Insights into the breeding behaviour and dispersal of the Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua) through the collection of shed feathers

The Powerful Owl is an elusive species inhabiting the forests of mainland eastern Australia. Obtaining crucial information on aspects of their breeding behaviour and dispersal has proven extremely difficult, even though other aspects of their ecology are well studied. Here we use molecular methods to investigate the breeding behaviour and dispersal of the Powerful Owl in two different habitats: highly fragmented forest along the urban fringe and continuous forest.DNA profiles of Powerful Owls were obtained predominately from shed feathers collected opportunistically between 1995 and 2006. Seven breeding pairs of Powerful Owls were identified, from which shed feathers were collected during 2003, 2004 and 2005. By comparing DNA profiles, one pair of Owls was found to have occupied the same breeding site for 10 years (1995–2005). The dispersal or movements of five offspring from this pair was also determined to be either of two scenarios: (1) the juvenile moves from the natal territory; however, isn’t breeding; and (2) the juvenile is recovered as part of a breeding pair. Two pairs of Owls breeding in the urban fringe habitat were closely related, but no incidences of extra-pair fertilisation were detected among pairs in either habitat. This study provides new information about the breeding behaviour and dispersal of the Powerful Owl, and shows the potential of using genetic data sourced from shed feathers for studying cryptic, rare or elusive species.

Observing the behaviour and interactions of adults with congenital deafblindness living in community residences

Background Adults with congenital deafblindness (CDB) have received little attention from researchers. In this study we examined the nature of interactions between adults with CDB and the staff who mediate their support, and investigated the reliability of an observation coding system, originally designed for observing adults with severe intellectual disability.

Method The behaviours of 9 adults with CDB, including their interactions with support staff from 2 community residences, were recorded and subsequently coded by 2 observers.

Results Interrater reliability, measured using Cohen's k, was variable across the coding system. Adults with CDB were predominantly observed to be disengaged, with few observations of engagement according to the coding schedule's definition of engagement. Interactions between the residents and support staff were rare.

Conclusion The introduction of interventions designed for staff to promote resident engagement in social interaction is recommended.

Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and depression among socio-economically disadvantaged women

Promoting physical activity, particularly for leisure and transport, could be an important aspect in preventing depression amongst women living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Furthermore, including some aspect of social physical activity and reducing time spent in sedentary behaviours may further reduce risk of depression.

Investigating the effect of solution pH on speciation of La(4OH-cin)3 with correlation to electrochemical behaviour and corrosion efficiency

The nature of the species in solution plays a major role on the effectiveness of the corrosion inhibitor on a steel substrate. The speciation of lanthanum 4-hydroxy cinnamate (La(4OHCin) ₃) in solution has been evaluated using experimental techniques composed of potentiodynamic polarisation, immersion tests, nuclear magnetic spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy. It is evident that the species in solution are dependent on pH and this impacts the corrosion inhibition mechanism and the efficiency. It was found that at a neutral pH of 5.5 the La(4OH-Cin)₃ behaves as a strong anodic inhibitor. Whereas, when the pH shifts to low (pH2.5) and/or high (pH8) the corrosion mechanism changes.

Lack of relationship between sedentary behaviour and vascular function in children

Some evidence suggests that sedentary behaviour is independently associated with cardiovascular (CV) risk. Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest detectable manifestation of CVD and a strong independent predictor of CV events. No previous study has examined the relationship between sedentary behaviour and endothelial function. We assessed the basal association between conduit artery endothelial function and sedentary behaviour in children, along with the correlation between changes in sedentary behaviour and endothelial function. We studied 116 children (70$: 10.7 ± 0.3; 46#: 10.7 ± 0.3 years) on two occasions; in the summer (June) and late autumn (November). We assessed endothelial function via flowmediated dilation (FMD) using high-resolution Doppler ultrasound. Sedentary behaviour (SB) was assessed using objective uni-axial accelerometry. At baseline, there were no significant differences between girls and boys for any measured variables with the exception of total physical activity time. FMD was not associated with sedentary behaviour in either group or in the cohort as a whole. Although FMD decreased (10.0 ± 4.3–7.9 ± 3.9%, P\0.001) and SB increased (499.1 ± 103.5–559 ± 81.6 min/day, P\0.001) between the seasons, no relationship existed between changes in these variables. Our data suggest that sedentary behaviour and changes in sedentary behaviour are not associated with endothelial function in children.

Host behaviour and physiology underpin individual variation in avian influenza virus infection in migratory Bewick's swans

Individual variation in infection modulates both the dynamics of pathogens and their impact on host populations. It is therefore crucial to identify differential patterns of infection and understand the mechanisms responsible. Yet our understanding of infection heterogeneity in wildlife is limited, even for important zoonotic host-pathogen systems, owing to the intractability of host status prior to infection. Using novel applications of stable isotope ecology and eco-immunology, we distinguish antecedent behavioural and physiological traits associated with avian influenza virus (AIV) infection in free-living Bewick's swans (Cygnus columbianus bewickii). Swans infected with AIV exhibited higher serum δ13C (-25.3 ± 0.4) than their non-infected counterparts (-26.3±0.2). Thus, individuals preferentially foraging in aquatic rather than terrestrial habitats experienced a higher risk of infection, suggesting that the abiotic requirements of AIV give rise to heterogeneity in pathogen exposure. Juveniles were more likely to be infected (30.8% compared with 11.3% for adults), shed approximately 15-fold higher quantity of virus and exhibited a lower specific immune response than adults. Together, these results demonstrate the potential for heterogeneity in infection to have a profound influence on the dynamics of pathogens, with concomitant impacts on host habitat selection and fitness.

Strain differences in coping behaviour, novelty seeking behaviour, and susceptibility to socially conditioned fear : a comparison between Wistar and Sprague Dawley rats

The aim of the current study was to generate socially conditioned fear in two different strains of rat (Wistar, W and Sprague Dawley, SD) using social conflict, in order to investigate whether the magnitude of the conditioned fear responses in each strain was related to behaviour exhibited prior to or during fear induction (i.e. social conflict). On day one of the study, all intruders were assessed for exploratory activity in a novel environment. Twenty four hours following the novel environment test the locomotor activity of the intruders was assessed, while they underwent a single familiarisation exposure to the arena in which the conflict was subsequently to occur in. Twenty-four hours following familiarisation, intruders underwent either a 10 min social conflict or sham conflict session. One day later we examined the response of the intruders when they were returned to the vacant resident's cage. Upon return to the conflict context, we examined the intruder's ultrasonic distress vocalisations and the extent to which locomotor activity was inhibited. We found that W rats displayed significantly more immobility (i.e. conditioned fear) upon return to context than did SD rats (p < 0.05). Importantly, we observed that the differences in the two strains behaviour upon return to context appeared to be related to their quite different patterns of coping behaviour. The results of the current study indicate that preclinical between-strain comparisons potentially have much to offer in regard to understanding the basis of resilience to social stress.