Records |
Author |
Muscatello, G.; Anderson, G.A.; Gilkerson, J.R.; Browning, G.F. |
Title |
Associations between the ecology of virulent Rhodococcus equi and the epidemiology of R. equi pneumonia on Australian thoroughbred farms |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Applied and Environmental Microbiology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl Environ Microbiol |
Volume |
72 |
Issue |
9 |
Pages |
6152-6160 |
Keywords |
Actinomycetales Infections/epidemiology/microbiology/*veterinary; Air Microbiology; Animal Husbandry; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Australia/epidemiology; Colony Count, Microbial; DNA, Bacterial/genetics; Ecosystem; Horse Diseases/epidemiology/*microbiology; Horses; Pneumonia, Bacterial/epidemiology/microbiology/*veterinary; Rhodococcus equi/genetics/isolation & purification/*pathogenicity; Soil Microbiology; Virulence |
Abstract |
The ecology of virulent strains of Rhodococcus equi on horse farms is likely to influence the prevalence and severity of R. equi pneumonia in foals. This study examined the association between the ecology of virulent R. equi and the epidemiology of R. equi pneumonia by collecting air and soil samples over two breeding seasons (28 farm-year combinations) on Thoroughbred breeding farms with different reported prevalences of R. equi pneumonia. Colony blotting and DNA hybridization were used to detect and measure concentrations of virulent R. equi. The prevalence of R. equi pneumonia was associated with the airborne burden of virulent R. equi (both the concentration and the proportion of R. equi bacteria that were virulent) but was not associated with the burden of virulent R. equi in the soil. Univariable screening and multivariable model building were used to evaluate the effect of environmental and management factors on virulent R. equi burdens. Lower soil moisture concentrations and lower pasture heights were significantly associated with elevated airborne concentrations of virulent R. equi, as were the holding pens and lanes, which typically were sandy, dry, and devoid of pasture cover. Few variables appeared to influence concentrations of virulent R. equi in soil. Acidic soil conditions may have contributed to an elevated proportion of virulent strains within the R. equi population. Environmental management strategies that aim to reduce the level of exposure of susceptible foals to airborne virulent R. equi are most likely to reduce the impact of R. equi pneumonia on endemically affected farms. |
Address |
School of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. mug@unimelb.edu.au |
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ISSN |
0099-2240 |
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PMID:16957241 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2622 |
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Author |
Shoshani, J.; Kupsky, W.J.; Marchant, G.H. |
Title |
Elephant brain. Part I: gross morphology, functions, comparative anatomy, and evolution |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Brain Research Bulletin |
Abbreviated Journal |
Brain Res Bull |
Volume |
70 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
124-157 |
Keywords |
Animals; Brain/*anatomy & histology/blood supply/*physiology; Cats; Chinchilla; Elephants/*anatomy & histology/*physiology; Equidae; *Evolution; Female; Guinea Pigs; Haplorhini; Humans; Hyraxes; Male; Pan troglodytes; Sheep; Wolves |
Abstract |
We report morphological data on brains of four African, Loxodonta africana, and three Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, and compare findings to literature. Brains exhibit a gyral pattern more complex and with more numerous gyri than in primates, humans included, and in carnivores, but less complex than in cetaceans. Cerebral frontal, parietal, temporal, limbic, and insular lobes are well developed, whereas the occipital lobe is relatively small. The insula is not as opercularized as in man. The temporal lobe is disproportionately large and expands laterally. Humans and elephants have three parallel temporal gyri: superior, middle, and inferior. Hippocampal sizes in elephants and humans are comparable, but proportionally smaller in elephant. A possible carotid rete was observed at the base of the brain. Brain size appears to be related to body size, ecology, sociality, and longevity. Elephant adult brain averages 4783 g, the largest among living and extinct terrestrial mammals; elephant neonate brain averages 50% of its adult brain weight (25% in humans). Cerebellar weight averages 18.6% of brain (1.8 times larger than in humans). During evolution, encephalization quotient has increased by 10-fold (0.2 for extinct Moeritherium, approximately 2.0 for extant elephants). We present 20 figures of the elephant brain, 16 of which contain new material. Similarities between human and elephant brains could be due to convergent evolution; both display mosaic characters and are highly derived mammals. Humans and elephants use and make tools and show a range of complex learning skills and behaviors. In elephants, the large amount of cerebral cortex, especially in the temporal lobe, and the well-developed olfactory system, structures associated with complex learning and behavioral functions in humans, may provide the substrate for such complex skills and behavior. |
Address |
Department of Biology, University of Asmara, P.O. Box 1220, Asmara, Eritrea (Horn of Africa). hezy@bio.uoa.edu.er |
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ISSN |
0361-9230 |
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Notes |
PMID:16782503 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2623 |
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Author |
Munoz-Sanz, A. |
Title |
[Christopher Columbus flu. A hypothesis for an ecological catastrophe] |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiologia Clinica |
Abbreviated Journal |
Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin |
Volume |
24 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
326-334 |
Keywords |
Animals; Atlantic Islands; Birds; Chickens; Disease Outbreaks/*history; Disease Reservoirs; Disease Susceptibility; Ecology; Europe/ethnology; History, 15th Century; Horses; Humans; Indians, South American; Influenza A virus/classification/genetics/pathogenicity; Influenza in Birds/epidemiology/history/transmission/virology; Influenza, Human/epidemiology/*history/mortality/transmission; Models, Biological; Orthomyxoviridae Infections/epidemiology/history/veterinary/virology; Poultry Diseases/epidemiology/history/transmission/virology; Reassortant Viruses/genetics/pathogenicity; Species Specificity; Sus scrofa; Swine Diseases/history/transmission/virology; Terminology; West Indies/epidemiology |
Abstract |
When Christopher Columbus and his men embarked on the second Colombian expedition to the New World (1493), the crew suffered from fever, respiratory symptoms and malaise. It is generally accepted that the disease was influenza. Pigs, horses and hens acquired in Gomera (Canary Islands) traveled in the same ship. The pigs may well have been the origin of the flu and the intermediary hosts for genetic recombination of other viral subtypes. The Caribbean archipelago had a large population of birds, the natural reservoir of the avian influenza virus. In this ecological scenario there was a concurrence of several biological elements that had never before coexisted in the New World: pigs, horses, the influenza virus and humans. We propose that birds are likely to have played an important role in the epidemiology of the flu occurring on the second Colombian trip, which caused a fatal demographic catastrophe, with an estimated mortality of 90% among the natives. |
Address |
Unidad de Patologia Infecciosa, Hospital Universitario Infanta Cristina, Servicio Extremeno de Salud, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Espana. infectio@unex.es |
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Language |
Spanish |
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Original Title |
La gripe de Cristobal Colon. Hipotesis sobre una catastrofe ecologica |
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ISSN |
0213-005X |
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Notes |
PMID:16762260 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2624 |
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Author |
Milinovich, G.J.; Trott, D.J.; Burrell, P.C.; van Eps, A.W.; Thoefner, M.B.; Blackall, L.L.; Al Jassim, R.A.M.; Morton, J.M.; Pollitt, C.C. |
Title |
Changes in equine hindgut bacterial populations during oligofructose-induced laminitis |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Environmental Microbiology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Environ Microbiol |
Volume |
8 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
885-898 |
Keywords |
Animal Feed; Animals; Bacteria/classification/*isolation & purification; DNA, Bacterial/analysis; Disease Models, Animal; Feces/microbiology; Foot Diseases/etiology/microbiology/*veterinary; Horse Diseases/*etiology/metabolism/microbiology; Horses; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Intestines/*microbiology; Oligosaccharides/*administration & dosage/*metabolism; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Bacterial/analysis; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/analysis |
Abstract |
In the horse, carbohydrate overload is thought to play an integral role in the onset of laminitis by drastically altering the profile of bacterial populations in the hindgut. The objectives of this study were to develop and validate microbial ecology methods to monitor changes in bacterial populations throughout the course of experimentally induced laminitis and to identify the predominant oligofructose-utilizing organisms. Laminitis was induced in five horses by administration of oligofructose. Faecal specimens were collected at 8 h intervals from 72 h before to 72 h after the administration of oligofructose. Hindgut microbiota able to utilize oligofructose were enumerated throughout the course of the experiment using habitat-simulating medium. Isolates were collected and representatives identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The majority of these isolates collected belonged to the genus Streptococcus, 91% of which were identified as being most closely related to Streptococcus infantarius ssp. coli. Furthermore, S. infantarius ssp. coli was the predominant oligofructose-utilizing organism isolated before the onset of lameness. Fluorescence in situ hybridization probes developed to specifically target the isolated Streptococcus spp. demonstrated marked population increases between 8 and 16 h post oligofructose administration. This was followed by a rapid population decline which corresponded with a sharp decline in faecal pH and subsequently lameness at 24-32 h post oligofructose administration. This research suggests that streptococci within the Streptococcus bovis/equinus complex may be involved in the series of events which precede the onset of laminitis in the horse. |
Address |
Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia. g.milinovich@uq.edu.au |
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English |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
1462-2912 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Notes |
PMID:16623745 |
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2625 |
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Author |
Aust, U.; Huber, L. |
Title |
Picture-object recognition in pigeons: evidence of representational insight in a visual categorization task using a complementary information procedure |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Animal Behavior Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process |
Volume |
32 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
190-195 |
Keywords |
Animals; Classification; *Cognition; Columbidae; *Discrimination Learning; *Form Perception; *Generalization (Psychology); Humans; Perceptual Closure; Photic Stimulation; Photography; *Recognition (Psychology) |
Abstract |
Success in tasks requiring categorization of pictorial stimuli does not prove that a subject understands what the pictures stand for. The ability to achieve representational insight is by no means a trivial one because it exceeds mere detection of 2-D features present in both the pictorial images and their referents. So far, evidence for such an ability in nonhuman species is weak and inconclusive. Here, the authors report evidence of representational insight in pigeons. After being trained on pictures of incomplete human figures, the birds responded significantly more to pictures of the previously missing parts than to nonrepresentative stimuli, which demonstrates that they actually recognized the pictures' representational content. |
Address |
Department for Behavior, Neurobiology and Cognition, University of Vienna, Austria. ulrike.aust@univie.ac.at |
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English |
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ISSN |
0097-7403 |
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Notes |
PMID:16634663 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2759 |
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Author |
Washburn, D.A.; Smith, J.D.; Shields, W.E. |
Title |
Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) immediately generalize the uncertain response |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Animal Behavior Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process |
Volume |
32 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
185-189 |
Keywords |
Adaptation, Psychological; Animals; *Cognition; *Discrimination Learning; *Generalization (Psychology); Macaca mulatta/*psychology; Male; *Uncertainty |
Abstract |
Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) have learned, like humans, to use an uncertain response adaptively under test conditions that create uncertainty, suggesting a metacognitive process by which human and nonhuman primates may monitor their confidence and alter their behavior accordingly. In this study, 4 rhesus monkeys generalized their use of the uncertain response, without additional training, to 2 familiar tasks (2-choice discrimination learning and mirror-image matching to sample) that predictably and demonstrably produce uncertainty. The monkeys were significantly less likely to use the uncertain response on trials in which the answer might be known. These results indicate that monkeys, like humans, know when they do not know and that they can learn to use a symbol as a generalized means for indicating their uncertainty. |
Address |
Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, 30303, USA. dwashhburn@gsu.edu |
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0097-7403 |
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PMID:16634662 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2760 |
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Author |
Brannon, E.M.; Cantlon, J.F.; Terrace, H.S. |
Title |
The role of reference points in ordinal numerical comparisons by rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Animal Behavior Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process |
Volume |
32 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
120-134 |
Keywords |
Animals; *Cognition; *Discrimination (Psychology); *Generalization (Psychology); Macaca mulatta/*psychology; Male; Mathematics; *Pattern Recognition, Visual |
Abstract |
Two experiments examined ordinal numerical knowledge in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Experiment 1 replicated the finding (E. M. Brannon & H. S. Terrace, 2000) that monkeys trained to respond in descending numerical order (4-->3-->2-->1) did not generalize the descending rule to the novel values 5-9 in contrast to monkeys trained to respond in ascending order. Experiment 2 examined whether the failure to generalize a descending rule was due to the direction of the training sequence or to the specific values used in the training sequence. Results implicated 3 factors that characterize a monkey's numerical comparison process: Weber's law, knowledge of ordinal direction, and a comparison of each value in a test pair with the reference point established by the first value of the training sequence. |
Address |
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA. brannon@duke.edu |
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0097-7403 |
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Notes |
PMID:16634655 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2761 |
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Author |
Beran, M.J.; Smith, J.D.; Redford, J.S.; Washburn, D.A. |
Title |
Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) monitor uncertainty during numerosity judgments |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Animal Behavior Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process |
Volume |
32 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
111-119 |
Keywords |
Animals; *Cognition; *Judgment; Macaca mulatta/*psychology; Male; Mathematics; *Pattern Recognition, Visual; *Uncertainty |
Abstract |
Two rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) judged arrays of dots on a computer screen as having more or fewer dots than a center value that was never presented in trials. After learning a center value, monkeys were given an uncertainty response that let them decline to make the numerosity judgment on that trial. Across center values (3-7), errors occurred most often for sets adjacent in numerosity to the center value. The monkeys also used the uncertainty response most frequently on these difficult trials. A 2nd experiment showed that monkeys' responses reflected numerical magnitude and not the surface-area illumination of the displays. This research shows that monkeys' uncertainty-monitoring capacity extends to the domain of numerical cognition. It also shows monkeys' use of the purest uncertainty response possible, uncontaminated by any secondary motivator. |
Address |
Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, 30302, USA. mjberan@yahoo.com |
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0097-7403 |
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PMID:16634654 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2762 |
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Author |
Nissani, M. |
Title |
Do Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) apply causal reasoning to tool-use tasks? |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Animal Behavior Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process |
Volume |
32 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
91-96 |
Keywords |
Age Factors; Animals; Behavior, Animal; *Conditioning, Operant; *Decision Making; Discrimination (Psychology); Elephants; Female |
Abstract |
Two experiments addressed contradictory claims about causal reasoning in elephants. In Experiment 1, 4 Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) were pretrained to remove a lid from the top of a bucket and retrieve a food reward. Subsequently, in the first 5 critical trials, when the lid was placed alongside the bucket and no longer obstructed access to the reward, each elephant continued to remove the lid before retrieving the reward. Experiment 2, which involved 11 additional elephants and variations of the original design, yielded similarly counterintuitive observations. Although the results are open to alternative interpretations, they appear more consistent with associative learning than with causal reasoning. Future applications of Fabrean methodologies (J. H. Fabre, 1915) to animal cognition are proposed. |
Address |
Departmetn of Interdisciplinary Studies, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA. moti.nissani@wayne.edu |
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0097-7403 |
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PMID:16435969 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2763 |
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Author |
Katz, J.S.; Wright, A.A. |
Title |
Same/different abstract-concept learning by pigeons |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Animal Behavior Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process |
Volume |
32 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
80-86 |
Keywords |
Animals; Behavior, Animal; *Cognition; Columbidae; *Concept Formation; Conditioning (Psychology); *Learning |
Abstract |
Eight pigeons were trained and tested in a simultaneous same/different task. After pecking an upper picture, they pecked a lower picture to indicate same or a white rectangle to indicate different. Increases in the training set size from 8 to 1,024 items produced improved transfer from 51.3% to 84.6%. This is the first evidence that pigeons can perform a two-item same/different task as accurately with novel items as training items and both above 80% correct. Fixed-set control groups ruled out training time or transfer testing as producing the high level of abstract-concept learning. Comparisons with similar experiments with rhesus and capuchin monkeys showed that the ability to learn the same/different abstract concept was similar but that pigeons require more training exemplars. |
Address |
Department of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA. katzjef@auburn.edu |
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0097-7403 |
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PMID:16435967 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2764 |
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