The agonist sensitivity of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) can be altered by protein kinase C (PKC), with CaR residue Thr 888 contributing significantly to this effect. To determine whether CaR T888 is a substrate for PKC and whether receptor activation modulates such phosphorylation, a phospho-specific antibody against this residue was raised (CaR pT888 mobilization rather than oscillations (9). Whereas this suggests that PKC-mediated CaR phosphorylation regulates CaR function, no reagents have existed previously for investigating CaR phosphorylation directly. Thus, we have developed a phospho-specific antibody that recognizes the phosphorylated form of CaR T888 , this residue being chosen because its mutation elicited the greatest effect on CaR function of the putative PKC sites. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESMaterials-The calcimimetics NPS R-467 and S-467 and the calcilytic NPS-89636 were a kind gift of Dr. E. F. Nemeth and NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Toronto, Canada). Fura-2/AM was from Invitrogen and Gö6976, PKC␤-selective inhibitor (anilinomonoindolylmaleimide), and endothall thioanhydride (7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-dicarboxylic acid) were from Calbiochem (EMD Biosciences, Inc., San Diego, CA). Horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-mouse and anti-rabbit secondary antibodies were from DakoCytomation (Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK). Unless stated otherwise, all other chemicals were purchased from Sigma.Cell Culture-HEK293 cells, stably transfected with human parathyroid CaR (6), were a gift from Dr. E. F. Nemeth (NPS Pharmaceuticals). Cells were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal * This work was supported in part by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Grant BBSB04986. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

A preliminary assessment of how zoo visitors evaluate animal welfare according to enclosure style and the expression of behavior Abstract Visitors to zoos make judgements about animal welfare on the basis of what they see during their visit. There has been a considerable amount of research and debate surrounding the use of enclosure style and/or animal behavior to act as indicators of animal welfare. There are assumptions, supported by some studies but contradicted by others, that naturalistic enclosures and the expression of "wild behavior" inherently promote good welfare. These assumptions also appear to be used by the public to judge the welfare of zoo-housed animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether visitors to Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, UK, were using these assumptions to judge the welfare of zoo-housed animals. Visitors (n=42) were shown two series of photographs (n=8 in each series), one representing different primate enclosure styles and one depicting different tiger behaviors. The visitors were asked to rank the photographs in response to a series of questions (n=4 primate enclosure; n=5 tiger behavior). The public were consistent in their assessment of enclosure styles, which confirmed they held the assumption that naturalistic enclosures are good; all respondents rated the greenest enclosure highly and thought its inhabitants would have the best welfare. The interpretation of captive tiger behavior was also consistent across respondents, but this did not clearly indicate that they thought wild behavior was good. Most respondents thought that tigers in captivity and in the wild performed similar behavior. However, they did not think that expression of wild-type behavior was indicative of good welfare in captivity.

Orf is a viral disease found in English sheep flocks which can cause economic losses. It is a zoonosis with little epidemiological research available in the UK. In 2012, 3000 questionnaires were sent to English sheep farms in order to investigate the prevalence of orf, determine vaccination efficacy and to identify some of the potential risk factors. The usable response rate was 25.4 per cent. The usable farms (N=762 in the years 2011 and 2012) were used to model the percentage of animals affected on the farm, and the probability of a farm being found with the disease. The disease prevalence (DP) was standardised for the year and calculated as 1.88 per cent for ewes and 19.53 per cent for lambs. The disease risk ratio (RR) for the use of the vaccine was calculated as 2.04 for ewes and 0.75 for lambs, and therefore, the study found that lamb vaccination was beneficial (RR <1). Weed infestation and an increased number of orphan lambs were associated with increased cases of orf. We conclude that the DP in ewes and lambs affect each other, though the impact is higher for lambs in the presence of increasing prevalence in ewes. A short lambing season lowers the probability of a farm experiencing cases of orf. Vaccination was effective in lambs but not in ewes, though lambs benefitted when ewes were vaccinated (reduced orf prevalence in lambs born from vaccinated ewes), probably because any unvaccinated ewes may have been carriers that could spread the virus to the new-born lambs.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESMaterials-Fura-2/AM was from Molecular Probes, Inc. (Invitrogen). Horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-mouse and anti-rabbit secondary antibodies were from Dako (Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK). Unless stated otherwise, all other chemicals were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (Poole, Dorset, UK).Cell Culture-HEK-293 cells, stably transfected with human parathyroid CaR (11), were a gift from Dr. E. F. Nemeth (NPS Pharmaceuticals). Cells were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (Invitrogen) and 200 g/ml hygromycin B (Boehringer-Mannheim, Lewes, Sussex, UK).CaR Phosphorylation Assays-Cells were grown to 80 -90% confluence in 35 mm culture dishes, and CaR T888 phosphorylation was assayed as described previously (15)

Rabbits are a common companion animal in the United Kingdom, and some reports have suggested that large numbers are relinquished to rehoming centers each year. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of rabbits relinquished to 2 UK rehoming centers and explore reasons given for relinquishment. The centers contributed data for all rabbits who entered their center during 2013 (n = 205). Most rabbits (59.5%) were relinquished by a guardian. Similar numbers of males and females were relinquished, and a larger number of rabbits were not neutered (72.4%) and adults (56%). Most rabbits were healthy on arrival (61.5%). The most common reasons for relinquishment were: "too many rabbits/unplanned litters" (30.3%) and "housing problems" (23.8%). Rabbit-related reasons accounted for 12.2% of rabbits relinquished. Reasons for relinquishment were associated with 1 of the recorded rabbit characteristics. Further detailed studies are needed to explore the dynamics of companion rabbit ownership and factors that affect the breakdown of rabbit-guardian relationships in the United Kingdom.