Longevity and mortality in Kennel Club registered dog breeds in the UK in 2014

Abstract Background The domestic dog is one of the most diverse mammalian species, exhibiting wide variations in morphology, behaviour and morbidity across breeds. Therefore, it is not unexpected that breeds should also exhibit variation in mortality and longevity. While shorter longevity per se may not necessarily be a welfare issue, a generally foreshortened lifespan in a breed that is accompanied by a high prevalence of a particular cause of death may reveal potentially serious welfare concerns and highlight scope to improve breed welfare. Survey data gathered directly from owners offer useful insights into canine longevity and mortality that can support the overall evidence base for welfare reforms within breeds. Results Mortality data on 5663 deceased dogs registered with the UK Kennel Club were collected from an owner-based survey. The most commonly reported causes of death were old age (13.8%), unspecified cancer (8.7%) and heart failure (4.9%); with 5.1% of deaths reported as unknown cause. Overall median age at death was 10.33 years (interquartile range: 7.17–12.83 years). Breeds varied widely in median longevity overall from the West Highland Terrier (12.71 years) to the Dobermann Pinscher (7.67 years). There was also wide variation in the prevalence of some common causes of death among breeds, and in median longevity across the causes of death. Conclusion Substantial variation in the median lifespan and the prominent causes of death exists across breeds. This study has identified some breeds with both a low median lifespan and also a high proportional mortality for one or more specific causes of death that should be considered as both potential welfare concerns as well as opportunities for improvement

Large-scale survey to estimate the prevalence of disorders for 192 Kennel Club registered breeds

Abstract Background Pedigree or purebred dogs are often stated to have high prevalence of disorders which are commonly assumed to be a consequence of inbreeding and selection for exaggerated features. However, few studies empirically report and rank the prevalence of disorders across breeds although such data are of critical importance in the prioritisation of multiple health concerns, and to provide a baseline against which to explore changes over time. This paper reports an owner survey that gathered disorder information on Kennel Club registered pedigree dogs, regardless of whether these disorders received veterinary care. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of disorders among pedigree dogs overall and, where possible, determine any variation among breeds. Results This study included morbidity data on 43,005 live dogs registered with the Kennel Club. Just under two thirds of live dogs had no reported diseases/conditions. The most prevalent diseases/conditions overall were lipoma (4.3%; 95% confidence interval 4.13-4.52%), skin (cutaneous) cyst (3.1%; 2.94-3.27%) and hypersensitivity (allergic) skin disorder (2.7%; 2.52-2.82%). For the most common disorders in the most represented breeds, 90 significant differences between the within breed prevalence and the overall prevalence are reported. Conclusion The results from this study have added vital epidemiological data on disorders in UK dogs. It is anticipated that these results will contribute to the forthcoming Breed Health & Conservation Plans, a Kennel Club initiative aiming to assist in the identification and prioritisation of breeding selection objectives for health and provide advice to breeders/owners regarding steps that may be taken to minimise the risk of the disease/disorders. Future breed-specific studies are recommended to report more precise prevalence estimates within more breeds

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE ATTENUATE PROTECTIVE GAIT STRATEGIES DURING BEAM WALKING

Walking on a narrow, raised beam is more difficult than walking across a floor. During beam walking, a protective strategy designed to maximise stability is adopted. This study compared the electrical activity (EMG) of selected leg muscles during normal walking with that during beam walking in novice and expert subjects. Results show that whilst changes (compared with normal walking) occurred in all subjects during beam walking, the magnitude of these changes is less in experts than in novices. In particular experts showed reduced muscle co-contraction during beam walking than novices. Thus whilst a protective strategy is elicited in expert subjects, the extent to which it is manifest is reduced. Experts maintain more typical patterns of EMG and should be less prone to muscle fatigue, a factor known to increase the risk of injury

Unmasking quality: exploring meanings of health by doing art

This paper arises from a presentation at the ‘Quality in Healthcare’ symposium at Cumberland Lodge, England, in 2013. MK, CR and SH conceived the paper and led the writing of the manuscript. JF, JL-D, AC, DE contributed substantially to the intellectual content of the paper through providing critical commentary and interpretation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript

Trapping of Pd, Au, and Cu by implantation-induced nanocavities and dislocations in Si

The gettering of metallic impurities by nanocavities formed in Si is a topic of both scientific importance and technological significance. Metallic precipitates observed in the regions where nanocavities were formed have been considered the result of the metal filling the nanocavities, either as elemental metal or a silicide phase. However, our transmission electron microscopy observations demonstrate that many of these precipitates are concentrated along dislocations, rather than randomly distributed as expected for precipitates formed by the filling of nanocavities. Consequently, the gettering contribution of dislocations in the lattice caused by nanocavity formation must be considered. For Pd, dislocations are the preferred sites for the precipitation of the metal silicide. We compare results of gettering by nanocavities and dislocations for Pd, Au, and Cu to determine which structure is the dominant influence for the formation of precipitates of these metals and/or their silicides

Using guided individualised feedback to review self-reported quality of life in health and its importance

© 2014 Taylor & Francis. This pilot study investigated the effects of providing guided, individualised feedback on subjective quality of life (QoL), using results from the multidimensional WHOQOL-BREF profile. Participants (n=129; 85 chronically ill) were recruited in the community, and primary care. They were randomised to receive written or verbal guidance on interpreting a new graphical summary profile, which simultaneously presented (a) their individual self-ratings of QoL and (b) the importance attributed to each QoL dimension. Before and after feedback, participants completed health status, subjective QoL, QoL Importance, goal-oriented QoL and mood measures. Receiving individualised feedback was associated with increased psychological QoL, with modest effect size. No effects were found for physical, social or environmental QoL or QoL importance, health status, mood or goal-oriented QoL. There were no differences between modes of delivering guidance, indicating equal effectiveness. Chronic illness participants reported poorer QoL, moved more slowly towards their QoL goals, and had larger differences between core QoL and QoL Importance than healthy participants. Guided individualised empirical feedback about QoL judgements could be used to promote psychological well-being. Although professional interpretation of feedback is unnecessary, if shared, patients’ profiled WHOQOL information could support self-monitoring, self-management and clinical decision-making

Gettering of Pd to implantation-induced nanocavities in Si

The gettering of Pd to nanocavities in Si for implantation doses ranging from 5×10¹³ to 1×10¹⁵ cm¯² and annealing temperatures ranging from 750 to 1050 °C was investigated using Rutherford backscattering and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. For a given annealing temperature, the gettering efficiency increased as the dose decreased. For a given dose, maximum gettering efficiency was achieved at the intermediate temperatures studied. Competition between silicide formation and nanocavity gettering limited gettering efficiency.The authors thank the Australian Research Council for their financial support. G.deM.A. acknowledges the Brazilian agency CNPq ~Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientı´fico e Tecnolo´gico! for a postdoctoral fellowship

Bridging the gap between networked appliances and virtual worlds

On-line gaming coupled with virtual world development and social networking are at the forefront of next generation entertainment. In parallel, there is an unprecedented push to equip every device with networking capabilities. However, there is little evidence to suggest that these distinct technological trends will converge rather than just co-exist. There are obvious benefits to support interoperation between real objects and virtual worlds in at least two ways: improving the possibilities for device interactions and improving the functionality that is available within virtual worlds. Moreover, it also allows the physical constraints associated with real objects to be removed, enabling them to enjoy the freedom offered by virtual worlds. To promote this vision, we propose an integration architecture that blurs the gap between real and virtual objects. This supports both conventional and unconventional usage of devices visually connected to digital avatars, thus freeing users to decide how they wish to operate devices. Although much work has been done in both networked appliances and interactive entertainment, there is a need to converge these disciplines to harness the power afforded by new and emerging digital worlds. This will make it easier to interact with devices through the obvious benefits physical disembodiment brings. We present a new approach demonstrated using a working prototype to implement a virtual world capable of operating a remote appliance, either via the device or via its digital avatar. © 2007 IEEE

Metabolomic analysis of Arabidopsis reveals hemiterpenoid glycosides as products of a nitrate ion-regulated, carbon flux overflow

An understanding of the balance between carbon and nitrogen assimilation in plants is key to future bioengineering for a range of applications. Metabolomic analysis of the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, using combined NMR-MS revealed the presence of two hemiterpenoid glycosides that accumulated in leaf tissue, to ~1% dry weight under repeated nitrate-deficient conditions. The formation of these isoprenoids was correlated with leaf nitrate concentrations that could also be assayed in the metabolomic data using a unique flavonoid–nitrate mass spectral adduct. Analysis of leaf and root tissue from plants grown in hydroponics with a variety of root stressors identified the conditions under which the isoprenoid pathway in leaves was diverted to the hemiterpenoids. These compounds were strongly induced by root wounding or oxidative stress and weakly induced by potassium deficiency. Other stresses such as cold, saline, and osmotic stress did not induce the compounds. Replacement of nitrate with ammonia failed to suppress the formation of the hemiterpenoids, indicating that nitrate sensing was a key factor. Feeding of intermediates was used to study aspects of 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate pathway regulation leading to hemiterpenoid formation. The formation of the hemiterpenoids in leaves was strongly correlated with the induction of the phenylpropanoids scopolin and coniferin in roots of the same plants. These shunts of photosynthetic carbon flow are discussed in terms of overflow mechanisms that have some parallels with isoprene production in tree species

Food fussiness and food neophobia share a common etiology in early childhood

BACKGROUND: 'Food fussiness' (FF) is the tendency to be highly selective about which foods one is willing to eat, and emerges in early childhood; 'food neophobia' (FN) is a closely related characteristic but specifically refers to rejection of unfamiliar food. These behaviors are associated, but the extent to which their etiological architecture overlaps is unknown. The objective of this study was to quantify the relative contribution of genetic and environmental influences to variation in FF and FN in early childhood; and to establish the extent to which they share common genetic and environmental influences. METHOD: Participants were 1,921 families with 16-month-old twins from the Gemini birth cohort. Parents completed the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire which included three FF items and four FN items. Bivariate quantitative genetic modeling was used to quantify: (a) genetic and environmental contributions to variation in FF and FN; and (b) the extent to which genetic or environmental influences on FF and FN are shared across the traits. RESULTS: Food fussiness and FN were strongly correlated (r = .72, p < .001). Proportions of variation in FF were equally explained by genetic (.46; 95% CI: 0.41-0.52) and shared environmental influences (.46; 95% CI: 0.41-0.51). Shared environmental effects accounted for a significantly lower proportion of variation in FN (.22; 95% CI: 0.14-0.30), but genetic influences were not significantly different from those on FF (.58, 95% CI: 0.50-0.67). FF and FN largely shared a common etiology, indicated by high genetic (.73; 95% CI: 0.67-0.78) and shared environmental correlations (.78; 95% CI: 0.69-0.86) across the two traits. CONCLUSIONS: Food fussiness and FN both show considerable heritability at 16 months but shared environmental factors, for example the home environment, influenced more interindividual differences in the expression of FF than in FN. FF and FN largely share a common etiology