Journal articles on the topic 'Human-animal communication – Juvenile literature'

New information and communication technologies are an inherent part of the contemporary man’s living space. Since their very beginning, the media have always, to a lesser or greater extent, determined the functioning of individuals. Today, however, due to unlimited access, impressive growth of the media market and human creativity in the area of new technological developments, the involvement of mass media in people’s lives is taking on a new, unprecedented dimension. Such a state of affairs was envisaged as early as in the middle of the last century by, among others, M. McLuhan, who wrote that “the new media will transform us entirely: nothing will remain unchanged, untouched”, or J. Baurdrillard, who speculated at the time that media would become the life itself. Nowadays, these speculations are taking on a real form, especially as regards the net generation, which is an audience strongly dominated by the impact of the media for a simple reason, i.e. because its representatives — contemporary children and young people, unlike adults, were born and have been growing up in the digital world. Thus, the article is an attempt to present opportunities, challenges and threats involving widespread use of the latest technologies by digital natives. The authors show consequences of the phenomenon in the social, cultural, educational and security dimensions through references to the Polish and foreign literature, focusing on ambivalent implications of changes in the net generation’s way of thinking, communicating, collecting information and learning. Moreover, the article gives examples of juvenile perpetrators of attacks who were strongly linked with the virtual world prior to committing their crimes.

SUMMARYWe observed an outbreak of necrotizing fasciitis associated withStreptococcus agalactiaeinfection in a group of juvenile saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus). We undertook screening of crocodiles and the environment to clarify the source of the outbreak and evaluated the isolates cultured from post-mortem specimens with molecular methods to assess clonality and the presence of known group B streptococcal virulence determinants. The isolates were indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. They were a typical serotype Ia strain with the Cα-like protein gene, epsilon (oralp1), the mobile genetic elements IS381ISSag1and ISSag2, and belonged to multi-locus sequence type (ST) 23. All of these characteristics suggest they were probably of human origin. We review the medical and veterinary literature relating toS. agalactiaenecrotizing fasciitis, epidemiology and virulence determinants.

Over the past 50 years, image-guided procedures have been established for a wide range of applications. The development and clinical translation of new treatment regimens necessitate the availability of suitable animal models. The juvenile Göttingen minipig presents a favourable profile as a model for human infants. However, no information can be found regarding the vascular system of juvenile minipigs in the literature. Such information is imperative for planning the accessibility of target structures by catheterization. We present here a complete mapping of the arterial system of the juvenile minipig based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Four female animals weighing 6.13 ± 0.72 kg were used for the analyses. Imaging was performed under anaesthesia, and the measurement of the vascular structures was performed independently by four investigators. Our dataset forms a basis for future interventional studies in juvenile minipigs, and enables planning and refinement of future experiments according to the 3R (replacement, reduction and refinement) principles of animal research.

An 11 yr old female neutered domestic shorthair presented for an 8 mo history of an asymptomatic abdominal mass. Computed tomography described an irregular, cystic structure closely associated with the duodenum, and focal ultrasonography confirmed the mass shared outer layers with the intestinal wall. Coeliotomy revealed the mass was originating from, and firmly adhered to, the antimesenteric border of the duodenum but was not communicating with the intestinal lumen. En bloc mass resection with omentalization was performed without small intestinal resection. Histopathology confirmed an enteric duplication cyst. The cat made a full recovery and remained asymptomatic postoperatively with no evidence of recurrence. A review of the literature confirms the duodenum to be the most common location of enteric duplication cysts in felines and that subtotal excision is curative in most cases. This differential should be considered in cases of cystic gastrointestinal structures in juvenile and adult felines, with or without associated clinical signs. In cases of luminal involvement or malignant transformation, intestinal resection and anastomosis is more appropriate. This report describes the presentation, investigations, and treatment of an asymptomatic duodenal duplication cyst in an adult feline and summarizes and compares current knowledge of the condition between veterinary and human literature.

People deeply value their social bonds with companion animals, yet routinely devalue other animals, considering them mere commodities to satisfy human interests and desires. Despite the inherently social and intergroup nature of these complexities, social psychology is long overdue in integrating human-animal relations in its theoretical frameworks. The present body of work brings together social psychological research advancing our understanding of: 1) the factors shaping our perceptions and thinking about animals as social groups, 2) the complexities involved in valuing (caring) and devaluing (exploiting) animals, and 3) the implications and importance of human-animal relations for human intergroup relations. In this article, we survey the diversity of research paradigms and theoretical frameworks developed within the intergroup relations literature that are relevant, perchance critical, to the study of human-animal relations. Furthermore, we highlight how understanding and rethinking human-animal relations will eventually lead to a more comprehensive understanding of many human intergroup phenomena.

AbstractDue to human activity, many species have strongly declined in number and are currently threatened with extinction. Management directed at conservation of these species can benefit from the use of simple population models such as matrix models. However, for many species, data on survival and reproduction are scarce. Therefore, we set up a general framework based on a matrix model with three parameters: reproduction, juvenile (=first year survival) and adult survival in which incomplete data can be analysed. This framework is applicable to species that can mature after their first year of life. The point in a calendar year at which the population size is determined, i.e. the census time, is varied. We discuss the differences and the similarities between matrices modelling the same population at different census times. The population growth rate and the elasticity of the survival and reproduction parameters have been determined analytically. From these we made, as a visual diagnostic tool (general framework), plots of the growth rate and the elasticity pattern and their dependence on actual values of the reproduction parameter and the juvenile and adult survival. To illustrate the use of this framework we plot and discuss literature data on survival and/or reproduction of a few bird species with a juvenile stage of one year in the light of our modelling results.

Reviews evidence for the significance of childhood cruelty to animals as a predictor of later violence toward humans. Moves are underway in the United States (US) and Britain to encourage communication and cross-fertilisation between animal welfare and child protection and crime prevention services. Literature on healthy versus deviant child-pet interactions is reviewed, with particular regard to the prediction of later violence. Assessment and definitional issues are addressed. The discussion culminates with a summary of substantive findings and the identification of several research designs that are needed to clarify the potential of early identification and remediation of child cruelty to animals as a mental health promotion and violence prevention strategy.

Q fever, a zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to humans, is a significant public health problem with a potential for outbreaks to occur. Q fever prevention strategies should incorporate human, animal, and environmental domains. A One Health approach, which engages cross-sectoral collaboration among multiple stakeholders, may be an appropriate framework and has the underlying principles to control Q fever holistically. To assess whether components of One Health for Q fever prevention and control have been applied, a comprehensive literature review was undertaken. We found 16 studies that had practiced or recommended a One Health approach. Seven emerging themes were identified: Human risk assessment, human and animal serology, integrated human–animal surveillance, vaccination for at-risk groups, environmental management, multi-sectoral collaboration, and education and training. Within the multi-sectoral theme, we identified five subthemes: Policy and practice guidelines, information sharing and intelligence exchange, risk communication, joint intervention, and evaluation. One Health practices varied between studies possibly due to differences in intercountry policy, practice, and feasibility. However, the key issue of the need for multi-sectoral collaboration was highlighted across most of the studies. Further research is warranted to explore the barriers and opportunities of adopting a One Health approach in Q fever prevention and control.

AbstractHow should we undertand the role of norms – especially epistemic norms – governing assertive speech acts? Mitchell Green (2009) has argued that these norms play the role of handicaps in the technical sense from the animal signals literature. As handicaps, they then play a large role in explaining the reliability – and so the stability (the continued prevalence) – of assertive speech acts. But though norms of assertion conceived of as social norms do indeed play this stabilizing role, these norms are best understood as deterrents and not as handicaps. This paper explains the stability problem for the maintenance of animal signals, and so human communication; the mechanics of the handicap principle; the role of deterrents and punishments as an alternative mechanism; and the role of social norms governing assertion for the case of human communication.

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a method of complementary treatment in the rehabilitation of many human illnesses and conditions. Although the dog is the most widely used therapy animal that is used in AAT program, the rabbit can also be used as an alternate animal species and complementary therapy for many diseases. It is an intelligent, human friendly and playful small animal, easily socialized and transported. Also, the rabbit has very good communication through its body language. A special bond, also, exists between children and rabbits, and in the animal world of children, the rabbit is a very popular animal mainly through children's literature. As a result, rabbits elicit positive feelings in children and enhance their imagination. Based on previousexperience from an AAT program with rabbits in a children's hospital, the rabbit can be easily accepted by children with emotional or physical problems. In order for an AAT program with a rabbit to be a success, it is very important to guarantee good health and normal behaviour of the rabbit, as well as its proper welfare. The contribution and participation of a veterinarian during the design and the implementation of the program are, also, very important for assuring the success of an AAT program with rabbits.

Fiction is largely a domain of human beings having anthropocentrism as its organizing principle. However, the genre sometimes employs non-human animals too as characters which can be viewed as an innovative tool of modern narratology. Through the use of de-anthropomorphized characters such works provide space for an interpretation of animal behavior and their consciousness. Universally, human beings have kept companion pets as domestic animals are believed to be sentient beings compared to wild ones. For instance, archeological records of 15 millenniums have reported that dogs used to live together with humans because of their faithful companionship. Animals, therefore, abound in literature across all ages and cultures, but only rarely have they been the focal point of systematic literary study (McHugh 487). As a result, more recent literary criticism has focused on the ethics and the politics of human-animal bonds (HAB), animal communication, animal emotion and so on.

Humans have attained an unparalleled level of sophistication when engaging in collaborative and cooperative activities. Remarkably, the skills and motivation to engage in complex forms of collaboration and cooperation seem to emerge early on during infancy and childhood. In this paper, I extensively review the literature on the evolution and development of human cooperation, emphasizing important aspects of inter-cultural variation in collaborative and cooperative behaviour. This will not only allow us to confront the different evolutionary scenarios in which cooperation may have emerged, but will especially provide the reader with a first orientation in the abundant literature on human cooperation.

Abstract This paper outlines the methodology and experiments associated with the reshaping of human intentions based on robot movements within Human-Robot Interactions (HRIs). Although studies on estimating human intentions are well studied in the literature, reshaping intentions through robot-initiated interactions is a new significant branching in the field of HRI. In this paper, we analyze how estimated human intentions can intentionally change through cooperation with mobile robots in real Human-Robot environments. This paper proposes an intention-reshaping system that includes either the Observable Operator Models (OOMs) or Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) to estimate human intention and decide which moves a robot should perform to reshape previously estimated human intentions into desired ones. At the low level, the system needs to track the locations of all mobile agents using cameras. We test our system on videos taken in a real HRI environment that has been developed as our experimental setup. The results show that OOMs are faster than HMMs and both models give correct decisions for testing sequences.

The playwright Konstantin Iliev (b. 1937) states: ‘The theatre, in its origins, is an art form recreating human relationships and, certainly, the most human means of communication is language. The colour red, for example, influences both the bull and the spectator in a specific manner but the word “blood” leaves the animal indifferent.’ Indeed language in each of Iliev's plays has a special function, both constructive and opening up the richness of human characters into their multiple parts. Iliev's plays are exploring the tangle of human relations, almost with a scientific method of analysis, man's ‘disease’ and his life, man and his surrounding world.

Animal crimes are a widespread phenomenon with serious implications for animal welfare, individual well-being and for society in general. These crimes are universal and represent a major problem in human/animal interaction. In Portugal, current law 69/2014 criminalizes the mistreatment and abandonment of companion animals. This study characterizes forensic cases received at the Laboratory of Pathology of the National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinary Investigation (Vairão) since the enforcement of the aforementioned legislation. A retrospective study was carried out based on the consult of 160 data files of forensic necropsies from 127 dogs and 33 cats. Necropsies confirmed prior crime suspicion in 38 cases (24%), from which 33 were dogs and five were cats. Among confirmed cases, most of assaulted animals were medium-size (57%), crossbreed (55%) male (58%) dogs (87%), which were the victims of blunt force trauma (31%), firearms (27%), poisoning (27%) and asphyxiation (15%). In cats, most of the assaulted animals were juvenile (60%) females (60%) of unknown breed (40%), which suffered blunt force trauma (100%) as the only cause of death. The present study shows that violence against animals is a reality, and complaints about these crimes are gradually increasing due to the population’s raising awareness about animal rights. Greater communication and coordination between clinicians, veterinary pathologists, and law enforcement officers are essential to validate and legally support these cases and subject them to trial.

Abstract There is relatively good evidence that non-human primates can communicate about objects and events in their environment in ways that allow recipients to draw inferences about the nature of the event experienced by the signaller. In some species, there is also evidence that the basic semantic units are not individual calls, but call sequences and the combinations generated by them. These two findings are relevant to theories pertaining to the origins of human language because of the resemblances of these phenomena with linguistic reference and syntactic organisation. Until recently, however, most research efforts on the primate origins of human language have involved Old World species with comparatively few systematic studies on New World monkeys, which has prevented insights into the deeper phylogenetic roots and evolutionary origins of language-relevant capacities. To address this, we review the older primate literature and very recent evidence for functionally referential communication and call combinations in New World primates. Within the existing literature there is ample evidence in both Callitrichids and Ce-bids for acoustically distinct call variants given to external disturbances that are accompanied by distinct behavioural responses. A general pattern is that one call type is typically produced in response to a wide range of general disturbances, often on the ground but also including inter-group encounters, while another call type is produced in response to a much narrower range of aerial threats. This pattern is already described for Old World monkeys and Prosimians, suggesting an early evolutionary origin. Second, recent work with black-fronted titi monkeys has produced evidence for different alarm call sequences consisting of acoustically distinct call types. These sequences appear to encode several aspects of the predation event simultaneously, notably predator type and location. Since meaningful call sequences have already been described in Old World primates, we suggest that basic combinatorial vocal communication has evolved in the primate lineage long before the advent of language. Moreover, it is possible that some of these communicative abilities have evolved even earlier, or independently, as there is comparable evidence in other taxonomic groups. We discuss these findings in an attempt to shed further light on the primate stock from which human language has arisen.

Abstract This article describes few steps of the application of the modified Calgary-Cambridge Guides (CCG) to consultations in bovine medicine. A review of pertinent clinical communication skills literature in human medicine was integrated with the burgeoning research within veterinary medicine. In particular, there are more recent studies examining companion animal veterinarian’s communication skills and outcomes which can be extrapolated to practitioners. This was integrated into a teaching example of a reproductive case consultation. The first article deals with the 1) Preparation, 2) Initiating the Session and 3) Gathering Information sections. The aim of the modified CCG is to provide a set of skills to facilitate a relationship-centred approach to consultations in bovine medicine, both at the individual animal and population level. They were initially developed for human medicine and expanded recently for use in veterinary medicine. The CCG enable the practitioner to facilitate interacting with that particular client at the time of the consultation. It is likely that the majority of practitioners do use many of the skills recommended by the modified CCG. These skills are often gained through experience. However, they may not use the skills intentionally and with purpose for a specific communication goal or outcome. Practitioners can improve their communication skills using the set of skills as recommended by the modified CCG. They allow the practitioner to gain insight into the client’s understanding of the problem, including underlying aetiology, epidemiology and pathophysiology. The guides also provide opportunity to understand client’s expectations regarding the outcome, motivation and willingness to change and adherence.

AbstractIn Cosmos, Onfray argues in favor of a (re-) conceptualization of communication based on recent scientific discoveries. Similar to many researchers in the field of biosemiotics, the controversial philosopher posits that all life forms engage in constant semiosis. As opposed to being a singular characteristic that only homo sapiens possess, Onfray contends that all organisms are endowed with semiosic faculties that enable them to exchange information in purposeful and meaningful ways. Appealing to scientific logic, the philosopher debunks the common misconception that non-human vocalizations are merely the product of an internal machinery. Onfray offers concrete examples from both the animal and plant kingdom illustrating the astounding complexity of non-human semiosis. Nonetheless, in his reflections about the advent of hyperreality, the philosopher nuances his philosophical position by underscoring what makes the human primary modelling device of “language” the most sophisticated form of semiosis that exists in the biosphere. Although all material beings communicate with each other effectively in order to survive, to relate to each other, and to reproduce, Onfray recognizes that humans appear to have a heightened predisposition for symbolic exchange. The philosopher affirms that the human Umwelt is the richest and most complex semiotic space of all. Due to the pervasive nature of human semiosis in the modern world that threatens the ability of other life forms to create, stockpile, emit, and interpret signs, the philosopher also insists that preserving the fragile semiosic diversity of the “soundscape” is the key to averting the impending, anthropogenic eco-apocalypse.

In addition to standard management for the treatment of the acute phase of spinal cord injury (SCI), implementation of novel neuroprotective interventions offers the potential for significant reductions in morbidity and long-term health costs. A better understanding of the systemic changes after SCI could provide insight into mechanisms that lead to secondary injury. An emerging area of research involves the complex interplay of the gut microbiome and the CNS, i.e., a brain–gut axis, or perhaps more appropriately, a CNS–gut axis. This review summarizes the relevant literature relating to the gut microbiome and SCI. Experimental models in stroke and traumatic brain injury demonstrate the bidirectional communication of the CNS to the gut with postinjury dysbiosis, gastrointestinal-associated lymphoid tissue–mediated neuroinflammatory responses, and bacterial-metabolite neurotransmission. Similar findings are being elucidated in SCI as well. Experimental interventions in these areas have shown promise in improving functional outcomes in animal models. This commensal relationship between the human body and its microbiome, particularly the gut microbiome, represents an exciting frontier in experimental medicine.

The present study assesses imitative ability in chimpanzees and human children. A direct comparison of these two species was conducted in an object-manipulation task. The subjects were required to copy the model stack by stacking colored blocks in the same order as the model. Four juvenile/adolescent chimpanzees failed to copy the model stack even after a long training-period. Two adult chimpanzees eventually learned to copy the model stack of two blocks. However, they failed to copy the model of three blocks, and analysis of their stacking patterns revealed that they only focused on the color of the top block in the model. Human children started to copy the model of two blocks when they were two years of age and gradually increased the number of successfully copied blocks. The results from both chimpanzees and humans are discussed in terms of the social intelligence involved in object manipulation.

This study employs Q methodology to identify responses to wildfire imagery and climate change concern. Using photographs shared on Twitter during California’s 2018 Camp Fire, findings reveal three different perspectives on what images evoked the most concern among individuals: catastrophic destruction, smokescapes, and human or animal suffering. Results also reveal the images that evoke the least concern, such as scenes of aid and support and officials’ rescue meetings. These results extend literature on the role of visuals in climate change communication and have implications for the selection of images that appeal to the various perspectives of the broader public.

Most current modeling for evolution of communication still underplays or ignores the role of local action in spatialized environments: the fact that it is immediate neighbors with which one tends to communicate, and from whom one learns strategies or conventions of communication. Only now are the lessons of spatialization being learned in a related field: game-theoretic models for cooperation. In work on altruism, on the other hand, the role of spatial organization has long been recognized under the term ‘viscosity’. Here we offer some simple simulations that dramatize the importance of spatialization for studies of both cooperation and communication, in each case contrasting (a) a model dynamics in which strategy change proceeds globally, and (b) a spatialized model dynamics in which interaction and strategy change both operate purely locally. Local action in a spatialized model clearly favors the emergence of cooperation. In the case of communication, spatialized models allow communication to arise and flourish where the global dynamics more typical in the literature make it impossible. Simulations make a dramatic case for spatialized modeling, but analysis proves difficult. In a final section we outline some of the surprises of spatial dynamics but also some of the complexity facing attempts at deeper analysis.

Abstract This article discusses the importance of social interaction for the development of the representations for symbolic communication. We suggest that there is no need to distinguish between different representational systems emerging at different stages of development. Instead, we propose that representations are rich right from the beginning of a child’s life, and that they are driven mainly by acting and interacting in the physical and social world. The more variety in a child’s interactional experience (i.e., synchrony, sequentiality, and prediction), the more enriched and abstracted the representations become. We review literature providing evidence for the ways in which infants’ development toward symbolic communication benefits from repeated social (inter)action and consider some implications for computational approaches.

Objective: To provide an overview of the animal and human research literature on the link between fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: We conducted a comprehensive literature review that addressed the history of, and current research on, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and FASD, as well as that on ADHD in children. Results: In animal and human research, there is emerging clinical, neuropsychological, and neurochemical evidence of a link between FASD and ADHD. Conclusions: The evidence of the link between these 2 conditions has implications for clinical management. The clinical quality of ADHD in children with FASD often differs from that of children without FASD. For children with FASD, ADHD is more likely to be the earlier-onset, inattention subtype, with comorbid developmental, psychiatric, and medical conditions. Children with FASD are commonly not mentally retarded but present complex learning disabilities, especially a mixed receptive-expressive language disorder with deficits in social cognition and communication (reminiscent of sensory aphasia and apraxia), working memory problems, and frequently, a mathematics disorder. Comorbid psychiatric conditions include anxiety, mood, conduct, or explosive disorders. As well, cardiac, renal, or skeletal problems are more likely to be present. Because these children have a disturbance in brain neurochemistry, or even brain structure (that is, in the corpus callosum), their response to standard psychostimulant medication can be quite unpredictable.

Preface Whenever animals are used in research, minimizing pain and distress and promoting good welfare should be as important an objective as achieving the experimental results. This is important for humanitarian reasons, for good science, for economic reasons and in order to satisfy the broad legal principles in international legislation. It is possible to refine both husbandry and procedures to minimize suffering and improve welfare in a number of ways, and this can be greatly facilitated by ensuring that up-to-date information is readily available. The need to provide such information led the British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation (BVAAWF), the Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) to establish a Joint Working Group on Refinement (JWGR) in the UK. The chair is Professor David Morton and the secretariat is provided by the RSPCA. This report is the ninth in the JWGR series. The RSPCA is opposed to the use of animals in experiments that cause pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm and together with FRAME has particular concerns about the continued use of non-human primates. The replacement of primate experiments is a primary goal for the RSPCA and FRAME. However, both organizations share with others in the Working Group, the common aim of replacing primate experiments wherever possible, reducing suffering and improving welfare while primate use continues. The reports of the refinement workshops are intended to help achieve these aims. This report produced by the British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation (BVAAWF)/Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME)/Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)/Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) Joint Working Group on Refinement (JWGR) sets out practical guidance on refining the husbandry and care of non-human primates (hereinafter primates) and on minimizing the adverse effects of some common procedures. It provides a valuable resource to help understand the physical, social and behavioural characteristics and needs of individual primates, and is intended to develop and complement the existing literature and legislative guidelines. Topics covered include refinements in housing, husbandry and common procedures such as restraint, identification and sampling, with comprehensive advice on issues such as primate communication, assessing and facilitating primate wellbeing, establishing and maintaining social groups, environmental and nutritional enrichment and animal passports. The most commonly used species are the key focus of this resource, but its information and recommendations are generally applicable to other species, provided that relevant individual species characteristics are taken into account.

Built structures, such as animal nests or buildings that humans occupy, serve two overarching purposes: shelter and a space where individuals interact. The former has dominated much of the discussion in the literature. But, as the study of collective behaviour expands, it is time to elucidate the role of the built environment in shaping collective outcomes. Collective behaviour in social animals emerges from interactions, and collective cognition in humans emerges from communication and coordination. These collective actions have vast economic implications in human societies and critical fitness consequences in animal systems. Despite the obvious influence of space on interactions, because spatial proximity is necessary for an interaction to occur, spatial constraints are rarely considered in studies of collective behaviour or collective cognition. An interdisciplinary exchange between behavioural ecologists, evolutionary biologists, cognitive scientists, social scientists, architects and engineers can facilitate a productive exchange of ideas, methods and theory that could lead us to uncover unifying principles and novel research approaches and questions in studies of animal and human collective behaviour. This article, along with those in this theme issue aims to formalize and catalyse this interdisciplinary exchange. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Interdisciplinary approaches for uncovering the impacts of architecture on collective behaviour’.

Abstract Using artificial emotions helps in making human-robot interaction more personalised, natural, and so more likeable. In the case of humanoid robots with constrained facial expression, the literature concentrates on the expression of emotions by using other nonverbal interaction channels. When using multi-modal communication, indeed, it is important to understand the effect of the combination of such non-verbal cues, while the majority of the works addressed only the role of single channels in the human recognition performance. Here, we present an attempt to analyse the effect of the combination of different animations expressing the same emotion or different ones. Results show that when an emotion is successfully expressed using a single channel, the combination of this channel with other animations, that may have lower recognition rates, appears to be less communicative.

Emotional facial expression are an important communication channel between artificial characters and their users. Humans are trained to perceive emotions. Robots and virtual agents can use them to make their inner states transparent. Literature reported that some emotional types, such as anger, are perceived as being more intense than others. Other studies indicated that gender influences the perception. Our study shows that once the individual differences amongst participants are included in the statistical analysis, then the emotion type has no further explanatory power. Artificial characters therefore should adapt to their specific users.

The team has become a popular model to organize joint human–robot behavior. Robot teammates are designed with high-levels of autonomy and well-developed coordination skills to aid humans in unpredictable environments. In this paper, we challenge the assumption that robots will succeed as teammates alongside humans. Drawing from the literature on human teams, we evaluate robots’ potential to meet the requirements of successful teammates. We argue that lacking humanlike mental models and a sense of self, robots may prove untrustworthy and will be rejected from human teams. Benchmarks for evaluating human–robot teams are included, as are guidelines for defining alternative structures for human–robot groups.

Forest fire disasters have always been mankind’s constant and inconvenient companion since time immemorial. In the recent past years, managing crisis for example a large scale fire has become a very difficult and challenging task. Things that are common in most of the forest fire that occur at large scale are loss of life (human or animal), loss of vegetation, loss of flora and fauna, and communication failure (if any). Apart from causing a great loss to valuable natural resources of nature forest fire pose a greater risk not only to life of human being but also to the inhabitant’s such as wild life living in the forest. As per National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS), if a fire is detected within 6 minutes of its occurrence then it can be easily disposed-off before it turns into a large scale fire. For this a network that can detect fire at a very early stage is required. There are numerous techniques to detect the occurrence of forest fire and this article is dedicated towards reviewing detection techniques present in the literature. This work will give a bird’s eye view of the technologies used in automatic detection of forest fires and reviews almost all the detection techniques available in the literature. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that almost all the techniques available in the literature are reviewed and considering almost all the parameters.

Mitochondria perform essential roles as crucial organelles for cellular and systemic energy homeostasis, and as signaling hubs, which coordinate nuclear transcriptional responses to the intra- and extra-cellular environment. Complex human diseases, including diabetes, obesity, fatty liver disease and aging-related degenerative diseases are associated with alterations in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) function. However, a recent series of studies in animal models have revealed that an integrated response to tolerable mitochondrial stress appears to render cells less susceptible to subsequent aging processes and metabolic stresses, which is a key feature of mitohormesis. The mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) is a central part of the mitohormetic response and is a retrograde signaling pathway, which utilizes the mitochondria-to-nucleus communication network. Our understanding of the UPRmt has contributed to elucidating the role of mitochondria in metabolic adaptation and lifespan regulation. In this review, we discuss and integrate recent data from the literature on the present status of mitochondrial OxPhos function in the development of metabolic diseases, relying on evidence from human and other animal studies, which points to alterations in mitochondrial function as a key factor in the regulation of metabolic diseases and conclude with a discussion on the specific roles of UPRmt and mitohormesis as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of obesity and insulin resistance.

Open water encounters of swimming and wading humans with wild cetaceans have increased worldwide. Behaviors being self-initiated by cetaceans during encounters and addressed towards humans still have received little study and their structure and function mostly remain unclear. This study reviews the scientific literature describing such behaviors. Unhabituated, habituated, lone and sociable and food-provisioned cetaceans from 10 odontocete and one mysticeti species were reported to show altogether 53 different behaviors which were affi liative (33 behaviors), aggressive/threatening (18) and sexual (2) in nature. Behaviors are listed in an ethogram. Due to varying research designs, observational biases cannot be excluded and comparability of results is sometimes hindered. Aggressive/threatening behaviors were reported mainly for food-provisioned and lone and sociable dolphins and these might be responses to inappropriate human behaviors. Sexual behaviors were only described for lone and sociable dolphins. Keywords: human–dolphin interactions; ethogram; swim-with-dolphin programs; whale watching

This paper reports on one aspect of qualitative research on public understandings of food risks, focusing on lay understandings of genetically modified (GM) food in a UK context. A range of theoretical, conceptual, and empirical literature on food, risk, and the public understanding of science are reviewed. The fieldwork methods are outlined and empirical data from a range of lay groups are presented. Major themes include: varying “technical” knowledge of science, the relationship between knowledge and acceptance of genetic modification, the uncertainty of scientific knowledge, genetic modification as inappropriate scientific intervention in “nature,” the acceptability of animal and human applications of genetic modification, the appropriate boundaries of scientific innovation, the necessity for GM foods, the uncertainty of risks in GM food, fatalism about avoiding risks, and trust in “experts” to manage potential risks in GM food. Key discussion points relating to a sociological understanding of public attitudes to GM food are raised and some policy implications are highlighted.

- The prenatal origin of the parent-child relationship was proposed in the past century by authors from a psychoanalytical domain affirming the relevance of the parent's affective investment in the unborn baby. Extensive literature focused on psychological processes involved in transition to motherhood like adaptation to pregnancy, maternal role attainment, maternal identity forming and maternal representation of the unborn baby. During pregnancy the woman gradually becomes aware of the foetus as an individual being, increasingly recognizing the separate person. In the last twenty years literature has brought evidence to organized foetal sensory-motor behaviour, auditive competence and foetal learning capability as from the fifth month of gestation. These foetal abilities in turn contribute to the increasing maternal awareness of the foetus which seems to be crucial in establishing the mother's attachment to her unborn baby. Mothers often report interaction with their unborn babies by talking or caressing the baby in the tummy. This early communication is supposed to have an influence on the development of the baby's mind. In the uterus it is particularly easy for the fetus to catch the sonorous or tactile maternal stimulus and consequently the growing nervous system and the developing cortical areas may receive a specific stimulation. Moreover the emotional communication between the mother and foetus has been explored. Animal experimentation and human observational studies have pointed out a relationship between maternal depression or anxiety and the impairment of the fetal nervous system due to the exposition to maternal cortisol. Presence of anxious and depressive symptoms in pregnancy is common and is related to premature birth risk, obstetrical complications, lack in the mother's prenatal care of herself and her baby and persists in a high number of cases in post partum depression. Based on this evidence the consideration of the foetus as a sensible, communicative and vulnerable person becomes very important as well as the promotion of pre and perinatal maternal mental health must be a priority.

The proposition that man is the only animal capable of laughter is at least as old as Aristotle (Parts of Animals 673a8). In a strictly physical sense, this is probably false; but it is undoubtedly true that as a psychologically expressive and socially potent means of communication, laughter is a distinctively human phenomenon. Any attempt to study sets of cultural attitudes towards laughter, or the particular types of personal conduct which these attitudes shape and influence, must certainly adopt a wider perspective than a narrowly physical definition of laughter will allow. Throughout this paper, which will attempt to establish part of the framework of such a cultural analysis for the Greek world of, broadly speaking, the archaic and classical periods, ‘laughter’ must be taken, by a convenient synecdoche, to encompass the many behavioural and affective patterns which are associated with, or which characteristically give scope for, uses of laughter in the literal sense of the word. My concern, then, is with a whole network of feelings, concepts and actions; and my argument will try to elucidate the practices within which laughter fulfils a recognizable function in Greek societies, as well as the dominant ideas and values which Greek thought brings to bear upon these practices. The results of the enquiry will, I believe, give us some reason to accept a rapprochement between the universalist assumption for which my epigraph from Johnson speaks (and which most grand theorists of laughter appear to have made) and the recognition of cultural specificity in laughter's uses for which many anthropologists would argue, as emphatically asserted, from a Marxizing point of view, in the quotation from Vladimir Propp.

Childcare robots are being manufactured and developed with the long term aim of creating surrogate carers. While total childcare is not yet being promoted, there are indications that it is ‘on the cards’. We examine recent research and developments in childcare robots and speculate on progress over the coming years by extrapolating from other ongoing robotics work. Our main aim is to raise ethical questions about the part or full-time replacement of primary carers. The questions are about human rights, privacy, robot use of restraint, deception of children and accountability. But the most pressing ethical issues throughout the paper concern the consequences for the psychological and emotional wellbeing of children. We set these in the context of the child development literature on the pathology and causes of attachment disorders. We then consider the adequacy of current legislation and international ethical guidelines on the protection of children from the overuse of robot care.

Abstract What makes a human voice agreeable is a matter of scientific discussion. Whereas prosody was shown to play a role regarding “male-female” attraction, the impact of frequency modulations in “non-sexual”, notably commercial, contexts has attracted little attention. Another point unaddressed in the literature is auditory sensitivity to short-term frequency modulations as current studies focus more on sentence. Thirty French female operators were recorded over the phone. All “bonjour” greeting words were classified in terms of frequency modulation linearity and orientation at the syllable and word levels. Then, the different voices were played back to students and seniors who had to rate each voice according to their degree of agreeableness. Listeners preferred non-monotonous voices. Differences between age-classes were greater than between sex-classes. Results suggest that short-term frequency changes are important for auditory evaluation of voice agreeableness. This study opens new research perspectives concerning the importance of prosody during consumer-seller interactions.

The purpose of this short paper is to examine whether a screen based virtual pet, specifically Nintendogs, gives any form of companionship comparable to a real pet. Nintendogs runs on a Nintendo DS, a mobile games console. The unit has a full colour screen showing an animated puppy which users must feed, water, walk, play with and train. An abundance of literature exists examining the benefits of owning a real pet yet very little has been written about human attachment to virtual pets. Six hundred five Nintendog users were contacted by email with a request to complete a questionnaire about their interaction, 80 (13%) responded. Nine hundred requests were made to a similar group who were asked to respond about their real pet, if they had one. One hundred sixteen responses were received. Results indicate that a Nintendog does give companionship, but companionship which is significantly less than that given by a real dog or cat.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are an important cause of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in human hospitals. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) made CRE reportable in April 2018. In May 2019, the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital (MJRVH) reported an NDM-5 Escherichia coli cluster in companion animals to the PDPH. In total, 15 infected animals (14 dogs and 1 cat) were reported between July 2018 and June 2019, with no new infections after June 2019. Limited literature is available on the prevalence of CRE in companion animals, and recommendations for dealing with CRE infections currently target human healthcare settings. Methods: A collaborative containment response included assessing interspecies transmission to veterinary staff and a comprehensive evaluation of the infection control program at MJRVH. MJRVH notified all owners of affected animals verbally and via notification letters with PDPH recommendations for CRE colonization screening of high-risk individuals. CRE screening of exposed high-risk employees was conducted by the University of Pennsylvania Occupational Health service and PDPH. Human rectal swabs were analyzed at the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (ARLN) Maryland Laboratory. PDPH were invited to conduct an onsite infection control assessment and to suggest improvements. Results: No pet owners self-identified in high-risk groups to be screened. In total, 10 high-risk staff were screened, and no colonized individuals were detected. Recommendations made by the PDPH to MJRVH included improvement of infection prevention and control policies (eg, consolidation of the infection control manual and identification of lead staff member), improvement in hand hygiene (HH) compliance (eg, increasing amount of HH supplies), improvement of environment of care (eg, decluttering and evaluation of mulched animal relief area), and improvement of respiratory care processes (eg, standardization of care policies). MJRVH made substantial improvements across recommendation areas including revision of infection control manual, creation of a full-time infection preventionist position, individual alcohol hand sanitizers for patient cages, and environmental decluttering and decontamination. PDPH and MJRVH maintained frequent communication about infection control improvements. Conclusions: No positive transmission to high-risk staff members suggest that, like in human healthcare facilities, transmission of CRE to caretakers may not be a common event. Stronger communication and collaboration is required from Departments of Public Health (DPH) to the veterinary profession regarding the reporting requirements of emerging pathogens such as CRE. Veterinary facilities should view DPH as a valuable resource for recommendations to fill in gaps that exist in infection control “best practices,” particularly for novel pathogens in veterinary settings.Funding: NoneDisclosures: Jane M. Gould reports that her spouse receives salary from Incyte.

In this paper we review the literature on social learning mechanisms in the domestic chick, focusing largely on work from our own laboratories. The domestic chicken is a social-living bird that searches for food in flocks, avoids predators by following warnings from other flock members, and forms (stable) social hierarchies. All of these behaviors develop throughout ontogeny, largely during the very early stages post-hatch. Newly hatched chicks appear to have predispositions to orient towards and to pay greatest attention to the biologically relevant characteristics of their immediate environment (i.e. to conspecifics: the mother bird and/or fellow hatchlings) from which they may subsequently learn. In addition, the chick has a lateralized brain; left and right hemispheres being specialized for certain behavioral functions and responses, and it appears that such behavioral lateralization is also transposed onto certain social learning situations, which will also be considered. Keywords: social learning; social cognition; chick; brain asymmetry

An extensive literature has been accumulating, in recent years, on face-processing in sheep and on the relevance of faces for social interaction in this species. In spite of this, spontaneous preferences for face or non-face stimuli in lambs have not been reported. In this study we tested the spontaneous preference of 8-day-old lambs (N = 9) for three pairs of stimuli. In each pair, one stimulus was a face-like display, whereas the other presented the same inner features displaced in unnatural positions. One pair of stimuli was obtained from photographic images of ewes’ faces, the other two pairs were schematic face-like stimuli. Lambs could differentiate the two stimuli obtained by photos of conspecifics, looking longer at the non-face stimulus (p < 0.05). We interpret this as a novelty preference, proving that few day-old lambs have already encoded the structural properties that define a face and recognize violations of those general properties.

Abstract Selective mutism (SM) is a developmental disorder characterized by a child’s inability to speak in certain contexts and/or in the presence of unfamiliar interlocutors. This work proposes a critical discussion of the most recent studies on SM, with respect to clinical and diagnostic features, as well as the etiology and treatment of this disorder. At present, all research work supports the hypothesis that SM is a complex anxiety disorder with multifactorial etiology (interaction among biological and environmental causes). The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) places SM mutism among “Anxiety Disorders”, and no longer among “Other Childhood, Infant and Adolescent Disorders” (as in DSM-IV). Other important aspects relate to cognitive biases and emotional states at the base of SM, which partly explain the disorder’s persistence and represent an important objective of intervention work. No data in the literature point to a total remission of SM, but good results are achieved with cognitive behavior intervention and multimodal therapy (MMT) involving a variety of child interaction contexts.

Background: Studies have shown that Guinea is a natural reservoir for many serious infectious diseases: cholera, Lassa, Ebola, measles. The analysis that underlies the emergence and spread of infectious diseases are dominated by a certain ecosystem, favorable customs, the fragility of the health system resilience: warning, surveillance, adequate response or lack of research and biosafety. The objective is to analyze the links between disease and community commitment for action. Methodology qualitative, participatory and focused on the triangulation of the literature review, in-depth interviews with target and comments. Results: In Guinea, a strategy “Active Monitoring belt around Heal Ebola” (SA-Ceint) was implemented to ensure enhanced oversight and assurance á their medical and psychosocial needs. Monitoring is implemented by “National Safety Agency” in collaboration with various partners. Community-based monitoring is required to prevent new outbreaks of Ebola in the country and bring them to life and health events. The Ebola outbreak (2013–2016) reveals that in a context of vulnerability, mistrust and rumors, the management deserves a preparation. Thus, the incentive mechanisms at the community commitment of the response including surveillance have enabled side. Lessons learned have pushed the country to engage in a process of implementation of ERARE, separates, the platform “One Health” and institutionalization of community health strategies preservation of human health, animal health and protection of the environment. Conclusion: Without communication that improves knowledge and helps in solving health and biosecurity issues, it is illusory to imagine that the prevention and response programs against infectious diseases will be successful long term. Community involvement is critical to the prevention, detection, monitoring, response.

Speech is a perceptuo-motor system. A natural computational modeling framework is provided by cognitive robotics, or more precisely speech robotics, which is also based on embodiment, multimodality, development, and interaction. This paper describes the bases of a virtual baby robot which consists in an articulatory model that integrates the non-uniform growth of the vocal tract, a set of sensors, and a learning model. The articulatory model delivers sagittal contour, lip shape and acoustic formants from seven input parameters that characterize the configurations of the jaw, the tongue, the lips and the larynx. To simulate the growth of the vocal tract from birth to adulthood, a process modifies the longitudinal dimension of the vocal tract shape as a function of age. The auditory system of the robot comprises a “phasic” system for event detection over time, and a “tonic” system to track formants. The model of visual perception specifies the basic lips characteristics: height, width, area and protrusion. The orosensorial channel, which provides the tactile sensation on the lips, the tongue and the palate, is elaborated as a model for the prediction of tongue-palatal contacts from articulatory commands. Learning involves Bayesian programming, in which there are two phases: (i) specification of the variables, decomposition of the joint distribution and identification of the free parameters through exploration of a learning set, and (ii) utilization which relies on questions about the joint distribution. Two studies were performed with this system. Each of them focused on one of the two basic mechanisms, which ought to be at work in the initial periods of speech acquisition, namely vocal exploration and vocal imitation. The first study attempted to assess infants’ motor skills before and at the beginning of canonical babbling. It used the model to infer the acoustic regions, the articulatory degrees of freedom and the vocal tract shapes that are the likeliest explored by actual infants according to their vocalizations. Subsequently, the aim was to simulate data reported in the literature on early vocal imitation, in order to test whether and how the robot was able to reproduce them and to gain some insights into the actual cognitive representations that might be involved in this behavior. Speech modeling in a robotics framework should contribute to a computational approach of sensori-motor interactions in speech communication, which seems crucial for future progress in the study of speech and language ontogeny and phylogeny.

The new competencies of psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology and psychoneuroimmunology play a strategic role in interdisciplinary science and interdisciplinary planning and decision-making. The introduction of multi-vector neurotechnologies of artificial intelligence and the principles of digital health care will contribute to the development of modern neuroscience and neuromarketing. The availability of innovative technologies, such as next-generation sequencing and correlated bioinformatics tools, allows deeper investigation of the cross-network relationships between the microbiota and human immune responses. Immune homeostasis is the balance between immunological tolerance and inflammatory immune responses — a key feature in the outcome of health or disease. A healthy microbiota is the qualitative and quantitative ratio of diverse microbes of individual organs and systems, maintaining the biochemical, metabolic and immune equilibrium of the macroorganism necessary to preserve human health. Functional foods, healthy biomicrobiota, healthy lifestyle and controlled protective environmental effects, artificial intelligence and electromagnetic information load/overload are responsible for the work of the human immune system and its ability to respond to pandemic attacks in a timely manner. Obesity continues to be one of the main problems of modern health care due to its high prevalence and polymorbidity. In addition to cardiometabolic diseases, lesions of the musculoskeletal system, obese individuals show impaired cognitive functions, have a high risk of developing depression and anxiety. The gut microbiota mediates between environmental influences (food, lifestyle) and the physiology of the host, and its change may partially explain the cross-link between the above pathologies. It is known that Western eating patterns are the main cause of the obesity epidemic, which also contributes to dysbiotic drift of the gut microbiota, which in turn contributes to the development of complications associated with obesity. Experimental studies in animal models and, to a lesser extent in humans, show that microbiota is associated with obesity and may contribute to the endocrine, neurochemical and development of systemic inflammation underlying obesity itself and related diseases. Nevertheless, a number of questions remain at present. Modeling the microbiota-gut-brain axis, provides the brain with information from the gut not only through the nervous system but also through a continuous stream of microbial, endocrine, metabolic and immune messages. The communication network provides important keys to understanding how obesity and diabetes can affect the brain by provoking neuropsychiatric diseases. The literature review is devoted to the analysis of data on the relationship of the gut-brain axis, obesity and cognitive functions, immune homeostasis and new competencies: psychoneuroimmunology and psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology.

Este estudo constitui uma revisão bibliográfica de caráter analítico sobre a Terapia Assistida por Animais - TAA utilizada como apoio as terapêuticas humanas e em projetos pedagógicos, na qual os animais são utilizados como Coterapeuta ou coeducadores, estabelecendo abordagem de interrelação nas áreas de saúde e educação, buscando o desenvolvimento biopsicossocial de pessoas com deficiência e necessidades especiais, que emprega os animais como agentes promotores de ganhos físicos, psicológicos e educacionais. Esta revisão tem como objetivo descrever a atuação dos animais em TAA, como método de redução do estresse em pessoas com algum tipo de transtorno, lesões, síndromes e paralisias. O levantamento de informações foi realizado por meio de pesquisas em bases de dados: Repositórios Institucionais, Literatura Latino-Americana, Scientific Eletrônic Library Online - SciELO, National Library of Veterinary - Pubvet, revistas eletrônicas científicas e Jornais eletrônicos utilizando-se palavras-chave em português e inglês sobre o tema abordado. Conclui-se que a Terapia Assistida por Animais é uma modalidade terapêutica eficaz, lúdica, descontraída e traz benefícios significativos para as pessoas, em que os animais desempenham papel de agentes transformadores biopsicossociais, estimulam o desenvolvimento da comunicação verbal, não verbal e corporal, bem como são importantes no tratamento, bem-estar e melhor qualidade de vida das pessoas portadoras de deficiência e necessidades especiais. Palavras-chave: Bem-Estar. Criança. Deficiência. Estresse. Abstract This study comprises a bibliographic review of an analytical character on Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) used as support for human therapies and in pedagogical projects, in which animals are used as Co-therapist or co-educators, establishing an interrelation approach in health and education areas, seeking the biopsychosocial development of people with disabilities and special needs, which uses animals as agents that promote physical, psychological and educational gains. This review aims to describe the animals’ performance in AAT, as a method of stress reduction in people with some type of disorder, injuries, syndromes and paralysis. The information survey was carried out through searches in databases: Institutional Repositories, Latin American Literature, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO), National Library of Veterinary (PUBVET), electronic scientific journals and electronic newspapers using keywords in Portuguese and English on the topic addressed. It is concluded that Animal Assisted Therapy is an effective, playful, relaxed therapeutic modality and brings significant benefits to people, where animals play the role of biopsychosocial transforming agents, stimulate the development of verbal, non-verbal and corporal communication, as well as, are important in the treatment, well-being and better quality of life of people with disabilities and special needs. Keywords: Child. Disabilities. Stress. Welfare.

Background: The farming of wild boars has growing due to the interest of the human consumption of this exotic meat. Such a development may pose an increased risk of disease transmission between boars and domestic animals. The wild boar population has increased in South America in the last years due the absence of predator causing economic losses due to direct damage to crops and risk of disease transmission. The genus Pestivirus within the family Flaviviridae are composed by four recognized species by the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV): classical swine fever virus (CSFV), border disease virus (BDV), bovine viral diarrhea virus type 1 (BVDV-1) and 2 (BVDV-2). Other putative species denoted as atypical pesitiviruses have been reported as ‘HoBi’-like virus, giraffe pestivirus, Bungowannah pestivirus, Pronghorn antelope virus, atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV), Norwegian rat pestivirus (NrPV) and Rhinolophus affinis bat pestivirus (RaPestV-1). CSFV is commonly detected in wild boars, but despite positive serology, bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) was never detected in this animal species. Thereby, the present communication describes the first detection of BVDV in the lungs of captive boars using RT-PCR and DNA sequencing.Materials, Methods & Results: Forty lung samples from farmed wild boars were collected after slaughter in a commercial abattoir. The organs were crushed separately, centrifuged, and the supernatant was stored for further analysis. The total RNA was isolated using a phenol-based protocol and RT-PCR protocol that amplified 118 bp of 5’ untranslated region (5’UTR) was carried out. One out 40 samples resulted positive. The positive sample had partial fragments of 5’UTR and N terminal autoprotease (Npro) sequenced and analyzed. The strain LV Java/2012 presented 99% of identity in 5’UTR and 98% in Npro region with a BVDV-2 previously reported in bovines in Southern Brazil. In both 5’UTR and Npro phylogenetic analysis, the strain LV Java/2015 clustered with BVDV-2 strains and was most closely related to subtype 2b identified in bovines in Southern Brazil grouping in the same terminal node.Discussion: Wild boars are commonly associated to pathogen transmission to domestic animals. This animal species is considered a reservoir of the pestivirus CSFV and important keys in CSFV control and eradication programs in Europe. Despite indirect presence of BVDV was reported in wild boars by serology tests, the direct detection of the viral agent was never reported. The present study showed the presence of BVDV-2 genomic segments obtained by RT-PCR followed by DNA sequencing in captive wild boars. The reported data suggests a possible importance of this animal species in the epidemiology of ruminant pestiviruses which could interfere in control and eradication programs of these important pathogens for cattle worldwide. The strain LV Java/2012 was closely related to BVDV-2b and presented highest identity with a strain detected in cattle from Southern Brazil. This data suggests that wild boars and bovines could be sharing this pathogen due the similarity of the strains and that both were reported in the same region. It can lead to need of inclusion of wild swines in BVDV control programs since boars can circulate between different regions and carry this pathogen to different cattle herds. The present study reported the first molecular evidence of BVDV in wild boars in the literature. The data generated herein suggests a possible importance of boars in the epidemiology of ruminant pestiviruses.

The pandemic of COVID-19 has afflicted every individual and has initiated a cascade of directly or indirectly involved events in precipitating mental health issues. The human species is a wanderer and hunter-gatherer by nature, and physical social distancing and nationwide lockdown have confined an individual to physical isolation. The present review article was conceived to address psychosocial and other issues and their aetiology related to the current pandemic of COVID-19. The elderly age group has most suffered the wrath of SARS-CoV-2, and social isolation as a preventive measure may further induce mental health issues. Animal model studies have demonstrated an inappropriate interacting endogenous neurotransmitter milieu of dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, and opioids, induced by social isolation that could probably lead to observable phenomena of deviant psychosocial behavior. Conflicting and manipulated information related to COVID-19 on social media has also been recognized as a global threat. Psychological stress during the current pandemic in frontline health care workers, migrant workers, children, and adolescents is also a serious concern. Mental health issues in the current situation could also be induced by being quarantined, uncertainty in business, jobs, economy, hampered academic activities, increased screen time on social media, and domestic violence incidences. The gravity of mental health issues associated with the pandemic of COVID-19 should be identified at the earliest. Mental health organization dedicated to current and future pandemics should be established along with Government policies addressing psychological issues to prevent and treat mental health issues need to be developed. References World Health Organization (WHO) Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard. 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Bentham’s query “[…] the question is not can they reason? Nor can they talk? But, Can they suffer?” (Bentham 8) drew attention away from language and the interior life of animals and focused it instead on the question of suffering. Just what suffering is left to the human to decide; a debate, which forms a large part of the discourse in the animal rights movement. But what happens if we were to return to the unanswered part of Bentham’s quote, the questions that Descartes so famously answered in the negative: “Can they reason?” “Can they talk?” These questions have been banned by scientific and philosophical discourse up until recently when the burgeoning interest in the ‘animal question’ re-opened the debate. Making the assumption that animals can indeed ‘talk’ I investigate the nature of dog/human/dog communication using as a conduit the art of South African artists, Elizabeth Gunter, Daniel Naudé and myself. I propose that dog to human and human to dog communication relies on nonverbal means such as bodily semiotics, prosody and other ineffable means that are not dependent on symbolic language.