Functionally relevant responses to human facial expressions of emotion in the domestic horse (Equus caballus)

Whether non-human animals can recognize human signals, including emotions, has both scientific and applied importance, and is particularly relevant for domesticated species. This study presents the first evidence of horses’ abilities to spontaneously discriminate between positive (happy) and negative (angry) human facial expressions in photographs. Our results showed that the angry faces induced responses indicative of a functional understanding of the stimuli: horses displayed a left-gaze bias (a lateralization generally associated with stimuli perceived as negative) and a quicker increase in heart rate (HR) towards these photographs. Such lateralized responses towards human emotion have previously only been documented in dogs, and effects of facial expressions on HR have not been shown in any heterospecific studies. Alongside the insights that these findings provide into interspecific communication, they raise interesting questions about the generality and adaptiveness of emotional expression and perception across species

Quambalaria shoot blight resistance in marri (Corymbia calophylla) : genetic parameters and correlations between growth rate and blight resistance

Quambalaria shoot blight (QSB) has emerged recently as a severe disease of Corymbia calophylla (marri). In this study, QSB damage and growth were assessed in Corymbia calophylla trees at 4 and 6 years of age in two common gardens consisting of 165 and 170 open-pollinated families representing 18 provenances across the species’ natural distribution. There were significant differences between provenances for all traits. The narrow-sense heritability for growth traits and QSB damage at both sites were low to moderate. The genetic correlation between QSB damage and growth traits was negative; fast-growing families were less damaged by QSB disease. Age-age genetic correlations for individual traits at four and six years were very strong, and the type-B (site–site) correlations were strongly positive for all traits. Provenances from cooler wetter regions showed higher resistance to QSB. The QSB incidence at 6 years was significantly correlated with environmental factors of the provenance’s origin. The QSB incidence at years four and six was not correlated with the QSB expression in 3-month-old seedlings. Based on these results, selection for resistance could be undertaken using 4-year-old trees. There is potential for a resistance breeding program to develop populations of marri genetically diverse and resistant to QSB.Open Access funding by CAUL and its Member Institutions. PhD scholarship between the Vietnamese Government and Murdoch University as well as the Australian Research Council Linkage Program.https://link.springer.com/journal/11295am2023Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)BiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Generalized Connective Tissue Disease in Crtap-/- Mouse

Mutations in CRTAP (coding for cartilage-associated protein), LEPRE1 (coding for prolyl 3-hydroxylase 1 [P3H1]) or PPIB (coding for Cyclophilin B [CYPB]) cause recessive forms of osteogenesis imperfecta and loss or decrease of type I collagen prolyl 3-hydroxylation. A comprehensive analysis of the phenotype of the Crtap-/- mice revealed multiple abnormalities of connective tissue, including in the lungs, kidneys, and skin, consistent with systemic dysregulation of collagen homeostasis within the extracellular matrix. Both Crtap-/- lung and kidney glomeruli showed increased cellular proliferation. Histologically, the lungs showed increased alveolar spacing, while the kidneys showed evidence of segmental glomerulosclerosis, with abnormal collagen deposition. The Crtap-/- skin had decreased mechanical integrity. In addition to the expected loss of proline 986 3-hydroxylation in α1(I) and α1(II) chains, there was also loss of 3Hyp at proline 986 in α2(V) chains. In contrast, at two of the known 3Hyp sites in α1(IV) chains from Crtap-/- kidneys there were normal levels of 3-hydroxylation. On a cellular level, loss of CRTAP in human OI fibroblasts led to a secondary loss of P3H1, and vice versa. These data suggest that both CRTAP and P3H1 are required to maintain a stable complex that 3-hydroxylates canonical proline sites within clade A (types I, II, and V) collagen chains. Loss of this activity leads to a multi-systemic connective tissue disease that affects bone, cartilage, lung, kidney, and skin

A longitudinal study of family influences on gambling behavior in early adulthood

This study examined the longitudinal association between family relationships and gambling behavior in early adulthood. Participants aged 12-13 years (N = 1293) completed a baseline questionnaire during fall 1999 and follow-up data on family relationships and worry about family financial problems were collected every 3-4 months for 5 years. The current study used data from the year most proximal to early adulthood (survey cycles 16 to 20), when participants were aged 16-17 years (M = 16.6). In 2007-2008, 873 participants (aged 21-22 years) provided data on frequency of gambling behaviors (playing games for money, betting money and buying lottery tickets). Study 1 examined worries about family relationships and family financial problems during adolescence as predictors of gambling behavior in early adulthood. Controlling for the influence of sociodemographic variables in regressions analyses, worry about family relationships and parental separation or divorce were not significant predictors of gambling behavior in early adulthood. Worry about family financial problems was a significant predictor of lottery play. Study 2 examined the association between gambling risk factors present during adolescence and gambling behavior in early adulthood, and if worries about family relationships and family financial problems moderated this relationship. Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for the influence of relevant sociodemographic variables, were conducted. Numerous risk factors present during adolescence (gender, impulsivity, alcohol use, cigarette use and school problems) were associated with unique gambling outcomes in early adulthood. Adolescents’ worry about family financial problems, worry about relationship with father and sibling(s), and worry about parental separation or divorce moderated the association between gambling risk factors (i.e., gender, alcohol use) and gambling behavior in early adulthood. These findings highlight the importance of examining family financial problems as a possible antecedent to gambling and family relationships and processes as moderators of gambling behavior

The eyes and ears are visual indicators of attention in domestic horses

SummarySensitivity to the attentional states of others has adaptive advantages [1], and in social animals, attending to others is important for predator detection, as well as a pre-requisite for normal social functioning and more complex socio-cognitive abilities [2]. Despite widespread interest in how social species perceive attention in others, studies of non-human animals have been inconclusive about the detailed cues involved [3]. Previous work has focused on head and eye direction, overlooking the fact that many mammals have obvious and mobile ears that could act as a visual cue to attention. Here we report that horses use the head orientation of a conspecific to locate food, but that this ability is disrupted when parts of the face (the eyes and ears) are covered up with naturalistic masks. The ability to correctly judge attention also interacted with the identity of the model horse, suggesting that individual differences in facial features may influence the salience of cues. Our results indicate that a combination of head orientation with facial expression, specifically involving both the eyes and ears, is necessary for communicating social attention. These findings emphasise that in order to understand how attention is communicated in non-human animals, it is essential to consider a broad range of cues