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Zoo animal welfare is subject to increasing scrutiny by many audiences. Although zoo husbandry and management techniques have progressed, common welfare issues are still apparent. To encourage further improvements, converting theoretical welfare definition into practical application is key. This paper evaluates a familiar definition to form a baseline for practical welfare assessment that benefits animals and zoo operations. If we consider coping and comfort as measurable indicators, plus choice and control to cement autonomy for the animal, achieving positive welfare is more likely. Providing positive cognitive challenge results in improvements to behavioral diversity. When husbandry is ecologically relevant, this welfare-friendly approach evolves into husbandry-based evidence, further justifying approaches to animal care. The human element of husbandry (e.g., development and training of personnel) impacts on welfare, necessitating a compassionate approach to daily operations. Compassion – for animal and human wellbeing – ultimately embeds welfare as a core zoo goal. The unique environment of the zoo, with its mix of wild species, human workforce and visitors, coupled with the amount we still must learn about species’ husbandry needs emphasizes continual development of welfare approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a novel epitope discovery strategy for creating an affinity agent/peptide tag pair. A synthetic polymer nanoparticle (NP) was used as the "bait" to catch an affinity peptide tag. Biotinylated peptide tag candidates of varied sequence and length were attached to an avidin platform and screened for affinity against the polymer NP. NP affinity for the avidin/peptide tag complexes was used to provide insight into factors that contribute NP/tag binding. The identified epitope sequence with an optimized length (tMel-tag) was fused to two recombinant proteins. The tagged proteins exhibited higher NP affinity than proteins without tags. The results establish that a fusion peptide tag consisting of optimized 15 amino acid residues can provide strong affinity to an abiotic polymer NP. The affinity and selectivity of NP/tMel-tag interactions were exploited for protein purification in conjunction with immobilized metal ion/His6-tag interactions to prepare highly purified recombinant proteins. This strategy makes available inexpensive, abiotic synthetic polymers as affinity agents for peptide tags and provides alternatives for important applications where more costly affinity agents are used.

The implementation of environmental enrichment (EE) can be effective in promoting zoo animal welfare by enhancing the performance of natural or species‐typical behaviors. Research on the effects of EE is biased towards larger mammalian species, with less charismatic species being overlooked. Armadillos are one such overlooked example. A captive environment that results in inactivity, obesity, and associated poor health can negatively affect armadillo well‐being. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the implementation of four physical object‐based EEs could positively affect the behaviors of three armadillo species, housed in four similar exhibits. Behavioral data were collected both before (baseline) and during (treatment) EE periods, alongside of visitor number and environmental temperatures. The EE comprised of a plastic ball or a cardboard tube or a cardboard box, or a scatter‐feed, and these were rotated each week of study until each exhibit had received them in turn. Despite the presence of different EE types, activity remained low throughout the study. However, results suggest that the plastic ball and cardboard box increased exploratory behaviors in the armadillos, but no overall increase in activity was noted during the scatter feed. Visitor presence had no effect on armadillo activity, and armadillos showed reduced activity with increasing environmental temperature. Overall, the use of physical object‐based EE promoted beneficial natural behaviors in zoo‐housed armadillos, but environmental conditions (i.e., temperature) also impacted armadillo activity, suggesting a complicated relationship between an enclosure's environmental variable and any behavioral husbandry measures. Highlights: Enrichment increased alert, exploratory, and locomotory behaviors in zoo armadillos.Plastic ball was the most effective enrichment type.Armadillo activity was influenced by temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JAK2, a member of the Janus kinase super-family was found to interact functionally with Raf-1, a central component of the ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction pathway. Interferon-[Gamma] and several other cytokines that are known to activate JAK2 kinase were also found to stimulate Raf-1 kinase activity toward MEK-1 in mammalian cells. In the baculovirus coexpression system, Raf-1 was activated by JAK2 in the presence of [p21.sup.ras]. Under these conditions, a ternary complex of [p21.sup.ras], JAK2, and Raf-1 was observed. In contrast, in the absence of [p21.sup.ras], coexpression of JAK2 and Raf-1 resulted in an overall decrease in the Raf-1 kinase activity. In addition, JAK2 phosphorylated Raf-1 at sites different from those phosphorylated by [pp60.sup.v-src]. In mammalian cells treated with either erythropoietin or interferon-[Gamma], a small fraction of Raf-1 coimmunoprecipitated with JAK2 in lysates of cells in which JAK2 was activated as judged by its state of tyrosine phosphorylation. Taken together, these data suggest that JAK2 and [p21.sup.ras] cooperate to activate Raf-1.

Social network analysis (SNA) is useful for evaluating management zoo regimes to ensure that any fitness benefits of sociality are preserved in captive-housed groups. This paper explores the association patterns of 13 giraffes housed at Longleat Safari Park, UK. Wild giraffes exhibit a fission–fusion social system with preferential bonding. As zoo-housed giraffes are common, they are excellent study subjects for using SNA to investigate key aspects of sociality within a managed social environment. Social bonds were assessed over different seasons and data from two study periods (2011 and 2015) were analyzed to see consistency of "social type" (i.e., more social or more solitary). Associations showed the occurrence of consistent preferential bonds between named individuals but time of year influenced the patterns of social bonds. Female-female bonds and female-offspring bonds appeared to be strongest. For animals present in 2011 and 2015, differences in time spent socializing between years were apparent. Results suggest that giraffes may be flexible in their choice of social partner and zoo-managed herds should include a range of individuals from which each animal can choose a preferred associate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]