Puppy love in the time of Corona: dog ownership protects against loneliness for those living alone during the COVID-19 lockdown

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many countries enforcing a ‘lockdown’, whereby people are instructed to stay at home. Aim: The aim of this study was to capture the experience of such a lockdown in Australians living alone, with and without a dog or a cat. Method: Three hundred and eighty-four participants completed an online survey evaluating their levels of loneliness, mindfulness and mood. For participants who owned a dog or a cat, a measure of dog/cat interactions was also administered as well as two open-ended questions about how being a pet owner affected their experience of COVID-19 and how COVID-19 affected their pet. Results: Contrary to expectations, cat owners were found to be less mindful than non-owners and pet interactions did not account for levels of loneliness or levels of mindfulness. In line with our expectations, however, stress and depression positively predicted loneliness, while mindfulness and being a dog owner were protective against it. Insights from qualitative responses suggest that this might be due to the fact that dogs encourage a routine which involves getting out of the house and walking, which itself offers opportunities to socialise with other people doing the same thing. Conclusion: These findings add to the emerging literature on mental well-being during a lockdown and the unique role that pets play in their owners’ experiences

Eccomi pronto : implementation of a Socio-Emotional Development curriculum in a South Korean elementary school

‘Eccomi Pronto’ (EP), an elementary school socio-emotional learning curriculum that was originally developed and evaluated in Italy was translated in Korean and implemented and evaluated in 4th grade classrooms of a primary school in South Korea. Qualitative data from teachers indicated that EP improved the self-reflection and selfdirection of students, resulted in pedagogically useful insights into the psychological functioning of students, and enhanced the quality of teacher-student interaction. However, statistically significant changes in students’ engaged, academic behavior (as measured by an 8-item survey) were not noted. Teachers reported that the core of the EP curriculum was appropriate for the South Korean educational context. Teachers also recommended modifications in the follow-up learning activities to make these activities more consistent with South Korean education practices.peer-reviewe

Whole Genome Analysis of the Red-Crowned Crane Provides Insight into Avian Longevity

The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) is an endangered, large-bodied crane native to East Asia. It is a traditional symbol of longevity and its long lifespan has been confirmed both in captivity and in the wild. Lifespan in birds is known to be positively correlated with body size and negatively correlated with metabolic rate, though the genetic mechanisms for the red-crowned crane's long lifespan have not previously been investigated. Using whole genome sequencing and comparative evolutionary analyses against the grey-crowned crane and other avian genomes, including the long-lived common ostrich, we identified red-crowned crane candidate genes with known associations with longevity. Among these are positively selected genes in metabolism and immunity pathways (NDUFA5, NDUFA8, NUDT12, SOD3, CTH, RPA1, PHAX, HNMT, HS2ST1, PPCDC, PSTK CD8B, GP9, IL-9R, and PTPRC). Our analyses provide genetic evidence for low metabolic rate and longevity, accompanied by possible convergent adaptation signatures among distantly related large and long-lived birds. Finally, we identified low genetic diversity in the red-crowned crane, consistent with its listing as an endangered species, and this genome should provide a useful genetic resource for future conservation studies of this rare and iconic species

Looking for evidence that place of residence influenced visitor attitudes to feeding wild dolphins

Purpose – To ascertain if place attachment or experiential norms influence visitor attitudes to the feeding of wild dolphins. Design/Methodology/Approach – A cross section of beach based visitors at a popular Australian marine tourism destination were opportunistically sampled using pen and paper questionnaires. Findings – Visitors expressed strong support for the strictly controlled minimalist reward feeding that accompanies beach based wild dolphin interactions at the Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre and visitors believe there are tourism benefits to be gained from the regulated feeding of wild dolphins. Results also suggest that neither place attachment nor experiential norms influence visitor attitudes to feeding of the Koombana Bay dolphin population. Originality of the research – This location specific, snapshot, case study suggests that contrary to published theory, place attachment and experiential norms do not influence tourist attitudes to wildlife feeding, especially for charismatic iconic wildlife such as dolphins

Intrinsic Absorption in the Spectrum of NGC 7469: Simultaneous Chandra, FUSE, and STIS Observations

We present simultaneous X-ray, far-ultraviolet, and near-ultraviolet spectra of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 7469 obtained with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. Previous non-simultaneous observations of this galaxy found two distinct UV absorption components, at -560 and -1900 km/s, with the former as the likely counterpart of the X-ray absorber. We confirm these two absorption components in our new UV observations, in which we detect prominent O VI, Ly alpha, N V, and C IV absorption. In our Chandra spectrum we detect O VIII emission, but no significant O VIII or O VII absorption. We also detect a prominent Fe K alpha emission line in the Chandra spectrum, as well as absorption due to hydrogen-like and helium-like neon, magnesium, and silicon at velocities consistent with the -560 km/s UV absorber. The FUSE and STIS data reveal that the H I and C IV column densities in this UV- and X-ray- absorbing component have increased over time, as the UV continuum flux decreased. We use measured H I, N V, C IV, and O VI column densities to model the photoionization state of both absorbers self-consistently. We confirm the general physical picture of the outflow in which the low velocity component is a highly ionized, high density absorber with a total column density of 10^20 cm^-2, located near the broad emission line region, although due to measurable columns of N V and C IV, we assign it a somewhat smaller ionization parameter than found previously, U~1. The high velocity UV component is of lower density, log N=18.6, and likely resides farther from the central engine as we find its ionization parameter to be U=0.08.Comment: Minor correction to abstract; STScI eprint #1683; 50 pages, incl. 19 figures, 4 tables; Accepted to Ap

MyD88-5 links mitochondria, microtubules, and JNK3 in neurons and regulates neuronal survival

The innate immune system relies on evolutionally conserved Toll-like receptors (TLRs) to recognize diverse microbial molecular structures. Most TLRs depend on a family of adaptor proteins termed MyD88s to transduce their signals. Critical roles of MyD88-1–4 in host defense were demonstrated by defective immune responses in knockout mice. In contrast, the sites of expression and functions of vertebrate MyD88-5 have remained elusive. We show that MyD88-5 is distinct from other MyD88s in that MyD88-5 is preferentially expressed in neurons, colocalizes in part with mitochondria and JNK3, and regulates neuronal death. We prepared MyD88-5/GFP transgenic mice via a bacterial artificial chromosome to preserve its endogenous expression pattern. MyD88-5/GFP was detected chiefly in the brain, where it associated with punctate structures within neurons and copurified in part with mitochondria. In vitro, MyD88-5 coimmunoprecipitated with JNK3 and recruited JNK3 from cytosol to mitochondria. Hippocampal neurons from MyD88-5–deficient mice were protected from death after deprivation of oxygen and glucose. In contrast, MyD88-5–null macrophages behaved like wild-type cells in their response to microbial products. Thus, MyD88-5 appears unique among MyD88s in functioning to mediate stress-induced neuronal toxicity

Insight gained from responses to surveys on reference dosimetry practices

PURPOSE: To present the results and discuss potential insights gained through surveys on reference dosimetry practices. METHODS: Two surveys were sent to medical physicists to learn about the current state of reference dosimetry practices at radiation oncology clinics worldwide. A short survey designed to maximize response rate was made publicly available and distributed via the AAPM website and a medical physics list server. Another, much more involved survey, was sent to a smaller group of physicists to gain insight on detailed dosimetry practices. The questions were diverse, covering reference dosimetry practices on topics like measurements required for beam quality specification, the actual measurement of absorbed dose and ancillary equipment required like electrometers and environment monitoring measurements. RESULTS: There were 190 respondents to the short survey and seven respondents to the detailed survey. The diversity of responses indicates nonuniformity in reference dosimetry practices and differences in interpretation of reference dosimetry protocols. CONCLUSIONS: The results of these surveys offer insight on clinical reference dosimetry practices and will be useful in identifying current and future needs for reference dosimetry

Looking for evidence that place of residence influenced visitor attitudes to feeding wild dolphins

Purpose – To ascertain if place attachment or experiential norms influence visitor attitudes to the feeding of wild dolphins. Design/Methodology/Approach – A cross section of beach based visitors at a popular Australian marine tourism destination were opportunistically sampled using pen and paper questionnaires. Findings – Visitors expressed strong support for the strictly controlled minimalist reward feeding that accompanies beach based wild dolphin interactions at the Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre and visitors believe there are tourism benefits to be gained from the regulated feeding of wild dolphins. Results also suggest that neither place attachment nor experiential norms influence visitor attitudes to feeding of the Koombana Bay dolphin population. Originality of the research – This location specific, snapshot, case study suggests that contrary to published theory, place attachment and experiential norms do not influence tourist attitudes to wildlife feeding, especially for charismatic iconic wildlife such as dolphins. The full text of this open access article can be accessed at http://hrcak.srce.hr/19216