The use of pigs vocalisation structure to assess the quality of human-pig relationship

Studying human-animal interactions in domestic species and how they affect the establishment of a positive Human-Animal Relationship (HAR) may help us improve animal welfare and better understand the evolution of interspecific interactions associated with the domestication process. Understanding and describing the quality of an HAR requires information on several aspects of the animal biology and emotional states (social, spatial and postural behaviours, physiological and cognitive states). Growing evidence shows that acoustic features of animal vocalisations may be indicators of emotional states. Here, we tested the hypothesis that vocal structure may indicate the quality of HAR. At weaning, 30 piglets were positively handled by an experimenter who talked to and physically interacted with them three times a day, while 30 other piglets only received the contact necessary for proper husbandry. After two weeks, we recorded the behaviours and vocalisations produced in the presence of the static experimenter for 5 min. We repeated this test two weeks later, after a conditioning period during which human presence with additional positive contacts was used as a reward for all piglets. We hypothesized this conditioning period would lead to a positive human-piglet relationship for all piglets. As expected, piglets that were positively handled at weaning expressed a higher attraction toward the experimenter, and, after the conditioning, piglets that were not positively handled at weaning expressed a similar level of attraction than the positively handled ones. Piglets positively handled at weaning produced shorter grunts than the other ones, regardless of the context of recording, which may indicate a more positive affect. During reunions with the static experimenter, a more positive HAR was associated with a decrease in vocal reactivity to human proximity. However, during reunions with the experimenter providing additional positive contacts and over the conditioning, spatial proximity to the human systematically triggered shorter and higher pitched grunts, which may indicate a more positive emotional state. Results first show that changes in vocal structure are consistent with indicators of positive states in the presence of a human. Second, these changes are stronger when the human positively interact with the piglets, supposedly emphasizing a higher positive arousal state during these interactions. We show that vocalisation structure may be a promising indicator of the quality of human-pig relationship

Cinacalcet reverses short QT Interval in familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia type 1

Context: Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia type 1 (FHH-1) defines an autosomal dominant disease, related to mutations in the CASR gene, with mild hypercalcemia in most cases. Cases of FHH-1 with a short QT interval have not been reported to date. Objective: Three family members presented with FHH-1 and short QT interval (< 360 ms), a condition that could lead to cardiac arrhythmias, and the effects of cinacalcet, an allosteric modulator of the CaSR, in rectifying the abnormal sensitivity of the mutant CaSR and in correcting the short QT interval were determined. Methods: CASR mutational analysis was performed by next-generation sequencing and functional consequences of the identified CaSR variant (p.Ile555Thr) and effects of cinacalcet were assessed in HEK293 cells expressing wild-type and variant CaSRs. A cinacalcet test consisting of administration of 30 mg cinacalcet (8am) followed by hourly measurement of serum calcium, phosphate, and PTH during 8 hours, and an ECG was performed. Results: The CaSR variant (p.Ile555Thr) was confirmed in all three FHH-1 patients and was shown to be associated with a loss of function that was ameliorated by cinacalcet. Cinacalcet decreased PTH by >50% within two hours, and decreases in serum calcium and increases in serum phosphate occurred within 8 hours, with rectification of the QT interval, which remained normal after 3 months of cinacalcet treatment. Conclusion: Our results indicate that FHH-1 patients should be assessed for a short QT interval, and a cinacalcet test used to select patients who are likely to benefit from this treatment

Classification of pig calls produced from birth to slaughter according to their emotional valence and context of production

Vocal expression of emotions has been observed across species and could provide a non-invasive and reliable means to assess animal emotions. We investigated if pig vocal indicators of emotions revealed in previous studies are valid across call types and contexts, and could potentially be used to develop an automated emotion monitoring tool. We performed an analysis of an extensive and unique dataset of low (LF) and high frequency (HF) calls emitted by pigs across numerous commercial contexts from birth to slaughter (7414 calls from 411 pigs). Our results revealed that the valence attributed to the contexts of production (positive versus negative) affected all investigated parameters in both LF and HF. Similarly, the context category affected all parameters. We then tested two different automated methods for call classification; a neural network revealed much higher classification accuracy compared to a permuted discriminant function analysis (pDFA), both for the valence (neural network: 91.5%; pDFA analysis weighted average across LF and HF (cross-classified): 61.7% with a chance level at 50.5%) and context (neural network: 81.5%; pDFA analysis weighted average across LF and HF (cross-classified): 19.4% with a chance level at 14.3%). These results suggest that an automated recognition system can be developed to monitor pig welfare on-farm.publishedVersio

Baseline data of parasite clearance in patients with falciparum malaria treated with an artemisinin derivative: an individual patient data meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum manifests as slow parasite clearance but this measure is also influenced by host immunity, initial parasite biomass and partner drug efficacy. This study collated data from clinical trials of artemisinin derivatives in falciparum malaria with frequent parasite counts to provide reference parasite clearance estimates stratified by location, treatment and time, to examine host factors affecting parasite clearance, and to assess the relationships between parasite clearance and risk of recrudescence during follow-up. METHODS: Data from 24 studies, conducted from 1996 to 2013, with frequent parasite counts were pooled. Parasite clearance half-life (PC1/2) was estimated using the WWARN Parasite Clearance Estimator. Random effects regression models accounting for study and site heterogeneity were used to explore factors affecting PC1/2 and risk of recrudescence within areas with reported delayed parasite clearance (western Cambodia, western Thailand after 2000, southern Vietnam, southern Myanmar) and in all other areas where parasite populations are artemisinin sensitive. RESULTS: PC1/2 was estimated in 6975 patients, 3288 of whom also had treatment outcomes evaluate d during 28-63 days follow-up, with 93 (2.8 %) PCR-confirmed recrudescences. In areas with artemisinin-sensitive parasites, the median PC1/2 following three-day artesunate treatment (4 mg/kg/day) ranged from 1.8 to 3.0 h and the proportion of patients with PC1/2 >5 h from 0 to 10 %. Artesunate doses of 4 mg/kg/day decreased PC1/2 by 8.1 % (95 % CI 3.2-12.6) compared to 2 mg/kg/day, except in populations with delayed parasite clearance. PC1/2 was longer in children and in patients with fever or anaemia at enrolment. Long PC1/2 (HR = 2.91, 95 % CI 1.95-4.34 for twofold increase, p < 0.001) and high initial parasitaemia (HR = 2.23, 95 % CI 1.44-3.45 for tenfold increase, p < 0.001) were associated independently with an increased risk of recrudescence. In western Cambodia, the region with the highest prevalence of artemisinin resistance, there was no evidence for increasing PC1/2 since 2007. CONCLUSIONS: Several factors affect PC1/2. As substantial heterogeneity in parasite clearance exists between locations, early detection of artemisinin resistance requires reference PC1/2 data. Studies with frequent parasite count measurements to characterize PC1/2 should be encouraged. In western Cambodia, where PC1/2 values are longest, there is no evidence for recent emergence of higher levels of artemisinin resistance

Les Bovidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) du Pléistocène moyen final de l'aven de Romain-la-Roche (Doubs, France)

Accessible à l'adresse : http://www.ville-ge.ch/mhng/paleo/paleo-pdf/29-2/pal_29_2_07_11.pdfInternational audienceEn même temps qu'un unique reste de chamois Rupicapra cf. rupicapra, 1607 fossiles de grands Bovidae ont été recueillis dans l'aven de Romain-la-Roche. Deux espèces ont pu être identifiées : le bison des steppes Bison priscus priscus (Bojanus, 1827) et l'aurochs Bos primigenius Bojanus, 1827 ; le premier est représenté par 46 restes correspondant à 7 à 11 individus adultes, le second par 32 restes correspondant à 6 à 11 spécimens adultes. Les juvéniles sont nombreux mais n'ont pu être discriminés. Les dimensions des dents et des os longs, des métapodes, des astragales et des calcanéums sont comparées avec celles des Bison priscus, Bison schoetensacki et Bos primigenius du Pléistocène moyen et supérieur et de l'Holocène d'Europe. Les caractères anatomiques des dents associées en rangées et les dimensions et proportions des os sus-cités ont permis de distinguer les deux espèces. Parmi les Bison priscus, la sous-espèce nominale se reconnaît à son cornage et à sa très grande taille. Bison priscus priscus est caractéristique de la partie supérieure du Pléistocène moyen et persiste peut-être dans le Pléistocène supérieur ancien, il correspond à un environnement steppique. Bos primigenius, apparu au début du Pléistocène moyen, a survécu jusqu'à l'Holocène ; ses représentants pléistocènes étaient de très grande taille ; son biotope préférentiel était la prairie-parc boisé. Le degré d'évolution de la population de Bison priscus date le site de la partie supérieure de la zone MNQ 24 (fin du stade isotopique MIS 6), correspondant à peu près à la dernière partie de l'avant-dernière glaciation, ou du début de la zone MNQ 25 (début du dernier interglaciaire). La coexistence de Bison priscus et Bos primigenius montre que le paysage était une mosaïque de steppe froide et de prairie-parc boisé. Bien qu'un peu d'industrie moustérienne ait été trouvée dans le gisement, l'Homme n'est pour rien dans l'accumulation des restes de Bovidae de Romain-la-Roche

« Écrire dans » : Écriture littéraire sur écran. Présentation d’une expérimentation en classe de 3 année du secondaire

International audienceL’article s’appuie sur le cadre théorique de la didactique d’une écriture de l’intertextualité (Houdart-Mérot et Mongenot, 2013), selon le modèle de la greffe discursive que présente Le Goff (2011), sur celui de la génétique textuelle associée à une perspective didactique (Fabre-Cols, 2004 ; Doquet, 2011), et sur celui de l’écriture numérique (Saemmer, 2010, 2015) et des dispositifs d’innovations didactiques qu’elle favorise (écriture sur écran, écriture collaborative). Il se propose d’analyser une expérimentation menée sur une année, dans une classe de 3e année du secondaire : les élèves ont été conduits à écrire directement dans un texte d’écrivain et à opérer des manipulations de ce texte (de types supprimer, déplacer, coller et développer). Ils dialoguent ainsi avec le texte de l’auteur, apprenant de ce tissage qu’ils fabriquent eux-mêmes. Ce dispositif, mené selon différentes modalités, a permis de développer une posture d’auteur engagé dans son texte, ainsi que des compétences d’écriture littéraire

Les écrits de travail numériques au service de l’écriture littéraire

International audienc

Pelloutier, Pouget, Hamon, Lazare et le retour de l’anarchisme au socialisme (1893-1900)

Le socialisme européen est secoué, dans les années 1890-1893, par l’éclosion d’une aile gauche de sensibilité antiparlementaire – SDB aux Pays-Bas, Jungen en Allemagne, POSR en France. Une fraction du mouvement anarchiste va s’y intéresser et tenter une alliance voire une recomposition avec ce courant socialiste, qui permettrait de contester l’hégémonie de la social-démocratie. Du congrès de Zurich (1893) à celui de Paris (1900), un groupe de militants – Pouget, Pelloutier, Lazare, Hamon – va être au cœur de ce processus. La tentative va échouer, mais est révélatrice d’une volonté de l’anarchisme français de « retour au socialisme » à cette époque, et constitue un prélude méconnu à sa période syndicaliste