Contemporary Animal Research Articles

First direct evidence of conservative foraging ecology of early Gigantopithecus blacki (~2Ma) in Guangxi, southern China.

Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest hominoid known, is one of the representative Pleistocene mammals in southern China and northern Southeast Asia. Here we investigate the feeding ecology of G. blacki in its core habitat (Guangxi, Southern China) during the early Early Pleistocene, which was the early period in its evolution. The stable isotopic (C, O) analysis of tooth enamel of the fauna associated with G. blacki (n=58), including the largest number of G. blacki teeth (n=12) to date from the Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave (~2Ma), Guangxi, China, is undertaken. The δ13 C values of Liucheng fauna range from -12.9 to -19.0‰ with an average of -16.1 ± 1.3‰ (n=58) and the δ18 O values range from -4.3 to -9.6‰ with an average of -6.9 ± 1.2‰ (n=58). The δ13 C values of G. blacki range from -15.9‰ to -17.0‰ with an average of -16.5 ± 0.4‰ (n=12), and the δ18 O values vary from -5.9‰ to -7.5‰ with an average of -6.6 ± 0.5‰ (n=12). The isotopic data show Guangxi was characterized by closed C3 forest and humid climate in the early Early Pleistocene. Niche partitioning is found among G. blacki, Sinomastodon, Ailuropoda and Stegodon, the typical megafauna in South China in the early Early Pleistocene. This could be one of the important factors for them to co-exist until the Middle Pleistocene. Smallest isotopic variations of G. blacki are found compared with those of contemporary animals, indicating a conservative foraging ecology i.e., limited foraging area and/or narrow dietary flexibility. Furthermore, the more confined foraging ecology of G. blacki is also seen in comparison with fossil and extant large-bodied primates. However, the unique dietary pattern of G. blacki does not seem to have hindered its survival. The environment in Guangxi during the early Early Pleistocene offered the suitable conditions for G. blacki to become one of the typical species in the faunal assemblages.

‘Heavenly Beings’

Recent exhibitions and publications evidence an increased focus in the artworld on non-human animals. I take this trend as an opportunity to assess the intersection of contemporary art and critical animal studies and posthumanism. I first offer an account of this phenomenon, and put forward an argument for the role art can take in negotiating human–animal boundaries through an analogy between art/non-art and human/animal. I then interpret three artworks included in the exhibition ‘Heavenly Beings: Neither Human nor Animal’ at the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2018: Franc Purg’s Where is the Line? (1998), Maja Smrekar’s K-9_topology: Hybrid Family (2016) and Anton Vidokle’s Immortality and Resurrection for All! (2017). Focusing on slaughter, interspecies kinship, and life after death, respectively, these artworks are provocative within the meeting of art and animal studies, but have not received sufficient analysis.

Comparing the browsing behavior of inexperienced kids versus adult goats on heterogeneous vegetation

The present study compared the feeding behavior of inexperienced kids on heterogeneous vegetation with that of adult goats with browsing experience. Twelve non-pregnant, non-lactating adult Criollo goats (35 ± 5 kg live weight (LW)) with >3 years of browsing experience and ten weaned kids (19 ± 3 kg LW) without previous browsing experience were used. The two groups of animals browsed simultaneously on 10.2 ha of tropical heterogeneous vegetation (4 h daily) in the rainy season. Mouth dimensions (width and length) were determined from contemporary animals in the same herd (14 kids and 79 adult goats). The proportion of dry matter intake (DMI) was estimated for the following categories: (i) life forms: shrubs, dicot-herbaceous plants, vines and grasses; (ii) height of strata: low (<25 cm), medium (25−50 cm) and high (>50 cm of height); and (iii) bite size: small (<5 cm) and large (>6 cm). The proportions of materials consumed in each category were compared between kids and adult goats via Chi-squared tests. Kids consumed fewer plant species than adult goats, but total DMI was similar between kids and adult goats (52.5 ± 5.1 and 51 ± 5 g DM/Kg LW0.75; P > 0.05). The proportion of the DMI obtained from different life forms was also similar between kids and adult goats (35.3 % and 40.4 % from shrubs, 1.6 % and 2.1 % from dicot-herbaceous plants, 0.3 %, and 0.6 % from vines, and 62.8 % and 57.0 % from grasses, respectively). However, kids had less DMI from high strata than adult goats (14.6 % and 58.0 %) and more DMI from low strata (66.8 % and 24.5 %, P < 0.05), possibly due to their smaller height. Although inexperienced kids consumed fewer plant species than adult goats, the two groups of animals consumed similar proportions of shrubs and grass in their diets. In addition, kids consumed a smaller proportion of large bites than adult goats, most likely due to the smaller size of their mouths (P < 0.0001). Overall, the differences in feeding behavior between kids and adult goats seem related to zoometric differences, but the browsing experience of adult goats should also be considered.

Stress response after race and endurance training sessions and competitions in Arabian horses

Assuring a high level of animal welfare is a critical aspect of contemporary animal husbandry. Equine athletes begin their careers at a very young age when they are still developing and they are both physically and mentally immature. Lack of scientific knowledge of the stress related to horse racing impedes the development of optimal training programs to attain equilibrium between the best sport results and optimal welfare. This study aimed to determine the influence of the intensity and type of physical activity on peripheral blood cortisol concentration. Thirty untrained Arabians, 9 endurance and 21 race horses were enrolled in this longitudinal study. Blood samples were analysed every 3-weeks in 4 training sessions and 2 races in racing horses and monthly after 2 training sessions and 1 competition in endurance horses. Cortisol concentration was measured at rest and 30 min. after physical effort. Racing horses were divided into two groups of the best and the worst performers.Cortisol concentration increased significantly after training and competition, however both in racing and endurance horses the increase was more intensive after competition. In the racing horses, cortisol concentration tended to gradually increase after the subsequent trainings during the racing season, however the starting gate did not appear to exert any impact on cortisol concentration. The best performing race horses appeared to have a lesser increase in cortisol concentration after the race than the worst performing horses, however the cortisol concentration after the race was not significantly different between these two groups of horses.This study suggests that an optimal training program can induce a stress response which is likely not to have any harmful impact on an athlete’s welfare. The more intense effort associated with competition events, both in race and endurance horses, results in a greater stress response, indicating that these kinds of events should be limited to assure animal welfare. Finally, better performance horses adapt more readily to physical activity as they experience less increase of serum cortisol concentration after the race.

Isotopic evidence of millet consumption in the Middle Bronze Age of East-Central Europe

Broomcorn millet is one of the most important plants species in pre-history. It was first domesticated in China and subsequently spread across Eurasia becoming a significant staple crop. For a long time, the arrival of millet into Europe was assumed to have taken place in the Neolithic. However, this has recently been challenged, with new direct radiocarbon measurements on reportedly Neolithic charred millet grains in fact dating to the Middle Bronze Age.To aid in understanding the timing of millet's spread across East-Central Europe in the Bronze Age we present the results of over 120 new paired radiocarbon dates and stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) measurements on human bone collagen from individuals across 33 archaeological sites in Poland and western Ukraine. In doing so we directly assess millet's role in the Bronze Age diets.Our results show a clear increase in bone collagen δ13C values from the middle 15th century BC onwards. This increase is rapid across the whole study area, occurring almost simultaneously with respect to the precision of our radiocarbon dates. Pilot stable isotope data for contemporary animals suggests that they were not foddered with millet and hence it was probably eaten directly by humans. Interestingly, individuals consuming millet appear to be exclusive to geographically upland regions compared to lowland ones. However, not all individuals from upland zone have δ13C values consistent with millet consumption. Based on the stable isotope evidence for upland millet consumption and the well documented evidence for connections between these people and those in the northern Carpathian Basin at this time, we posit that it is through this route, across the Carpathians, that millet was introduced into the region. An increase of its economic importance in Lesser Poland was plausibly caused by a significant growth in human populations.

Mellan hästens öga och människans strävan

&#x0D; Between the horse’s eye and the human endeavor. A dialectical relationship embodied in biographical portraits&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Winroth, AnnCristin&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: horse and human, antropomorfism, biographical portraits of horses, interspecies relationship&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Describing horses or other animals in portrait-like fragments or statements is an established practice and a genre that occurs in different kinds of materials and contexts. What does the portrayal of the horse do with the interaction space and with its possibility for agency? This thinking has prompted an investigation of the discourse on horses and discussions about an intergenerational relationship within a life history story. The purpose is to seek to create insight into the animal-human relationship through a close reading of written portraits and descriptions of intertwined biographies within interview material. The article is mainly based on two subject-oriented life history interviews with experienced horse owners, as well as two written portraits of unique horses. Questions addressed in the processing of the material are: How do the informants describe their horse partners? What impact do these interpretations have on the relationship space and to a possible cross-species interaction? How is the significance of the intergenerational relationship expressed in depictions of a shared life course? A central starting point for the understanding of the animal-human relationship is that it is constructivist, in line with contemporary animal studies in humanities and social science research. In the intergenerational space created between a horse and its human, the relationship is considered unique and dialectical. It is negotiated and expressed through socially and culturally expected formats within a very specific context. The phrase The horse’s eye is used in the title as a symbolic and real point of reference that reveals both the horse’s mode and mood, which its human has to take into account. The words Human endeavour refer to the everyday practice that is expressed through the horse owner’s sensual experiences, thoughts, attitudes, training and nursing. Stories reflecting the horse experience refer to both stable and more temporary syntheses within this intergenerational relationship space. The division of roles between horse and human can be perceived as relatively equal or it alternates between different situations, as exemplified in the empirical sections.

Reviewing and Updating the 12 Principles of Animation

This article suggests a discussion on the reconfiguration of the 12 principles of animation and their necessary refinement for contemporary animation to address the growing complexity and expansion of the animation industry. The expansion of the 12 principles of animation into the various animation techniques requires a consideration of their development, which, in the 1930s and 1940s was sufficient for animation’s hand-drawn animation needs; since then, the principles have proven themselves accurate and incredibly helpful for subsequent decades. Nevertheless, this article indicates that a refinement of the principles is required to accommodate a broader range of animation techniques. The great advantage of the 12 principles of animation is their simplicity and logic; however, they do not apply in their entirety (as the full set of 12) to hand-drawn digital animation, stop-motion animation, experimental or digitally animated media. Therefore, this article explores the initial 12 principles with additions and variations suggested by artists and scholars over the last 30 years, and concludes with a reorganization and expansion of most of the principles’ content, a breakdown into sub points and an updated terminology to reconceptualize the 12 principles of animation for all animation techniques.

Transcriptional enhancers: from prediction to functional assessment on a genome-wide scale.

Enhancers are cis-regulatory sequences located distally to target genes. These sequences consolidate developmental and environmental cues to coordinate gene expression in a tissue-specific manner. Enhancer function and tissue specificity depend on the expressed set of transcription factors, which recognize binding sites and recruit cofactors that regulate local chromatin organization and gene transcription. Unlike other genomic elements, enhancers are challenging to identify because they function independently of orientation, are often distant from their promoters, have poorly defined boundaries, and display no reading frame. In addition, there are no defined genetic or epigenetic features that are unambiguously associated with enhancer activity. Over recent years there have been developments in both empirical assays and computational methods for enhancer prediction. We review genome-wide tools, CRISPR advancements, and high-throughput screening approaches that have improved our ability to both observe and manipulate enhancers in vitro at the level of primary genetic sequences, chromatin states, and spatial interactions. We also highlight contemporary animal models and their importance to enhancer validation. Together, these experimental systems and techniques complement one another and broaden our understanding of enhancer function in development, evolution, and disease.

From Land to Water: Taking Fish Welfare Seriously.

Simple SummaryOur knowledge of fish welfare is still scant relative to the enormous demands created by aquaculture expansion and focuses primarily on preventing poor health without considering provision of environments conducive to positive experiences. We are far from understanding what individuals of the different species classified under the umbrella term “fish” need to experience good lives. The aquaculture industry has been expanding swiftly, and fishes belonging to hundreds of very different species are now farmed by the billions. Informed by terrestrial animal welfare science, this article aims to set a framework for making progress in investigating how to provide farmed fish with good welfare.This article aims to use contemporary (terrestrial) animal welfare science as a lens to evaluate the state of knowledge concerning welfare in fish species, focusing on farmed fishes. We take advantage of the vast expertise—including previous pitfalls and accomplishments—in the investigation of welfare in terrestrial vertebrates, borrowing questions and methodologies from terrestrial animal welfare science in order to (1) better understand the challenges and opportunities in the study of welfare in fish species, and (2) propose strategies for filling knowledge gaps.

Does quality of research in otolaryngology correlate with academic impact?

ObjectiveTo determine if the quality of otolaryngology‐related journal articles correlates with traditional measures of article impact.MethodsAll articles published by Laryngoscope in 2011 were categorized according to level of evidence (LOE) according to the Oxford Center for Evidence Based Medicine rubric. Articles without a level of evidence assigned were alphabetically subcategorized type with letters A‐D corresponding to Contemporary Reports, Case Reports, Basic Science or Animal Studies, and Other respectively. Citations per article were then recorded per article each year from 2012 to 2018.ResultsA total of 494 articles were included for analysis, 315 had numerical LOE and 179 had alphabetical LOE. There was a strong negative correlation between numerical LOE and median and interquartile number of citations (R = −.9014, P = .037). Overall, numerical LOE had a significantly higher median number of citations per article compared with the non‐number/alphabetical group (14 vs 6, P < .001).ConclusionsHigher quality research as determined by level of evidence is in fact being cited more frequently than lower quality articles. Although the scope of this study was relatively limited, these data suggest that better designed studies may exhibit greater impact by traditional measures. Such findings should serve as an impetus for (and validation of) continued pursuit of high LOE research.Level of EvidenceNA.

A critical appraisal of impact of compounding factors in limb salvage decision making in combat extremity vascular trauma

ObjectiveFor more than half a century, surgeons who managed vascular injuries were guided by a 6-hour maximum ischaemic time dogma in their decision to proceed with vascular reconstruction or not....

Crowdfunding as a Catalyst for Contemporary Chinese Animation

This study explores the online financing forms and practices of contemporary Chinese animation cinema. The research focuses on the use of crowdfunding by this industry, and analyses three recent cases, One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes (2014), Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015), and Big Fish &amp; Begonia (2016), selected based on the perspective of the high economic revenue earned and the artistic and creative singularity of these films, as well as the consideration of the undeniable influence of these productions on the imagination of new generations. Using an exploratory and descriptive research methodology, the authors uncover the main features of the production of animated films based on crowdfunding. The results show that obtaining funds is a secondary objective for these movies that mainly use crowdfunding as a promotional strategy for creating an active fan base and channelling their affective involvement towards the communicative interests of each project.

Anime, otaku y cintas de vídeo: el formato OVA como catalizador de la complejidad narrativa en la animación japonesa contemporánea

En este artículo exploramos la condición de las OVA (las ediciones domésticas de anime) como formato bisagra entre la madurez narrativa del anime en los setenta y la narración compleja de los noventa en adelante. La metodología empleada parte del análisis narratológico inspirado por la poética histórica de los modos de narración realizada por David Bordwell. Así, atendiendo a las categorías de la cognoscibilidad, de la autoconsciencia y de la comunicabilidad, constatamos en los resultados y en las conclusiones que la presunta simplicidad narrativa atribuida al anime no es tal, y que las OVA analizadas —Twilight Q: Meikyū Bukken Fairu Go San Hachi (Mamoru Oshii, 1987), Gunbuster (H. Anno, 1988-89) y Otaku no Video (T. Mori, 1991)— se alzan como hitos clave para el asentamiento de otro tipo de narración en la industria de la animación japonesa contemporánea, uno que lejos de ser formulaico, tiene correspondencia con la estimulante experimentación narrativa internacional de las llamadas puzzle films.

Imputation for sequencing variants preselected to a customized low-density chip

The sequencing variants preselected from association analyses and bioinformatics analyses could improve genomic prediction. In this study, the imputation of sequencing SNPs preselected from major dairy breeds in Denmark-Finland-Sweden (DFS) and France (FRA) was investigated for both contemporary animals and old bulls in Danish Jersey. For contemporary animals, a two-step imputation which first imputed to 54 K and then to 54 K + DFS + FRA SNPs achieved highest accuracy. Correlations between observed and imputed genotypes were 91.6% for DFS SNPs and 87.6% for FRA SNPs, while concordance rates were 96.6% for DFS SNPs and 93.5% for FRA SNPs. The SNPs with lower minor allele frequency (MAF) tended to have lower correlations but higher concordance rates. For old bulls, imputation for DFS and FRA SNPs were relatively accurate even for bulls without progenies (correlations higher than 97.2% and concordance rates higher than 98.4%). For contemporary animals, given limited imputation accuracy of preselected sequencing SNPs especially for SNPs with low MAF, it would be a good strategy to directly genotype preselected sequencing SNPs with a customized SNP chip. For old bulls, given high imputation accuracy for preselected sequencing SNPs with all MAF ranges, it would be unnecessary to re-genotype preselected sequencing SNPs.

Reflections on the responsible guardianship of companion animals in Brazil

This article analyzes the importance of public policy to promote responsible guardianship of the so-called “companion animals” in light of the recent federal law 13.426/2017. In this sense, it is sought to highlight the relevant role of this legislation, establishing a critical dialogue about its advantages and disadvantages on the focus of contemporary Brazilian Animal Law doctrine. In this perspective, it is understood that the responsible guardianship of companion animals is the main legal instrument for the protection of these sentient beings and combating cruelty to animals.

Re-inscribing Budi in Contemporary 3D Malaysian Animation Characters in Geng; The Adventure Begins (2009) and BoBoiBoy: The Movie (2016)

The success of Malaysian 3D animation films, Geng; The Adventure Begins (2009) and BoBoiBoy: The Movie (2016) in attracting local reception is partly due to their portrayal of the diversity of Malaysian ethnicity, traditions and moral values which the local audience may find relatable. Although these films portray modernity, the values represented are based on the traditional Malay concept of Budi re-inscribed in the characters’ personalities. The concept of Budi in this paper employs the academic study of Lim Kim Hui (2003a) and it includes my attempt to argue that this traditional asset can be re-imagined in the contemporary digital form which can be analysed through the main characters’ personalities in the selected films. Personality is one of the key principles of animation introduced by Lasseter (1987) for the 3D animation format and with it, helps shape characters to be unique and recognizable as depicted in their behaviours, habits as well as interaction with other characters. In addition, I employ Smith’s “structure of sympathy” to explain the spectator’s engagement with the fictional personalities portrayed on screen. The concept of Budi re-inscribed in characters of contemporary 3D Malaysian animation films proves that traditional values are not lost in modern times. Animation films are mostly watched by younger audiences, therefore Budi as a traditional moral concept can be sustained and disseminated to the younger generation in digital form.

ANIMAL LAW: ETHICS, SOCIETY AND CONSTITUTIONS

The paper discusses and criticizes views on various aspects of the situations of animals within human societies offered by authors presenting at the seminar held at the Research Centre for Public Policy and Regulatory Governance. They include legal, ethical as well as socio-psychological problems about animal welfare and the attempts to improve the conditions in which animals are treated. The author hints at the theoretical background as well as implications of some of the ideas that are advocated in the ongoing legal and ethical debates over animal welfare. The discussion aims to shed some light on how the cross-disciplinary studies and exchanges that include biologists, psychologists, sociologists as well as legal researchers may contribute to numerous controversies in the contemporary animal law scholarship.

The Role of Demography in the Distribution of Advertising Animation Products via Chinese Communes (An analytical study)

This study focuses on the contemporary Chinese animation industry, specially The Role of Demography in the Distribution of Advertising Animation Products via the Experience of Chinese Communes (An analytical study).as it studies the concepts of Demography ,Advertising Animation Products, Chinese Communes, and the impact of them on the contemporary Chinese industry. Also on another hand explain that many of the animation companies suffer from such as the production reduction ,the expensive costs ,to produce animation films with high quality ,so Chinese and American companies concentered with the post- production stage to profit ,and that what we will study in this research.

Animal and Social Ecologies in Anne Brontë'sAgnes Grey

In Anne Brontë'sAgnes Grey(1847), the eponymous narrator uses a range of ecological metaphors to make sense of her interactions with others. She likens governessing to domestic horticulture and envisions how her task of educating children will be “to train the tender plants, and watch their buds unfolding day by day.” Rather than voice her unfulfilled romantic feelings for Weston or consciously work through her self-doubts about physical appearance, she visualizes them both as insects: she is the “humble glow-worm” who, without a “power of giving light” (i.e., beauty), “the roving fly might pass her . . . a thousand times, and never light beside her” (123). Even the reader, in the opening sentence, assumes the role of active participant: a nucivorous beast hunting for whatever “dry, shriveled kernel” of narrative meaning might be found by “cracking the nut” (5). As character, the budding naturalist “botanize[s] and entomologize[s] along the green banks and budding hedges”; as narrator, she projects herself and those around her into complex ecosystems (95). Her choice of metaphors captures a matrix of exchanges in which species of all kinds interact with one another and their environments in unpredictable ways. Agnes assigns the life cycles of flora and fauna to characters, populating the novel with human and nonhuman animals in ways that draw heavily on early nineteenth-century science even as they also prefigure some of the concerns of contemporary animal studies and ecocriticism.

Animating Poetry: Whose line is It anyway?

This paper provides a detailed analysis of an example of personal practice in the creation of collaborative contemporary poetry animation as an example of Ecstatic Truth.&nbsp; It cites a rationale for translation, transcription and remodeling of poems into new animated visual and sonic experiences. &nbsp;This investigation into creation and critique of shared language between poetry and animation includes critical commentary and some historical context, as well as supplying comparative exemplars from poets, animators and collaborators. It suggests that poetry animation is an emergent genre in its own right, and that this has expanding potential for engaging specialist and non-specialist audiences.