‘Beware, I am large and dangerous’ – human listeners can be deceived by dynamic manipulation of the indexical content of agonistic dog growls

Dishonest vocal signals about body size are rarely encountered, however, dogs are capable of modifying indexical information in their growls. This apparent acoustic body-size manipulation could be affected by the level of threat experienced by the dog. We tested whether this natural size manipulation actually affects how listeners assess the size of the dog, thus whether it could be considered as a successful indexical information manipulation. We requested human participants to assess dog growls, originally recorded when dogs encountered various ‘threatening strangers’ (of different sex, stature). The participants heard several sets of growl pairs, where they had to guess, which growl belonged to the ‘larger dog’. In the Control condition, dog growls originated from two different dogs in a pair; in the Test condition, growls of the same dog were presented pair by pair, always recorded in the presence of different threatening humans. Human listeners reliably picked the larger dog from two differently sized animals based on their growls alone. In the Test condition, participants thought that the dog was ‘larger’ when it was threatened by a female experimenter, and when the dog was growling at a larger sized human. We found that while growl length modulation was the main factor behind size-choice decisions in the case of female strangers, formant dispersion difference contributed the most when listeners chose which dog was the larger in the case of male opponents. Our results provide firsthand evidence of dogs’ functionally deceptive vocalizations towards humans, a phenomenon which has not been shown before in any interspecific scenario

miR-125b is a protectomiR: A rising star for acute cardioprotection

Myocardial infarction and resulting heart failure remain the leading causes of death worldwide. Therefore, novel therapies are required to protect the heart against the detrimental effects of acute ischemia/reperfusion injury. Micro-RNAs are promising novel targets for cardioprotection as highlighted by recent seminal position papers and reviews (Hausenloy et al., 2017; Varga et al., 2015; Perrino et al., 2017 [1-3])

Exploratory study of introducing HPC to non-ICT researchers: institutional strategy is possibly needed for widespread adaption

[EN] Machine learning algorithms are becoming more and more useful in many felds of science, including many areas where computational methods are rarely used. High-performance Computing (HPC) is the most powerful solution to get the best results using these algorithms. HPC requires various skills to use. Acquiring this knowledge might be intimidating and take a long time for a researcher with small or no background in information and communications technologies (ICTs), even if the benefts of such knowledge is evident for the researcher. In this work, we aim to assess how a specifc method of introducing HPC to such researchers enables them to start using HPC. We gave talks to two groups of non-ICT researchers that introduced basic concepts focusing on the necessary practical steps needed to use HPC on a specifc cluster. We also ofered hands-on trainings for one of the groups which aimed to guide participants through the frst steps of using HPC. Participants flled out questionnaires partly based on Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model before and after the talk, and after the hands-on training. We found that the talk increased participants’ self-reported likelihood of using HPC in their future research, but this was not signifcant for the group where participation was voluntary. On the contrary, very few researchers participated in the hands-on training, and for these participants neither the talk, nor the hands-on training changed their self-reported likelihood of using HPC in their future research. We argue that our fndings show that academia and researchers would beneft from an environment that not only expects researchers to train themselves, but provides structural support for acquiring new skills.SIEötvös Loránd Universit

Identification of New, Translatable ProtectomiRs against Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury and Oxidative Stress: The Role of MMP/Biglycan Signaling Pathways

Introduction: Ischemic conditionings (ICon) were intensively investigated and several protective signaling pathways were identified. Previously, we have shown the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) and the cardioprotective role of biglycan (BGN), a small leucine-rich proteoglycan in vitro. Here, we hypothesized that cardiac MMP and BGN signaling are involved in the protective effects of ICon. Methods: A reverse target-microRNA prediction was performed by using the miRNAtarget™ 2.0 software to identify human microRNAs with a possible regulatory effect on MMP and BGN, such as on related genes. To validate the identified 1289 miRNAs in the predicted network, we compared them to two cardioprotective miRNA omics datasets derived from pig and rat models of MIRI in the presence of ICons. Results: Among the experimentally measured miRNAs, we found 100% sequence identity to human predicted regulatory miRNAs in the case of 37 porcine and 24 rat miRNAs. Upon further analysis, 42 miRNAs were identified as MIRI-associated miRNAs, from which 24 miRNAs were counter-regulated due to ICons. Conclusions: Our findings highlight 24 miRNAs that potentially regulate cardioprotective therapeutic targets associated with MMPs and BGN in a highly translatable porcine model of acute myocardial infarction

Associations among behavioral inhibition and owner-rated attention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and personality in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris)

In humans, behavioral disinhibition is associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Limitations to rodent models of ADHD-like behaviors/symptoms may be augmented by complementary ones, such as the domestic dog. We examined associations between family dogs' (N = 29; of 14 breeds and 12 mongrels) performance on a self-developed touchscreen behavioral Go/No-Go paradigm and their owner-rated inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, accounting for relevant covariates. A greater proportion of commission errors was associated with greater hyperactivity/impulsivity. Regardless of accuracy, relative to dogs with no previous training, those with basic training had shorter response latencies. Also, regardless of accuracy, greater confidence and extraversion were associated with shorter latencies, and greater openness was associated with longer latencies. Shorter latency to commission errors was associated with greater inattention. Findings support the dog as a model of the association between behavioral disinhibition and ADHD-like behaviors/symptoms and are early evidence of convergent validity between the behavioral paradigm and the rating scale measure in dogs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

Cardiac miRNA Expression and their mRNA Targets in a Rat Model of Prediabetes

Little is known about the mechanism of prediabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction. Therefore, we aimed to explore key molecular changes with transcriptomic and bioinformatics approaches in a prediabetes model showing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction phenotype. To induce prediabetes, Long-Evans rats were fed a high-fat diet for 21 weeks and treated with a single low-dose streptozotocin at week 4. Small RNA-sequencing, in silico microRNA (miRNA)-mRNA target prediction, Gene Ontology analysis, and target validation with qRT-PCR were performed in left ventricle samples. From the miRBase-annotated 752 mature miRNA sequences expression of 356 miRNAs was detectable. We identified two upregulated and three downregulated miRNAs in the prediabetic group. We predicted 445 mRNA targets of the five differentially expressed miRNAs and selected 11 mRNAs targeted by three differentially expressed miRNAs, out of which five mRNAs were selected for validation. Out of these five targets, downregulation of three mRNAs i.e., Juxtaposed with another zinc finger protein 1 (Jazf1); RAP2C, member of RAS oncogene family (Rap2c); and Zinc finger with KRAB and SCAN domains 1 (Zkscan1) were validated. This is the first demonstration that prediabetes alters cardiac miRNA expression profile. Predicted targets of differentially expressed miRNAs include Jazf1, Zkscan1, and Rap2c mRNAs. These transcriptomic changes may contribute to the diastolic dysfunction and may serve as drug targets

Dysbiosis is associated with the behavioral phenotype observed in the triple-hit Wisket rat model of schizophrenia

Comorbidities between gastrointestinal diseases and psychiatric disorders have been widely reported, with the gut-brain axis implicated as a potential biological basis. Thus, dysbiosis may play an important role in the etiology of schizophrenia, which is barely detected. Triple-hit Wisket model rats exhibit various schizophrenia-like behavioral phenotypes. The present study aimed to compare the diversity and abundance of gut microbiota in Wisket model and control rats; furthermore, to correlate the microbial taxonomic profiles to indices of behavioral change. Tail-flick and Ambitus tests were used to assess acute heat pain sensitivity, and record exploration and locomotor activity along with motivation in young adult, control and Wisket model rats. Fecal microbiota composition was profiled by deep sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA, and it was correlated to behavioral phenotype. Wisket rats exhibited significantly decreased pain sensitivity, lower locomotor activity and exploration, and impaired motivation compared with controls. No significant differences were observed in bacterial alpha diversity between the groups; however, clear differences in community structure were observed. Wisket rats showed decreases in several genera of Firmicutes and Saccharimonas, and increases in Bacteriodetes and Helicobacter phyla compared with controls. Correlation analysis revealed significant associations between the microbiota profile and the behavioral phenotype. This is the first demonstration that fecal microbiota composition is markedly altered in a triple-hit schizophrenia rat model, suggesting the contribution of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in the development of the schizophrenia-like behavioral phenotype. Thus targeting the gut microbiota may be a novel approach to treat such impairments