmodell nach Mayring (2015) liegt der Fokus der Analyse folglich darauf, durch die Reden des Königs, Aussagen sowohl über den emotionalen und kognitiven Hintergrund als auch über den Handlungshintergrund des Kommunikators, nämlich König Juan Carlos I., zu treffen. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wird daher davon ausgegangen, dass die Reden Juan Carlos I. anlässlich der Iberoamerikanischen Gipfeltreffen die ethischen und politischen Leitgedanken des spanischen Staatschefs wiederspiegeln. Um dem Erkenntnisinteresse dieser Arbeit gerecht zu werden, wurde ein primär qualitatives Verfahren gewählt. Der offene Charakter qualitativer Methoden ermöglicht eine authentische Erfassung der Lebenswelt und Sichtweisen des Kommunikators Juan Carlos I. in Bezug auf das Thema der Annäherung Spaniens und Lateinamerikas. Die Durchführung der Analyse basiert auf einem vorab konstruierten und an das vorliegende Datenmaterial angepassten Ablaufmodell. Entsprechend des zusammenfassenden, explikativen Vorgehens wird der Materialcorpus reduziert (Zusammenfassung) und die Analyseeinheiten extrahiert und kodiert. Anschließend erfolgt die Interpretation der kategorisierten Analyseeinheiten vor dem Hintergrund externen Textmaterials (Explikation). Das Kategoriensystem als Herzstück der Analyse wird im Rahmen einer Pilotstudie vor der Bearbeitung des Gesamtcorpus induktiv generiert. Anhand der Untersuchung der königlichen Gipfelreden lässt sich konstatieren, dass die Iberoamerikanischen Gipfeltreffen die Beziehungen zwischen beiden Gemeinschaftspartnern auf ideeller Ebene durchaus vorangebracht haben. Dank der gemeinsamen Arbeit im Rahmen der Gipfeltreffen und der Gemeinschaft ist „Iberoamerika“ tatsächlich zu einer Realität geworden. Der instrumentelle Charakter der auch weiterhin maßgeblich von Spanien initiierten Annäherungsbemühungen bleibt zwar weitgehend erhalten, nimmt aber heute deutlich partnerschaftliche Züge an als im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert – man begegnet sich auf Augenhöhe. Die Bilanz aus drei Jahrhunderten Annäherungsarbeit, die Maria Hirsch in ihrer Arbeit zieht, ist jedoch dennoch ernüchternd: Die spanischen Bemühungen blieben bis heute meist in ihrem rhetorischen Rahmen gefangen und konnten aus ihrer Sicht bisher nur sehr bescheidene, marginale und praktisch kaum relevante Ergebnisse verbuchen. Die Annäherungsversuche lebten und leben vom wishful thinking. Eigenlob und klägliche Ergebnisse werden rhetorisch geschickt in große Worthülsen verpackt, bleiben aber für Politik, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft in der Realität letztendlich wirkungslos. Lediglich der Imperiumsgedanke, Spaniens egoistisches Streben nach der grandeza aus Kolonialzeiten, gilt im 21. Jahrhundert als obsolet und spielt in der spanischen Argumentation zu Gunsten einer Iberoamerikanischen Gemeinschaft keine Rolle mehr. Trotz partnerschaftlicher Annäherung lässt sich laut Maria Hirsch die traurige Bilanz nicht schönfärben – die hehren Ziele, Hoffnungen und Erwartungen, die die teilnehmenden Akteure aber auch die Bevölkerung an das jährlich stattfindende Zusammentreffen der Staats- und Regierungschefs knüpften, haben sich bisher nicht erfüllt. Der Schritt vom kulturellen Gipfel zum Wirtschaftsgipfel will aus ihrer Sicht einfach nicht gelingen – die Iberoamerikanischen Gipfeltreffen ordnen sich daher in den Reigen rein rhetorischer Annäherungsversuche ein, die Spanien seit dem Verlust seiner letzten Kolonien gegenüber Lateinamerika unternimmt

Sulfanilic acid-modified chitosan mini-spheres and their application for lysozyme purification from egg white

A cation exchange matrix with zwitterionic and multimodal properties was synthesized by a simple reaction sequence coupling sulfanilic acid to a chitosan based support. The novel chromatographic matrix was physico-chemically characterized by ss-NMR and ζ potential, and its chromatographic performance was evaluated for lysozyme purification from diluted egg white. The maximum adsorption capacity, calculated according to Langmuir adsorption isotherm, was 50.07 ± 1.47 mg g-1 while the dissociation constant was 0.074 ± 0.012 mg mL-1 . The process for lysozyme purification from egg white was optimized, with 81.9% yield and a purity degree of 86.5%, according to RP-HPLC analysis. This work shows novel possible applications of chitosan based materials. The simple synthesis reactions combined with the simple mode of use of the chitosan matrix represents a novel method to purify proteins from raw starting materials.Fil: Hirsch, Daniela Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Baieli, María Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Urtasun, Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Lazaro Martinez, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Glisoni, Romina Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Miranda, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Cascone, Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Wolman, Federico Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Nanobiotecnología; Argentin

How PI3K-derived lipids control cell division

To succeed in cell division, intense cytoskeletal and membrane remodeling are required to allow accurate chromosome segregation and cytoplasm partitioning. Spatial restriction of the actin dynamics and vesicle trafficking define the cell symmetry and equivalent membrane scission events, respectively. Protein complexes coordinating mitosis are recruited to membrane microdomains characterized by the presence of the phosphatidylinositol lipid members (PtdIns), like PtdIns(3,4,5)P3, PtdIns(4,5)P2 and PtdIns(3)P. These PtdIns represent a minor component of cell membranes, defining membrane domain identity, ultimately controlling cytoskeleton and membrane dynamics during mitosis. The coordinated presence of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 at the cell poles and PtdIns(4,5)P2 at the cleavage furrow controls the polarity of the actin cytoskeleton leading to symmetrical cell division. In the endosomal compartment, the trafficking of PtdIns(3)P positive vesicles allows the recruitment of the protein machinery required for the abscission

Baseline characteristics associated with NEDA-3 status in fingolimod-treated patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Abstract Background Fingolimod is an efficacious treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and there is class I evidence that it is superior to standard care in reducing relapse rate. However, real-world data investigating its effectiveness and potential predictors of response are still scarce. Objective To estimate (i) the proportion of fingolimod-treated patients who achieved the no evidence of disease activity (NEDA-3) status; and (ii) to determine which baseline (i.e. at treatment start) clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) variables were associated with better outcomes. Methods We collected clinical and MRI data of RRMS patients treated with fingolimod and followed-up for 24 months. The proportion of patients who had NEDA-3 - i.e. absence of relapses, sustained Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) worsening and radiological activity on MRI - was estimated. A Cox proportional hazard model was carried out to investigate which baseline characteristics were associated with the NEDA status at follow-up. Results We collected data of 201 patients who started fingolimod. Of them, 24 (12%) were treatment-naïve, 115 (58%) were switched after failing a self-injectable drug, and 60 (30%) switching from natalizumab. Five patients who discontinued fingolimod early (within 3 months) (bradycardia, n = 2; leukopaenia, n = 2; macular oedema, n = 1) were removed from the analysis. At follow-up, 118 (60%) patients achieved the NEDA-3 status, while 78 experienced clinical and/or MRI activity. The risk of not achieving the NEDA-3 status was associated with higher baseline EDSS score (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.18, p = 0.024) and more relapses in the 12 months prior to fingolimod start (HR = 1.61, p = 0.014). Conclusion Our findings suggest that fingolimod may lead to a better control of the disease if started in patients with a less aggressive disease (i.e. fewer pre-treatment relapses and milder disability level), thus supporting its possible role as an early treatment for MS

Chandra X-ray spectroscopy of the focused wind in the Cygnus X-1 system III. Dipping in the low/hard state

We present an analysis of three Chandra High Energy Transmission Gratings observations of the black hole binary Cyg X-1/HDE 226868 at different orbital phases. The stellar wind that is powering the accretion in this system is characterized by temperature and density inhomogeneities including structures, or "clumps", of colder, more dense material embedded in the photoionized gas. As these clumps pass our line of sight, absorption dips appear in the light curve. We characterize the properties of the clumps through spectral changes during various dip stages. Comparing the silicon and sulfur absorption line regions (1.6-2.7 keV $\equiv$ 7.7-4.6 {\AA}) in four levels of varying column depth reveals the presence of lower ionization stages, i.e., colder or denser material, in the deeper dip phases. The Doppler velocities of the lines are roughly consistent within each observation, varying with the respective orbital phase. This is consistent with the picture of a structure that consists of differently ionized material, in which shells of material facing the black hole shield the inner and back shells from the ionizing radiation. The variation of the Doppler velocities compared to a toy model of the stellar wind, however, does not allow us to pin down an exact location of the clump region in the system. This result, as well as the asymmetric shape of the observed lines, point at a picture of a complex wind structure.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in A&

The murine nuclear orphan receptor GCNF is expressed in the XY body of primary spermatocytes

AbstractWe have studied the expression of the nuclear orphan receptor GCNF (germ cell nuclear factor) on the mRNA and protein level in pubertal and adult mouse testes. We show by Northern and Western blot analyses and by in situ hybridization that GCNF is expressed in spermatocytes and round spermatids of adult mouse testis suggesting that GCNF may be a transcriptional regulator of spermatogenesis. Since the GCNF protein is accumulated in the XY body of late pachytene spermatocytes, it may be involved in transcriptional inactivation of sex chromosomes