The use of signs to facilitate maze learning in dairy cows (Bos taurus).

Little is known about whether or not cows can learn to use a visual cue to navigate complex paths. Experiment 1 investigated discrimination learning of dairy cows where the discrimination problems involved selecting a signalled one-way pair of gates in cattle yards. All cows learned to select the pair of gates signalled by a yellow sign (S+) to gain access to food. Learning to approach the yellow sign did not transfer to a new situation and problem. In Experiment 2, four cows were trained to select the correct path in a T-maze and then to reverse location. The cows with the yellow sign signaling the correct arm were more accurate at reversing responses than cows without the yellow sign. Reversal learning transferred to new T-mazes presented within the same yard setting. In Experiment 3, two heifers were provided with yellow signs and two heifers were not in a double T-maze with no prior reversal learning experience. There was no difference in performance shown by the sign and no-sign heifers, suggesting that maze learning was not being aided by the use of signs. Experiment 4 used the same stimuli as in Experiment 3 and trained cows in a reversal task before presenting a double T-maze and then eight complex maze problems with and without signs. The data suggest that cows learned to solve all mazes presented, and were better at selecting the correct path in maze problems with signs present. Experiment 5 also used a reversal task to train cows to select the arm of a T-maze when it was signalled by a yellow sign. However, transfer of learning was not shown when cows were tested in a new setting. These experiments show that cows can learn to use signs to select the correct path with reversal learning to solve maze problems, but in order to transfer such learning to a new setting, cows may need to have stimuli common to the training setting also present in any new setting

Drivers of landholder participation in tender programs for Australian biodiversity conservation

Conservation tender program have been widely applied to biodiversity conservation in Australia and internationally in recent decades. Increasing participation rates is critical to these schemes, as competition is required for the cost-effectiveness benefits of the tender system to be fully realized. However, knowledge relating to the drivers of landholder participation in tender programs is limited. This study aims to identify the relative importance of different drivers of participation in Victorian conservation tenders. The novel method of maximum entropy ordinal regression is used given the small sample size, and supplemented with qualitative data obtained through face-to-face interviews. The regression analysis reveals that strong relationships between agencies and landholders and a low administrative burden drive increased participation. The provision of education, support, and easily-integrated management practices, however, may drive lower participation, with landholders confident to undertake conservation activities independently of assistance. Some evidence emerges that ten-year contracts may be well-received. A key concern is low additionality in biodiversity benefits, with typical tender participants displaying a strong conservation ethic and high levels of management activity pre-participation. This work has shown that in conservation policies involving self-selection by participants, economic incentives for adoption may be less important than non-monetary drivers

Psychosocial support needs of women with breast cancer in the Waikato region

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women and the third most common cancer in New Zealand. Despite improved survival rates, significant psychosocial distress is experienced by breast cancer patients. To address this, the Cancer Psychological and Social Support Service (CPSSS) provides supportive care to cancer patients and their families. We aimed to understand the characteristics and psychosocial support needs of women with breast cancer who were referred to the CPSSS at the Waikato District Health Board (WDHB). Breast cancer data from 2016 to 2018 was obtained from the Waikato Breast Cancer Register (WBCR) and compared to psychosocial support referrals from the CPSSS for the same period

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

An investigation of colour discrimination with horses (Equus caballus)

The ability of four horses (Equus caballus) to discriminate coloured (three shades of blue, green, red, and yellow) from grey (neutral density) stimuli, produced by back projected lighting filters, was investigated in a two response forced-choice procedure. Pushes of the lever in front of a coloured screen were occasionally reinforced, pushes of the lever in front of a grey screen were never reinforced. Each colour shade was randomly paired with a grey that was brighter, one that was dimmer, and one that approximately matched the colour in terms of brightness. Each horse experienced the colours in a different order, a new colour was started after 85% correct responses over five consecutive sessions or if accuracy showed no trend over sessions. All horses reached the 85% correct with blue versus grey, three horses did so with both yellow and green versus grey. All were above chance with red versus grey but none reached criterion. Further analysis showed the wavelengths of the green stimuli used overlapped with the yellow. The results are consistent with histological and behavioural studies that suggest that horses are dichromatic. They differ from some earlier data in that they indicate horses can discriminate yellow and blue, but that they may have deficiencies in discriminating red and green

The characteristics, management and outcomes of older women with breast cancer in New Zealand

The aim of this study was to understand the characteristics of older women with breast cancer and to describe the current patterns of treatment and outcomes. The study included data from the combined Auckland and Waikato breast cancer registers, which hold information for 12, 372 women diagnosed with stage I–IV breast cancer between June 2000 and May 2013. Of these women, 2671 (21.6%) were over 70 years of age. Patient characteristics, treatment type and survival were compared across four-year age groups (70–74, 75–79, 80–84, 85+) and hormone receptor status. Of the women aged over 70 years, 2485 (93.0%) had stage I–III disease. Increasing age was significantly associated with decreasing use of surgery, adjuvant radiotherapy, endocrine therapy and chemotherapy, even after adjustment for stage and level of co-morbidity. Nine hundred and one women (33.7%) had co-morbidities at the time of diagnosis. The 5-year breast cancer-specific survival rate for women aged 70–74 and that for women aged 75–79 were similar, but was worse in women aged over 80. Generally, older women are treated as per guidelines, although chemotherapy may be under-used. However, age is a significant factor influencing whether women are treated or not

Psychosocial support needs of women with breast cancer in the Waikato region of New Zealand

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women and the third most common cancer in New Zealand (NZ), with more than 3000 registrations and 600 deaths annually.¹ While survival from BC in NZ is better than many other cancers, Māori women—the indigenous peoples of NZ—have a higher mortality rate than NZ European women.² Therefore, for many NZ women, a BC diagnosis still threatens possible mortality, and frequently results in significant psychosocial distress. Indeed, around 20% to 50% of women with BC will develop anxiety or depression within 1 year of diagnosis.