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Behavioural risks in female dogs with minimal lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones
Melissa Starling ,
Roles Writing – original draft
* E-mail: melissa.starling@sydney.edu.au
Affiliation Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Anne Fawcett,
Roles Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing
Bethany Wilson,
Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing
James Serpell,
Roles Data curation, Writing – review & editing
Affiliation School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Paul McGreevy
Roles Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – review & editing
Melissa Starling,
Melissa Starling Anne Fawcett ... Paul McGreevy
Spaying of female dogs is a widespread practice, performed primarily for population control. While the consequences of early spaying for health are still being debated, the consequences for behaviour are believed to be negligible. The current study focused on the reported behaviour of 8981 female dogs spayed before 520 weeks (ten years) of life for reasons other than behavioural management, and calculated their percentage lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones (PLGH) as a proportion of their age at the time of being reported to the online Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). We found that 23 behaviours differed between entire and spayed dogs, of which 12 were associated with PLGH and 5 with age-at-spay (AAS). Two behaviours, chewing and howling, were significantly more likely in dogs with longer PLGH. In contrast, longer PLGH was associated with significantly reduced reporting of 10 (mostly unwelcome) behaviours. Of these, one related to fearfulness and three to aggression. The current data suggest that dogs' tendency to show numerous behaviours can be influenced by the timing of spaying. They indicate how female dog behaviour matures when gonadal hormones are allowed to have their effect. The differences reported here between undesirable behaviours of spayed and entire dogs were in the range of 5.33% and 7.22%, suggesting that, for some dogs, partial or complete denial of maturation may reduce howling and chewing and improve retrieval and recall, but have other undesirable consequences. Veterinarians may take these data into account to discuss the risks and benefits of spaying with clients, and the timing of the procedure.
Citation: Starling M, Fawcett A, Wilson B, Serpell J, McGreevy P (2019) Behavioural risks in female dogs with minimal lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones. PLoS ONE 14(12): e0223709. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223709
Editor: Arda Yildirim, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, TURKEY
Received: February 16, 2019; Accepted: September 26, 2019; Published: December 5, 2019
Copyright: © 2019 Starling et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: All relevant data are available from https://doi.org/10.25910/5da50379bf56e. Data underlying the previously published companion paper on male dogs are available from https://dx.doi.org/10.4227/11/5aa0c8868ad93.
Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are extremely popular globally as companion animals: approximately 38 per cent of Australian households owns a dog [1], compared with 26 per cent of households in the UK [2], and 60.2 million dog-owning households in the USA [3]. Therefore, meeting the behavioural needs of this substantial population of animals has a potentially huge impact on animal welfare. Unwelcome dog behaviours that jeopardize human health and animal welfare arise largely because of fear, frustration and thwarted motivation, when carers fail to meet dogs' needs or prepare dogs adequately for life in human households and settlements[4].
Dog behaviour may differ between sexes, but the factors driving these differences may be poorly understood. For example, male dogs tend to predominate in bite statistics [5–9]. It has been suggested that this higher incidence of aggression is a reflection of the relative boldness of male dogs when compared with female dogs. Boldness is a so-called super-trait that manifests with increased engagement in social interactions and a generalised lack of fear [10,11]. Entire (also known as intact) dogs of both sexes are generally bolder than their gonadectomised (also known as neutered or desexed) counterparts [10]. This has led to recommendations that gonadectomy of male dogs may reduce problem behaviours or reduce dog-bites in the community [12]. Recent studies have found no difference in aggression in neutered male dogs compared to entire male dogs [13–17].
The prevalence of gonadectomy of dogs varies across the globe. For example, in Australia, there is evidence that 85% of female dogs and 77% of male dogs are gonadectomised [18] while in the U.S., an estimated 83% of all dogs are gonadectomised [19]. In contrast, gonadectomy rates remain low in some countries. For example, among dogs attending UK veterinary clinics (n = 148,741), only 41.1% were gonadectomised [20], although a more recent survey of the records of 143 practices encompassing 329 clinics in Great Britain found that 57.1% of dogs were gonadectomised [21]. In a sample of dogs (n = 10,519) owned by German-speaking dog enthusiasts, 43.1% were gonadectomised [22].
The reasons for gonadectomy in dogs vary, but the procedure is most commonly encouraged as a means of population control; historically being conducted at, or just before, sexual maturity. Gonadectomy has also been recommended in some countries as a means of preventing medical and behavioural problems [23,24]. In recent times, the benefits of early-age gonadectomy (at less than 12 weeks of age) for population control have been emphasised [25]. In addition, early-age gonadectomy facilitates early adoption in those shelters with a policy of only allowing adoption of gonadectomised animals, potentially reducing length of stay (LOS), as younger animals would not have to be retained until they have reached sexual maturity in order to be gonadectomised before adoption.
Thousands of dogs are euthanased in shelters and pounds annually in many developed countries [26–29]. The reasons why they are euthanised vary, but problem behaviours feature heavily [30]. Recent reports suggest unwelcome behaviours are more prevalent in dogs that have been gonadectomised (for reasons other than behavioural problems) [31]. One possible reading of these data is that gonadectomy may reduce the numbers of unwanted dogs but may also increase the likelihood of problem behaviours that reduce the appeal of the gonadectomised dogs, compromise the human-animal relationship, and make dogs more vulnerable to being surrendered. There is a need to clarify if this is the case so that gonadectomy of dogs is in the best interests of dogs.
Gonadectomy may have an impact on health and longevity. Such impacts may differ depending on the sex of the dog [32]. Increased investigation of the role of canine gonadectomy in disease incidence has raised concerns about blanket recommendations for gonadectomy in some countries [23,33]. In males, gonadectomy is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer but eliminates the risk of testicular disease and many disorders that depend on androgens, such as prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, perineal hernias and perineal adenomas, as reviewed previously [34]. In females, ovariohysterectomy has been traditionally advocated to avoid the risk of pyometra (pus in the uterus) which is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection associated with severe complications including sepsis, septic shock, peritonitis, systemic bacterial infection and multi-organ failure [35]. The pyometra-related mortality rate was 10 per cent when euthanasia was included, and 1 per cent in treated dogs [36]. With the exception of stump pyometra, a rare infection which typically occurs due to residual hormone-producing ovarian remnants [37], gonadectomy prevents this condition. In countries where elective spaying is rare, pyometra is common. For example, in Sweden, the rate was 23–24% of dogs under the age of ten years [38]. In contexts where spaying is common, a reduction in the rate of spaying is associated with increased rates of pyometra. For example, in a retrospective study of five RSPCA hospitals in the UK over a 5-year period, the overall prevalence of pyometra was 2.2%, but incidence increased as the rate of elective ovariohysterectomy declined [39]. However, pyometra does not typically develop without the influence of progesterone [40,41], meaning that a hysterectomy alone or an ovariectomy alone should be sufficient to avoid pyometra. It has also been shown that the risk of developing pyometra is not higher in dogs that have had an ovariectomy than those with an ovariohysterectomy [42]. Accordingly, ovariectomy is becoming the standard in Europe [42]. Other health consequences of gonadectomy may be less direct. For example, spayed female golden retrievers had a 3–4 fold increase in the rate of some cancers [23]. Similarly, studies of golden retrievers [24] and German shepherd dogs [25] indicate that early neutering can significantly predispose dogs to joint disorders, including hip dysplasia.
In females, spaying was recommended as a means of reducing the risk of mammary neoplasia [43] but a recent systematic review described the evidence for this association as being only weak [44]. However, it has been argued that this finding is a reflection of the veterinary evidence base in general, rather than an indictment of conclusions based on multiple studies investigating the relationship between gonadectomy and mammary tumours [33]. Other physical and behavioural consequences are outlined in Table 1. It should be noted that the associations between neutering/gonadectomy and disorders described in Table 1 are not necessarily causal and that many of these outcomes are contested. An abiding issue is that some studies compare early neutering with standard age neutering, and some studies compare neutering with not neutering. There is a lot of conflation of these two very different comparisons in discussions which confuses the debate. In addition, it is possible that potential confounders, such as lifestyle, and breed predispositions to disorders, such as obesity, diabetes and urinary incontinence, are poorly addressed among many studies, especially the earlier ones. While a comprehensive review of this literature is beyond the scope of this paper, it is important to note that the benefits and risks of surgical neutering may vary according to individual factors, including breed. For example, the risk of development of urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence after surgical neutering may vary with the size of the dog [45].
Table 1. Reported potential physical and behavioural benefits versus disadvantages of neutering female dogs.
Despite recommendations regarding gonadectomy and aggression in dogs, the effects of gonadectomy on dog behaviour have rarely been subjected to detailed inquiry. If gonadectomy increases the risks of certain behaviours, it may have a negative influence on the human-animal bond [67]. Recent studies have identified some concerning and surprising trends. For example, gonadectomised dogs of both sexes have been reported to be marginally more prone to aggression towards unfamiliar humans than entire dogs [24]. Weight gain and related lethargy are seen in many gonadectomised dogs [68], and a metanalysis of studies designed to determine the maintenance energy requirements of dogs found that maintenance energy requirements were much less in neutered dogs [62]. Owners should be counselled to avoid these outcomes [69] e.g., by feeding low-energy diets. This concern is reflected in the availability of commercial diets specifically designed for neutered dogs. Unfortunately, energy-restriction may increase the perceived value of rations to gonadectomised dogs, potentially leading to food-related aggression (resource guarding) [69]. As it happens, increased appetite and human-directed aggression have been reported in spayed bitches [70]. In this study, the risk was found to be greatest in puppies under twelve months old at the age of neutering, who were already displaying aggression. Reports from owners of 209 male and 382 female dogs revealed that, after gonadectomy, male dogs more often showed distinct behavioural changes than female dogs [68]. For 49 of 80 (61%) aggressive male dogs and 25 of 47 (53%) female dogs were reported to be more gentle after gonadectomy [71]. However, 10 females were described as becoming aggressive after gonadectomy, and voluntary food intake increased in 32% of female dogs. Gonadectomy may also have a negative impact on the learning ability of dogs. Tests of spatial learning, memory and reversal learning tasks using a T-maze showed that 81% of entire females successfully completed the whole procedure compared to 56% of spayed females [71,72]. It has also been reported that spayed female dogs are more likely to prefer egocentric navigational strategies rather than allocentric [73], and that spayed females take longer to respond to the social cue of pointing from a human and are more likely to respond incorrectly than entire female dogs [74].
Recent studies of male dogs have revealed behavioural risks associated with minimal lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones that may offset some population-control benefits of gonadectomy [24,31]. The current study examines data from the owners of female dogs to explore relationships between various canine behavioural attributes, as reported through C-BARQ, and the timing of spaying considered as both age-at-spay (AAS) and percentage lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones (PLGH).
C-BARQ
The C-BARQ is an owner-completed survey instrument designed to provide quantitative assessments of a wide array of behavioural characteristics of dogs. It consists of 100 items that ask respondents to indicate, using a series of 5-point ordinal rating scales, their dogs' typical responses to a variety of everyday situations during the recent past. The scales rate either the intensity (aggression, fear and excitability subscales) or frequency (all remaining subscales and miscellaneous items) of the behaviours, with a score of 0 indicating the absence of the behaviour and a score of 4 indicating the most intense or frequent form of the behaviour [75,76]. The online C-BARQ survey (http://vetapps.vet.upenn.edu/cbarq/) was reviewed by the University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board and determined to be exempt from IRB approval because no personal identifying information other than email address is collected from dog owners during survey completion. The requirement for informed consent was also waived. Participants are not actively recruited to complete the C-BARQ. Beginning in 2006, the original online survey was advertised via an article in the newsmagazine of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (http://www.vet.upenn.edu/bellwether/v64/article10.shtml), and by notices sent to Philadelphia-area veterinary clinics and the top 20 USA breed clubs based on AKC registrations. Since that time, information about the survey has been disseminated via word-of-mouth and social media among dog owners who visit the website and complete the questionnaire of their own volition.
The C-BARQ also asks respondents to specify the reasons for spaying. For the purposes of the current study, we drew data only on female dogs spayed before 520 weeks (10 years) of age. We accepted data on dogs spayed up to two weeks prior to C-BARQ evaluation for the following reasons: required by breeder/shelter (n = 3163), birth control (n = 4518), prevention of health problems (n = 1084), and correction of health problems (n = 216). We excluded dogs (n = 1552) spayed for the following reasons: to correct a behaviour problem (n = 86), to prevent a behaviour problem (n = 100), recommended by vet (n = 552) and unknown (n = 814).
Candidate attribute selection
Because of the large numbers of attributes involved, candidate attributes selection was undertaken prior to the primary analysis, to identify attributes in which there were clinically significant behavioural differences between entire and gonadectomised dogs. C-BARQ scores from 3844 entire female dogs and 11560 spayed female dogs were compared
Each behaviour was coded as a binary variable (high/low) as per McGreevy et al. [31], according to the score received in the C-BARQ and behaviours were then compared between spayed and intact female dogs. For most studied behaviours, dogs were considered to have demonstrated either a lower tendency for the behaviour (a score of Never) or a higher tendency for the behaviour (any other score). For behaviours "Playful, puppyish and boisterous" and "Active, energetic, always on the go", a more moderate division of scores was applied where scores of Never, Seldom or Sometimes were considered a low tendency, and scores of Usually or Always were considered a high tendency. The more moderate division was intended to reflect the presumed desirability of moderate frequency of these behaviours. Several Trainability behaviours ("When off the leash, returns immediately when called", "Obeys the 'sit' command immediately", "Obeys the 'stay' command immediately", "Seems to attend/listen closely to everything you say or do" and "Will 'fetch' or attempt to fetch sticks, balls, or objects") were also classified differently, with Usually or Always being grouped together to represent a high tendency. As discussed by McGreevy et al. [31], 'Always' was subjectively considered to be too stringent a standard to be truly informative for these behaviours (i.e., a dog that 'Usually' sits immediately on command would be reasonably considered to have a high tendency to obey the sit command).
The percentage of entire and spayed dogs displaying a high tendency for the behaviour for each attribute were compared. Of the 100 behaviours, 23 showed a difference of more than 5% in the proportion of higher tendency dogs between the "entire" and the "spayed" cohorts.
PLGH.
The age of the dog when it was evaluated through C-BARQ and its reported AAS were used to calculate its lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones at the time of C-BARQ evaluation using the formula: AAS/Age at time of C-BARQ evaluation x 100. It is worth noting that the PLGH does not claim to reflect on the full life of the dogs that are yet to die, only to describe the proportion of its lifetime, at the time of C-BARQ evaluation, that it has had gonadal hormones circulating. Clearly, AAS and PLGH are related but the latter indicates how long the dog has lived with gonadal hormones until the age at which she was spayed and can reveal the influence of gonadal hormones on behaviour after puberty, reflecting the role of circulating hormones in the normal behavioural biology of female dogs.
It is worth noting that we have no behavioural data on the dogs' entire lifespan. We combined C-BARQ responses of 3 and 4 on the severity of a behaviour scale to arrive at four gradations: 0, 1, 2, 3+. As stated above, we nominated a 5% difference in the frequency of behaviours between spayed and entire dogs as the threshold for a trait to undergo further analysis.
The C-BARQ data included ordinal item-scores for 100 behavioural attributes [75]. Because linear models make assumptions based on a continuously varying underlying trait, rather than a composite quasi-continuous trait assembled from ordinal scorings, analysis was undertaken on the ordinal scores directly using models better suited to ordinal data.
Model age of spaying.
The effect of AAS on C-BARQ scores was evaluated by a cumulative link model [77] with a logit link function, using the polr() function of the MASS package of R statistical software (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL https://www.R-project.org/).
This ordinal logistic regression model had the following terms:
Y ~ AAS + AgeAtEvaluation + Breed + Weight + Breed.Weight + FirstOwned + OtherDogs + Roles.
where y denotes the ordinal C-BARQ score and logit link function, AAS (weeks), Breed of dog (for the 29 breeds and crosses effects tested, see S1 Table), Weight is the weight of the dog (in pounds reported at C-BARQ evaluation), Breed.Weight is an interaction term between breed and weight, AgeAtEvaluation denotes the age of the dog at C-BARQ evaluation (in weeks), FirstOwned denotes a binary variable indicating whether or not this is the owner's first dog, Other Dogs is a binary variable indicating whether or not there are other dogs in the household, and Roles is a categorical variable indicating whether the dog is reported to be involved with breeding/showing, working roles, field trials/hunting, other sports, or none of the above.
Models PLGH evaluation.
We used two candidate models:
a full model,
Y ~ PLGH + AgeAtEvaluation + PLGH.AgeAtEvaluation + Breed + Weight + Breed.Weight + FirstOwned + OtherDogs + Roles,
which includes PLGH and an interaction term between PLGH and AgeAtEvaluation; and
a reduced model,
Y ~ PLGH + AgeAtEvaluation + Breed + Weight + Breed.Weight + FirstOwned + OtherDogs + Roles,
which does not include this second interaction term.
After calculation of the models, the Anova() function of the "car" package for R was used to calculate Anova tables for the model effects. A Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was applied to the P values arising from models for each trait to further control the risk of Type 1 error resulting from the large number of traits (i.e. 23) being tested. Once a Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons had been applied, the interaction of PLGH and AgeAtEvaluation was significant for only 7 of the 23 traits of interest (chewing inappropriate objects, aggression when approached directly by an unfamiliar male dog while being walked/exercised on a leash., pulling the leash, showing aggression when barked, growled, or lunged at by another (unfamiliar) dog, (Recall, Fetching objects, and Rolling in odours). Therefore, the reduced model was preferred, and its results are discussed further.
Among the 8981 dogs spayed prior to 520 weeks of age, AAS was positively skewed with a median of 30 weeks (6.9 months), a mean of 62.9 weeks (14.5 months) and a standard deviation of 78.1 weeks (18.0 months). PLGH for these dogs was less positively skewed, with a median of 21.2%, a mean of 31.3% and a standard deviation of 27.2%.
Of the 23 behaviours that differed between entire and spayed dogs (see S2 Table), 12 were associated with PLGH and 5 with AAS. Specifically, 10 behaviours were significantly reduced for either AAS or PLGH or both
Table 2 shows that the fear-related behaviours that decreased with increasing PLGH included only when barked, growled or lunged at by an unfamiliar dog, odds ratio of 0.997 (with an uncorrected 95% confidence interval of 0.996–0.999). This odds ratio indicates that for every additional 1% of her life before C-BARQ evaluation that passes before she is spayed the odds of a dog having a higher score for this behaviour is multiplied by 0.997(CI = 0.996–0.999). While appearing small (i.e. close to 1) on a weekly basis, this is equivalent to odds multiplied by 0.963(CI = 0.947–0.979) for an increased PLGH of 10%, (about a 5-month delay in spaying for a dog evaluated by C-BARQ at 4 years of age).
Table 2. Association of timing of spaying (AAS and PLGH) with fear- and anxiety-related responses for female dogs.
Table 3 shows the association of timing of spaying with the expression of aggressive behaviours, with a strong, statistically significant increase in the likelihood of aggression when delivery workers approach the home, (OR = 0.994,Uncorrected 95% Confidence interval of 0.9992–0.9998); when approached by an unfamiliar male dog while on leash (OR = 0.997, Uncorrected 95% Confidence interval of 0.995–0.999); and when being barked, growled or lunged at by an unfamiliar dog (OR = 0.996, Uncorrected 95% Confidence interval of 0.995–0.998). Aggression toward delivery workers was also associated with younger AAS (OR = 0.999, Uncorrected 95% Confidence interval = 0.998–0.999), but AAS was not significantly associated with the other aggressive behaviours.
Table 3. Association of timing of spaying with aggression-related responses for female dogs.
The effects of PLGH on the likelihood of owners reporting excitable behaviour and other miscellaneous problem behaviours is shown in Table 4, with the specific effects of PLGH shown in S2 Table. There was an increased likelihood of excitable behaviour when the doorbell rings, (OR = 0.989, Uncorrected 95% Confidence interval of 0.987–0.991)) and an increase in the likelihood of excitable behaviour before being taken on a car trip [(OR = 0.997, Uncorrected 95% Confidence interval of 0.995–0.998).
Table 4. Association of timing of spaying with excitability, energy and miscellaneous responses for female dogs.
Attempts to fetch objects decreased for dogs with higher PLGH [(OR = 0.993, Uncorrected 95% CI = 0.991–0.995)) and in dogs with a higher AAS [(OR = 0.997, Uncorrected 95% CI = 0.997- 0.998)) while a reduction in recall when off leash was associated with higher PLGH ((OR = 0.997, Uncorrected 95% CI = 0.995–0.999), but not with a higher AAS.
Finally, there was an increase in the likelihood of dogs with higher PLGH female dogs howling [(OR = 1.004, Uncorrected 95% Confidence interval = 1.002–1.006), and an increase in the likelihood of dogs with a higher PLGH chewing inappropriate objects (OR = 1.004, Uncorrected 95% Confidence interval = 1.003–1.006).
PLGH correlated with behavioural changes
As in the associated study on neutered male dogs [31], we found that female dogs with less exposure to their natural gonadal hormones (decreased PLGH) showed greater incidence of several fear/anxiety, aggressive, and excitable behaviours than entire female dogs in contexts such as being barked or growled at by an unfamiliar dog, when the doorbell rings or an unfamiliar person visits the home, and when approached by an unfamiliar male dog. This is consistent with Balogh and colleagues, who found that owners of spayed dogs described more frequent and/or more intense fear reaction in their dogs in response to loud noises, unfamiliar objects approaching on or near the sidewalk, or if they were approached by unknown dogs barking, growling or jumping [66]. One previous study on female German shepherd dogs reported an increase in owner-reported emotional reactivity after ovariohysterectomy [65]. With more owner-reported data supporting this finding reported here across multiple breeds and countries, there is a clear and pressing need for longitudinal studies (e.g. using data from VetCompass Australia [78] and doglogbook [79]) that can address possible causality. It is also possible that spaying reduces aggression in some contexts. For example, aggression is seen in cases of pseudopregnancy, which were more common in intact than spayed dogs [48].
Howling when left alone and chewing inappropriate objects were the only behaviours reported less frequently with decreasing lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones. Howling was also reported more frequently in low PLGH male dogs [31]. Howling when left alone has been recorded in association with separation-related distress (SRD) [80–82], although this behaviour was not limited to dogs diagnosed with SRD in one study [83]. Furthermore, it's possible howling signifies anxiety related to other factors such as confinement, and it is not possible to investigate the function of the howling recorded in C-BARQ responses. A reduction in howling may signify improved welfare if howling is associated with any form of anxiety or distress. Reduced howling may also be perceived as an advantage to owners, particularly those living in high-density city living where excessive vocalisation may lead to complaints from neighbours.
Howling emerged in this study as more commonly reported in female dogs with increasing PLGH. Howling is poorly studied in dogs and the function is not well understood, but due to this association with separation, it is thought it may be a vestigial behaviour to make social contact with absent members of the social group, which is a secondary function of this behaviour in wolves [84]. We posited that communication to attract potential mates may be the task of male members of the species [31], but the current results indicate that this form of communication is present in both sexes and is more commonly reported in dogs with increasing PLGH regardless of sex. It is unknown if reproductive status facilitates social bonding, and these are the first studies to the authors' knowledge that hint at a possible difference in social bonding between entire and gonadectomised dogs.
Chewing in high PLGH female dogs was not mirrored in the related study on male dogs, where inappropriate chewing was not significantly different between high and low PLGH male dogs [12]. Dogs appear to be motivated to chew, and it is thought to assist in teeth and gum health [85], however, chewing may also be a symptom of distress in kennelled dogs [86]. Chewing inappropriate items may be perceived as a problem behaviour by owners, and–like howling–may lead to breakdown of the human-animal bond [83]. A reduction in this behaviour may be perceived as an advantage by owners.
Chewing non-food and non-toy items has been reduced in laboratory beagles by providing human socialization sessions and environmental enrichment [87]. However, the same study recorded an increase in inappropriate chewing after play sessions with other dogs, suggesting that this behaviour may be more closely associated with arousal than with social interactions. It is therefore difficult to explain why this pattern has been detected in female dogs but not male dogs. Further research should seek confirmation of this pattern in other populations of dogs.
PLGH vs AAS
Some results differed between PLGH and AAS. PLGH can be considered a measure of how much of the dog's life has been under the influence of unaltered levels of gonadal hormones. For example, a dog that is gonadectomised at 8 months and has C-BARQ filled out for them soon after will be less exposed to gonadal hormones overall than a dog gonadectomised at 5 years that has C-BARQ filled out for them 3 years later, but will have a higher PLGH. A reduction in dogs coming when called when off leash was recorded in dogs with increasing PLGH, but this relationship did not exist for dogs with higher AAS. Also the increase in reporting dogs howling or chewing with increased PLGH did not hold for AAS. The likelihood of aggressive behaviours towards other dogs increased with decreasing PLGH, but there was no significant effect of AAS. This result may indicate behaviours that are more strongly influenced by hormones than by age–and by extension, learning. For male dogs, age at castration (AAC) has been proposed as a more useful metric to understand behaviours that develop with sexual maturity and are resistant to extinction [31]. There were no behaviours in the current analysis of female dogs that increased or decreased with AAS but not PLGH. This may be a factor of the age at which female dogs are typically gonadectomised, or it is possible that behaviours that develop under the influence of hormones in female dogs are also maintained to some degree by a hormonal effect.
Studies using data from the C-BARQ are sometimes challenged because they may reflect some owner bias but the C-BARQ results have been independently validated by comparison with the results of observational assessments [88–90]. That said, we acknowledge that respondents generally need to seek out the C-BARQ to participate in the survey and, as such, are perhaps more likely to include skilled owners who may also have different views about the timing of gonadectomy when compared with companion dog owners as a whole and may manage entire dogs more successfully than less responsible owners, who may be less attentive to their dog's behaviour. We also acknowledge that the current study has not dealt with potential breed differences in the effects of spaying before and after puberty. This would require validated information on the age at puberty of each dog described. The chief merit of such breed-specific studies is to unpack the role of breed differences, such as in fearfulness, excessive vocalisation and aggressive behaviours.
Despite the large-scale nature of this study, we cannot determine a cause-effect relationship between gonadectomy and behaviour, as there are multiple confounding factors including but not limited to age, breed, general health condition, diet, lifestyle, socialisation and household dynamics. For example, while a number of studies showed an increased risk of some cancers in spayed dogs, this could be partly explained by studies showing that spayed dogs live longer, and cancer risk increases with age [52]. But what remains unexplored is the potential difference in care [67] or even owner attachment style [91] experienced by neutered and unneutered dogs.
Furthermore, factors including genetics, epigenetics, proteomics and metabolomics are not taken into account in this and the majority of currently published studies investigating links between gonadectomy and physical or behavioural parameters [33]. This and other studies investigating the impact of neutering, whether on physical health or behaviour, are retrospective, observational studies with significant limitations in identifying causal relationships [92]. One of the challenges is that the true incidence of most dog health and behaviour problems is not known. Ideally, large-scale prospective case control cohort studies may clarify the effects of gonadectomy in female dogs, but such studies may be cost-prohibitive and are not without ethical challenges. Consistency between studies identifying specific associations between spaying and behaviour will strengthen, although not confirm definitively, the hypothesis that there is a causal link [67].
Weighing costs versus benefits of spaying
Significant ethical challenges complicate generic recommendations for gonadectomy, given continued canine overpopulation in many parts of the world [33]. The challenge is that the benefits of neutering outweigh the risks at the level of the population, but this is more nuanced at the level of the individual dog. Nonetheless, two reviews concluded that, on balance, the health and welfare of female dogs over the long term is more likely to be enhanced if those dogs are spayed [67,93].
The decision whether or not to gonadectomise is closely followed by the decision as to when to perform the surgery. For example, maximal reduction of mammary tumour risk favours earlier gonadectomy, whereas maximal reduction of the risk of atrophic vaginitis and urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence favours later gonadectomy.
Responsible pet ownership does not end with having one's pet gonadectomised. Rearing dogs and managing them in ways that meet their behavioural needs and enrich the bonds they share with their owners must be given priority as a form of preventative care. The challenges that owners face and the role of unwanted behaviours in jeopardising the human-dog bond should not be underestimated by simple, broad-scale policies.
There is a need for prospective, long-term studies across a range of breeds.
There is a need to determine how recommendations concerning the timing of spaying could incorporate factors including the urgency of the need to prevent mating, the risk of future owners overlooking the need to spay, the circumstances under which the bitch is managed, the breed's predisposition to disorders and the training expertise of the owner.
In addition to discussing the potential risks and benefits of surgical neutering, veterinarians should discuss other factors including training, diet, lifestyle, environment and preventative care
This study corroborates results from the related study on behaviour in relation to exposure to gonadal hormones in male dogs, showing a similar increased likelihood of owners reporting fearful and aggressive behaviour in their dogs with decreased exposure to gonadal hormones. Although further exploration of the relationships among peri-pubertal brain development, subsequent learning and eventual behaviour are merited, the current findings suggest that entire female dogs showed a higher likelihood of howling than gonadectomized female dogs, a relationship that was also reported in male dogs. Unlike male dogs, female dogs with longer exposure to gonadal hormones were more likely to be reported as chewers of inappropriate objects.
These findings may be helpful to veterinarians, behaviourists and trainers advising dog owners about behavioural management strategies prior to and after spaying.
Ultimately the findings echo previously voiced concerns about making blanket recommendations regarding the neutering of dogs, and the potential for long-term unintended harms [93]. In addition to discussing the potential risks and benefits of surgical neutering, veterinarians should discuss other factors including training, diet, lifestyle, environment and preventative care [94].
Aggression and fearful behaviour in dogs can emerge through a large variety of processes, and the importance of learning and genetic influences cannot be overstated. It may be alluring for dog owners and breeders to blame gonadectomy for behaviour problems that could be addressed through training and standard behaviour modification procedures, and thus absolve themselves of responsibility and fail to address them. This is a critical issue for dog owners who may not currently be adequately advised by veterinary professionals on the best course of action for their individual dog. The lack of experimental evidence combined with great interest from the dog-owning public may result in the rise of strong beliefs regarding what is best for dogs as a whole that are resistant to change through exposure to new evidence. Strong and rigid beliefs may hamper an individual approach to dog welfare and management
S1 Table. Numbers of dogs of the 27 breeds and crosses tested in the current study.
S2 Table. C-BARQ attributes showing percentage differences of high C-BARQ item scores between entire and spayed female dogs.
A negative valence in the % difference column indicates that entire dogs show high levels of the behaviour less frequently than spayed dogs.
S1 Fig. The distribution of lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones in the spayed female dogs (n = 8981) in the current study.
(TIF)
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Retail›
More than 2,000 new stores are opening in 2019 as Dollar General, TJ Maxx, and Aldi defy the retail apocalypse
Hayley PetersonMar 13, 2019, 18:15 IST
Dollar General, Aldi, TJ Maxx, Costco, and Walmart are among more than a dozen retailers that are planning to open new stores in 2019.
Overall, retailers plan to open more than 2,000 new stores this year, according to a Business Insider analysis.
This compares to the 5,300 stores that retailers are planning to close this year.
The US retail industry is undergoing a period of massive upheaval that has led to record-high rates of bankruptcies and store closures over the last several years.
Amid these losses, some retailers are thriving and continue to pursue physical growth strategies, with at least one - Dollar General - planning to add nearly 1,000 stores this year.
Many of the retailers that are opening new stores in 2019 are discounters, including Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Aldi, and TJ Maxx.
Other companies adding stores this year include Target, Walmart, Costco, and Whole Foods. Some, like Kohl's and Abercrombie & Fitch, plan to close about as many new stores as they are opening.
Overall, retailers plan to collectively open more than 2,000 new stores this year, according to a Business Insider analysis based on company data.
Here's the full list of companies opening stores.
View As: One Page Slides
Dollar General: 975 stores
Dollar General has more than 15,200 stores in 44 states, and it plans to open another 975 new stores in fiscal 2019. The company will also remodel 1,000 stores and relocate 100 stores.
Dollar Tree: 350 stores
Dollar Tree plans to open 350 new Dollar Tree stores and convert 200 Family Dollar stores into Dollar Tree stores.
Family Dollar: 200 stores
Dollar Tree plans to close about 390 Family Dollar stores and open 200 new locations.
Aldi: 130
Aldi plans to open more than 130 new stores this year and remodel 235 stores. By the end of 2019, the grocery chain will have nearly 2,000 stores in the US.
Ulta: 80 stores
Ulta has opened about 100 new stores annually for the past several years, and it now has more than 1,100 stores in the US. The company said in December that it would slow store growth to 80 new openings in 2019, followed by 75 new stores in 2020 and 70 new stores in 2021.
HomeGoods: 65 stores
HomeGoods, which is owned by TJ Maxx, will open 65 new stores in the US this year. The new openings will bring HomeGoods' total store count to more than 800 locations.
TJ Maxx and Marshalls: 60 stores
TJ Maxx plans to add 60 TJ Maxx and Marshalls stores in the US and another 80 new stores in Canada, Europe, and Australia. The new store openings will bring TJ Maxx's total store count to more than 4,500 locations.
Abercrombie & Fitch: 40 stores
Abercrombie & Fitch said in March that it plans to close up to 40 stores this year. The company also plans to open 40 new stores, including 20 Hollister stores, 15 Abercrombie Kids stores, and five Abercrombie stores.
Sprouts Farmers Market: 30 stores
Sprouts will open about 30 new stores in 2019. New locations include Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Herndon, Virginia; Jacksonville, Florida; Los Angeles, California; Marlton, New Jersey; and Mesa, Arizona.
Target: 23 stores
Target has announced 23 new store openings this year, located in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Kentucky, and New York.
Costco: 20 stores
Costco will open 20 new stores in 2019.
Dry Goods: 19 stores
The fashion retailer Dry Goods, which is owned by the department-store chain Von Maur, is planning to open 19 new stores this year. The new openings will bring its total store count to 58 locations.
HomeSense: 15 stores
TJ Maxx opened its first HomeSense stores in 2017 and said it plans to eventually open about 400 locations. The stores are similar to HomeGoods, which is also owned by TJ Maxx, but carry a wider selection of furniture than HomeGoods stores. The new openings will bring HomeSense's total store count to 31 locations.
Walmart: fewer than 10 stores
Walmart said it expects to open fewer than 10 stores in fiscal 2020.
Sierra Trading Post: 10 stores
TJ Maxx plans to open 10 Sierra Trading Post stores in 2019, bringing its total store count to 45 locations. Sierra Trading Post sells outdoor recreation and fitness gear and apparel.
Nordstrom: 7 stores
Nordstrom is opening seven stores in 2019, including two full-line department stores and five Nordstrom Rack stores. The full-line stores are opening in Manhattan and Norwalk, Connecticut. The Nordstrom Rack stores are opening in Porter Ranch and El Segundo, California; Westminster, Colorado; Baltimore, Maryland; and Staten Island, New York.
Kohl's: 4 stores
Kohl's is closing four stores in 2019 and opening four small-format stores.
The small-format stores are about 35,000 square feet and have 60% less space and 60% less inventory than a standard Kohl's store.
Wegmans: 3 stores
Wegmans is opening three stores in 2019, in Virginia Beach, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina, and Brooklyn, New York.
Whole Foods: 2 stores
Amazon-owned Whole Foods is planning to open at least two new stores this year, located in Atlanta and Commack, New York.
Next StoryFashion designer Mossimo Giannulli - whose self-titled brand once ran at Target - is accused of shelling out $500,000 to get his daughters into USC
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L Brands CEO Les Wexner said he 'regretted' crossing paths with Jeffrey Epstein
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Chipotle is giving away free guac - here's how to get some
1More than 2,000 new stores are opening in 2019 as Dollar General, TJ Maxx, and Aldi defy the retail apocalypse
2Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli - whose self-titled brand once ran at Target - is accused of shelling out $500,000 to get his daughters into USC
3Dick's Sporting Goods will stop selling guns in 100 more stores after a successful 10-store test
4Jeff Bezos has said that Amazon has had failures worth billions of dollars - here are some of the biggest ones
5Chipotle is giving away free guac - here's how to get some


10/18/2018- Upgrades will be coming to the M&M Yacht Club as part of a new lease deal between the Club and the City of Menominee given the green light this week. City Council approved the agreement which would have the Yacht Club performing improvement work totaling around $75000 in lieu of rent for ten years. The Yacht Club's project mainly involves bringing the building into ADA compliance by raising a portion of the floor inside the building and building access ramps outside. Lease terms require the work to be completed within 24 months.


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Student ambassador showing prospective students around Magdalen College.
Although University of Oxford colleges have been working with schools across the East Midlands for many years, students from your area are still under-represented at Oxford and we want this to change. It's time for a new approach!
Lincoln College, Magdalen College and St Edmund Hall are excited to be combining forces to launch Oxford for East Midlands, our community outreach programme in your area. This ambitious programme will help us provide better and more bespoke support for students, parents and teachers.
Our aims are ambitious:
For students in the East Midlands to enjoy their learning, to think big and become independent learners
To inspire students of all ages and from all backgrounds to have the confidence to be themselves and to be ambitious about their futures
To improve the educational opportunities of all students
To encourage more students from the East Midlands to aim for top universities and to achieve their goals
By 2023, to increase the number of students from currently under-represented groups from 15% of the current UK undergraduate intake to 25% of the UK undergraduate intake
For Oxford University to be a realistic goal for anyone with academic talent and commitment.
For more details on the research underpinning these commitments, please see the University of Oxford's Access and Participation Plan.
In 2020 we launched Oxford NextGen - a targeted, sustained-contact programme working with select schools across Derby, Leicester, Northampton, and Nottingham.
We are also developing partnerships with local authorities, multi academy trusts, community organisations, local universities and social mobility organisations. The colleges will also continue their existing work in London.
Please note that if you or your school do not fall into our access categories, there is still plenty of advice and support available for you here and on the University website. All schools, sixth form and further education colleges have a point of contact within University of Oxford who will be happy to provide information and advice on admissions and outreach. You are also welcome to contact us via the contact form.
We do not expect to make radical changes overnight, but hope to build lasting partnerships across the region which will benefit the whole school community as well as our University.
We will evaluate the impact of our outreach across the East Midlands and publish an annual impact report here.
Find out more about outreach at the University of Oxford.


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Once opened store in a cool, dry place, preferably in an air tight container.
Pistachio Nuts, Salt, Natural Flavouring.


The zaniest, sassiest and the boldest start to an adventurous year – a New Years Eve on the cruise is probably going to be the best way to welcome the new year and make it a night to remember!
Here's 5 reasons you'll agree why we think so!
That is the best thing about celebrating New Year on a cruise, multiple parties instead of one. Events such as Karaoke, Balloon Dropping Ceremony, Orchestra, Songs By The Piano, Dance Party with Golden Melodies, A Times Square style themed party, A Crazy Fiesta for the kids and teens and dancing under the stars, leave no stone unturned in making sure you try a host of activities you wouldn't normally do. This is exactly why cruises are a great place to celebrate because they have something for everyone in the family. We say so because events such as Tree Lighting and Decked out décor, Santa's Arrival Parade, Holiday Games and Parties, Holiday Pajamas Movie Night, Caroling, Holiday Crafts and Story Time with Family, make sure it is not just you who is having all the fun. This is the hottest celebration in sea and you are invited!
Major cities such as Sydney are the first to hit the midnight in the world. How would you feel if we told you that you could be one of the first few to see the clock turn twelve and start a new year? The spectacular displays, the Harbour of the night and the Parade are all set to greet you on the New Year's Eve. Well, the fun is not just limited to Sydney. Miami, Singapore, Shanghai, Puerto Rico, Orlando, just name it and your wish shall be fulfilled. So you can now enjoy fireworks at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, join the 3,00,000 people who watch the 'Big Bang' people in Shanghai, celebrate with the coolest DJs and singers in Miami, enjoy at a club or upbeat restaurant with all the buzz around in Puerto Rico. It's a going to be a perfect mix of fun at the sea followed by some kickass fun at the destination you choose.
That is the best thing about cruises! Easy to book, minimal planning and ultimate fun. You don't have to fret about having a party at your place, inviting people over, doing up the place, deciding on the games. All this can really be ticked off your list. All you need to do is decide on your destination and stateroom, and you can head towards the time of your life without caring about frivolous time consuming things. This is how it is going to be a happy Happy New Year!
4) And this time you won't fret about driving home!
New Year is the time when all of us want to let go of all the worries and routine activities and have unprecedented fun. It's actually a pain to head back home and do the routine activities before you go off to sleep. On the contrary, you could either be on a cruise ship and you can head back to your room without worrying about anything or enjoy a shore excursion in an unexplored destination in Florida or Singapore.
5) A DJ Night? Karaoke? Sumptuous Food? Check!
The two things that complete a celebration are good food and good music. And a cruise gives you these and much more. Be all set for some sumptuous Latin style, Mexican and Chinese food. To add to that, some innovative dishes inspired by movies with some quirky technology integration in more than 20 restaurants on a cruise ship can spoil you for choices and make your new year the most amazing time ever. And the highlight is clearly going to be the amazing on-board activities such as DJ night with DJ Sherron, Times Square New Year Style Party with Top Notch, Elegant's New Year Eve Party with Grace Trio and the New Year's Eve Party with Golden Melodies. And all this will make sure your new year is more beautiful than ever before.
Now that you know what you have in store, what are you waiting for? Get on-board a cruise, witness breath-taking spectacles like never before and forget all your worries. To know more, log on to www.tirun.com or call at 1800-11-5464.
5 Reasons Why Symphony Of The Seas can be your dream cruise ship!
Just Cruise - blogs, videos & updates !


Idaho became the first state in the nation on Wednesday to enact legislation to allow motorists to use a smart phone to demonstrate proof of insurance coverage.
Gov. Butch Otter signed Senate Bill 1319, which enables Idaho motorists to either show proof of coverage with a smartphone app or a PDF copy of proof saved on a phone, as well as the traditional hard copy proof of insurance card.
SB 1319 was unanimously approved by the Senate and in the House of Representatives on a 64 – 1 vote. The law takes effect July 1.
Christopher Murphy, CA Office of Traffic Safety, Sen. Joe Simitian, and others announce launch of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign which starts April 1, say the month-long effort involving "more than 200 CHP offices and California law enforcement agencies" cracks down on distracted, "zombie-like" drivers.
10 a.m., Plaza in front of Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J St.
Also listed: Warren Stanley, CHP; Kelly Browning, Impact Teen Drivers.
Also features: distracted driver "Zombies" in full make up and character, crashed car, distracted driving simulator, new TV commercial, etc.
CELLPHONE FINES: Democratic Sen. Joe Simitian will take another stab at raising penalties for using cell phones while driving today when Senate Transportation and Housing takes up Senate Bill 1310. The measure also extends the ban to bicyclists.
The bill is much like one that drew a gubernatorial veto last year, but raises base fines by just $10.
The idea is that the fee increase will pay for education on the perils of talking or texting while moving down the road. The hearing starts at 1:30 p.m. in room 4203 at the Capitol.
Insurance carriers in California and two other principally democratic states are being required to report to the Departments not only about how their operations are affecting climate change, but also the impact that climate change could have on their operations. Sometimes the real news out of this Department is just too ludicrous to report with a straight face. This is one of those times.
The survey by the California Department of Insurance (CDI) is being conducted in conjunction with the New York Department of Financial Services and the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
The insurance industry has mixed feelings about California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, assessing him as average or below average in a handful of categories.
Comments from poll takers on Jones performance ranged from high praise to harsh criticism.
"Best state insurance commissioner in my opinion," one poll taker wrote.
Are you one of the 88%?
If you are, you're either a shrewd saver or a reckless gambler.
According to the Insurance Information Network of California, more than 88% of homeowners in the state – and more than 90% of businesses – forgo the expense of buying earthquake insurance, saving perhaps $400 to $1,200 a year in annual premiums.
But an insurance network spokesman said that they could be taking a huge risk with their biggest asset – their real estate.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers and election officials worried about the effect of postal closures on elections are considering extending the voting period for mail-in-ballots, a move that could delay results by days or even weeks.
Election officials are concerned that longer delivery times will disenfranchise tens of thousands ofabsentee voters after the U.S. Postal Service begins closing post offices and mail distribution centersthis summer.
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has announced the appointments to the California Organized Investment Network (COIN) Advisory Board. Please click title to read the press release.


This pocket-sized Handbook for Lampignano and Kendrick's text has it all: new radiographic images, revised critiques, and more. Bontrager's Handbook of Radiographic Positioning and Techniques, 9th Edition provides bulleted instructions, along with photos of properly positioned patients, to help you safely and confidently position for the most-commonly requested radiographic studies. Suggested techniques and critique points offer a quick reference for evaluating your own radiographs, making it an invaluable tool for learning radiographic positioning in clinical settings.Positioning chapters organized with one projection per page to present a snapshot of information in an easily accessible and portable format. Unique page layout - positioning photos and radiographic images are presented on the same page with the text explanation of each procedure - to show you how the patient should be positioned and what the image should look like. Page number references for the text are included at the bottom of each positioning page so you can easily refer to the text for greater detail and explanation concerning a particular position. 217 projections/positions and 4 conversion charts provide the essential information needed for quick reference. Positioning presentations include positioning instructions, as well as: Collimation guidelines for each projection. Suggested starting exposure factors, including kVp, mAs, SID (source-image receptor distance), type and speed of film and screens, use of grids, and large or small focal spot. Suggested AEC (automatic exposure control) pick-up cell location when photo-timed equipment can be used. Space for writing in exposure factors (techniques) for specific equipment being used. This quick review of information before beginning a procedure helps assure you that the exam is being correctly performed with the least possible patient dose.


text:
Thinking Federalist
Tales from a parliamentary republic : South Africa
3 août 2018 , par Jordan Barry
Federica Mogherini at a meeting with Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the South African Minister Of International Relations and Cooperation. Photo : European External Action Service / Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
I could write about how the perfect European federation would be modelled on the United States of America ; after all, I have deep personal ties to the other side of the Atlantic and have studied their Constitution in depth. But Europe has a history of parliamentary democracy and it's something we're all fond of, so where then do we look for inspiration in creating our new continent ? Does Germany have the answers ? Maybe Canada knows something we don't. Or perhaps we could turn to an unlikely candidate for ideas, South Africa. Before you start commenting on its relative political instability or potential corruption, hear me out.
Unlike many other parliamentary democracies, the Republic of South Africa has one person acting as both Head of State and Head of Government elected by the National Assembly (the lower house). This works well with our aim of merging the presidencies of the European Council and Commission, and it also ensures that the executive must maintain the confidence of Parliament in order to govern. Crucially, there is one key advantage of this over a US-style presidency : there shall be no gridlock between the Commission and Parliament. This flaw haunts the US political system time and again, and has contributed to the rise of populism as well as understandably fuelling a disconnect between the people and its politicians. People just don't like watching governments achieve nothing. Consequently, the ability for the Commission and Parliament to be able to dismiss one another and receive a new mandate is vital to ensuring a smoothly running political system.
Whilst South Africa is not a de jure federation, it could be looked at as a de-facto one. Nine provinces are given control over agriculture, education, health, housing and other policy to ensure a clear division of powers between the national and provincial governments. Each legislature of the province is able to select six delegates for the National Council whilst the Governments select four delegates each to enable the representation of both the legislatures and executives of each province. In relation to Europe, this would be the equivalent of merging the European Council and the Council of the EU with an inclusion of national parliaments in the European Federation.
A strong upper house will enable representation of smaller states in the Federation, which is of key importance given that Europe has one of the largest differences in population between its smallest and largest state (Germany is over 180 times more populous than Malta). What this would then enable is the transformation of the current European Parliament away from degressive proportionality and towards a one-person-one-vote system potentially with a transnational list – however, MEPs should always be accountable to a specific geographic area, not the entire federation.
We must remember, though, that this is not a radical change from the current political system of the European Union, merely a reorganisation into something more coherent, understandable and accessible. It will maintain the voice of the national governments in decision making as well as even extending this voice to their respective legislatures, and guarantees this to all states equally. It allows for the Commission to gain its legitimacy from the Parliament where both branches can dismiss one another to prevent gridlock – strengthening the Spitzenkandidat process. Finally, we can have one President that all citizens can say has democratic legitimacy and can be removed easily if necessary.
South Africa may not be the first country you think of as a model for the political future of Europe but rest assured its Constitution sets out a fine example of de-facto federalism, sound bicameralism, parliamentary democracy and presidential governance.
Jordan Barry
Jordan is a Conservative activist and student with an interest in economic and constitutional policy.
Twitter : @jordan_fpmb


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A study from the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that more than 3 million people died in 2016 as a result of the harmful use of alcohol. It is one in every 20 people, or 5 percent, of the 60 million deaths worldwide from all causes. It is 6 people dying every minute of every day, around the clock, all year long.
A breakdown of alcohol-related deaths finds that 28 percent are due to intentional and unintentional injuries, from causes such as traffic accidents, suicide and interpersonal violence. Another 21 percent is from digestive disorders, and 19 percent from cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Also cited are various cancers, infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, a host of mental disorders and numerous other health issues.
In fact, the WHO report says that harmful alcohol use is "a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions."
The report, Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health is published every four years. It provides details about the effects that alcohol consumption is having on the global population, and a look at how various countries are trying to deal with it.
"Far too many people, their families and communities suffer the consequences of the harmful use of alcohol through violence, injuries, mental health problems and diseases like cancer and stroke," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. "It's time to step up action to prevent this serious threat to the development of healthy societies."
Dr. Tedros is an Ethiopian politician, academic, and public-health authority who has been the WHO's director general since 2017.
Alcohol use disorders and alcohol-related illness and death are far higher among males than females. An estimated 237 million men and 46 million women suffer from alcohol-use disorders, with most in the European region (14.8 percent and 3.5 percent) and the Americas (11.5 percent and 5.1 percent). Roughly 2.3 million of the 3 million alcohol-related deaths worldwide are among men.
Globally, 13.5 percent of all deaths among people in the 20-to-39 age group are linked to alcohol. This astonishing statistic may be rooted in the fact that 27 percent of kids aged 15-to-19 are already regular drinkers. Many carry those dangerous behaviors into their 20s and 30s, with drastic results.
In some regions, current drinking among 15-to-19-year-olds is far above the 13.5 percent world average. In Europe, for example, it's at 44 percent, and in the Americas and Western Pacific, it's at 38 percent. In many countries, alcohol use starts before the age of 15, and with little difference between boys and girls.
The study also found this interesting fact: Although alcohol-use disorders are more common in high-income countries, the negative effects – social problems, illness and death – are worse among those with lower incomes.
In addition to all the negative health effects already mentioned, causal relationships have been established between harmful drinking and the incidence of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Harmful alcohol use also brings "significant social and economic losses to individuals and society at large."
"All countries can do much more to reduce the health and social costs of the harmful use of alcohol," said Dr. Vladimir Poznyak, Coordinator of WHO's Management of Substance Abuse unit. He cites "proven, cost-effective actions" such as increased taxes on alcoholic drinks, restrictions on advertising and "restricting the physical availability of alcohol."
Most countries restrict at least some advertising, such as bans for ads on TV and radio, but less on social media. Most countries also employ excise taxes, but less than half ban below-cost selling or volume discounts.
"We would like to see Member States implement creative solutions that will save lives, such as taxing alcohol and restricting advertising," Dr. Tedros said. "We must do more to cut demand and reach the target set by governments of a 10 percent relative reduction in consumption of alcohol globally between 2010 and 2025."
Before we get too bent out of shape by all this scary news, you should know that there have been positive global trends in heavy episodic drinking since 2010, as well as a decline in alcohol-related deaths. In fact, more than half of the global population aged 15 years and over (57 percent or 3.1 billion people) actually abstained from drinking alcohol in the 12 months prior to the study.
Yes, we do have problems with substance use disorders here in the USA and around the world. But as governments and citizens increasingly step forward to address those problems, we are making progress.


Renata Bucher named XTERRA Asia-Pacific Tour Technical Director Aab-Xterra Fri, 02/08/2019 - 11:01 Swiss triathlon great Renata Bucher has been named the new technical director for the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Tour.
Swiss triathlon great Renata Bucher has been named the new technical director for the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Tour.
The 41-year-old from Lucerne won 34 XTERRA championship races and four XTERRA European Tour titles in her illustrious 15-year career. The "Swiss Miss" is also the most successful racer in the history of XTERRA's Asia-Pacific region having captured seven XTERRA Saipan titles, XTERRA Guam and XTERRA Philippines three times, XTERRA Malaysia twice, and XTERRA Japan, New Zealand, and Australia once each.
Bucher will travel to and be responsible for quality controls at five events in 2019, including the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Championship race in Kenting (3/30), XTERRA New Zealand (4/6), XTERRA Tahiti (5/31), XTERRA Japan (9/15), and the inaugural XTERRA Kunming off-road triathlon in China (9/22).
In addition to verifying that the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Tour race courses are safe and properly marked, Bucher will assist in all aspects of race operations and administration to assure a high quality XTERRA event experience. She will also scout new venues, assist in the development of the XTERRA Coaching Certification program, and serve as the elite athlete liaison for the region.
Learn more about the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Tour at xterraplanet.com.


On Wednesday night, HLS feted Prof. William W. ("Terry") Fisher III as he received the Hale and Dorr Intellectual Property chair. It was an exceptional event: a standing-room-only crowd in Austin East and a lecture, prompted by Dean Elena Kagan's inauguration of a new-to-HLS-but-nonetheless-venerable tradition, on the state of the field of the freshly-chaired professor. The lecture, entitled "The Disaggregation of Intellectual Property," is online here as part of the Berkman media library, and well worth the hour spent watching it. It's rare to see someone endeavor to describe the state of their field — let alone a field as complex as intellectual property law — and Prof. Fisher does an exceptional job of it.


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Web 1.0 + Web 2.0 = Web 3.0
Yes, I've seen the future of the Internet and it is summarized by the most prosaic of arithmetical truths: Web 1.0 + Web 2.0 = Web 3.0. The future of the Internet is the combination of the traditional media expertise of Web 1.0 media with the user-generated democracy of the Web 2.0 revolution. That represents the best of all worlds and is manifested by the deal announced on Wednesday in Frankfurt between Bertelsmann and Wikipedia.
Bertelsmann is, of course, the quintessential authoritative media company -- the German owned international empire of publishing houses (Random House), record labels (BMG), magazine publishers (Gruner & Jahr) and broadcasting companies (RTL Group). The user-generated information website Wikipedia, in contrast -- with its absence of central authorities, controls or formal editors -- is the anti Bertelsmann media company.
So what happens when you combine the best of Bertelsmann and Wikipedia?
You get Bertelsmann's plan to publish the German version of Wikipedia's content in a one-volume physical book. Now, of course, the current information on the German language Wikipedia site would fill a multi-volume set of encyclopedias. So what the deal involves is editors at the Bertelsmann subsidary Wissen Media acting as the expert curators of Wikipedia's user-generated content. Professional editors, then, will pick 50,000 commonly researched keywords from the 740,000 entries on Wikipedia and then standardize these entries as short definitions in what will be called a Lexical Yearbook which will sell for 20 euros.
Rather than the Lexical, maybe they should call it the Lyrical Yearbook. It certainly represents a lyrical marriage of the best of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. What I particularly like about the deal is that 1 euro from every Yearbook sale will be donated to Wikimedia Deutschland. I just hope that the Germans figure out a way to financially reward Wikipedia editors for their labor.
This Lexical Yearbook -- and not unrealisable abstractions like the Semantic Web -- is the real commercial future of the Internet. Web 1.0 + Web 2.0 = Web 3.0. The future, then, is a mash-up of Bertelsmann and Wikipedia. Everybody wins. Trust the practical Germans to transform clever American innovation into viable commercial product. Now can we expect a similar deal between The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the blogosphere to produce a a paper newsblog?
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Q: How to use event.x and event.y as variable that i use every where i try to many times to use event.x & event.y  out side the function but nothing works
from tkinter import *

root = Tk()

def start_mouse_press(event):
    print(f"starting mouse at {event.x, event.y}")

def stop_mouse_press(event):
    print(f"stopping mouse at {event.x, event.y}")

root.bind('<ButtonPress-1>', start_mouse_press)
root.bind('<ButtonRelease-1>', stop_mouse_press)

root.mainloop()

A: Whilst not specifically neat, you can use global variables to store the start position for usage later.
Consider the below example
from tkinter import *

root = Tk()

start_pos = None

def start_mouse_press(event):
    global start_pos
    start_pos = (event.x, event.y)

def stop_mouse_press(event):
    print(f"Start Pos {start_pos}\nEnd Pos {event.x, event.y}")

root.bind("<ButtonPress-1>", start_mouse_press)
root.bind("<ButtonRelease-1>", stop_mouse_press)

The start position is recorded so that when the mouse button is released, both the start and end positions can be printed.

A: You will never be able to access event outside of the function of which event is an argument.
This is a matter of scope, if you wish to use event elsewhere, pass event as an argument to the next function you wish to use it in.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Midday News To Use 9.23.2020
Following months of outrage, activism and anticipation, a Kentucky grand jury has decided to indict a former Louisville Metro Police Department officer who fatally shot Breonna Taylor in March. Not because he shot Breonna Taylor, but because he shot into another apartment. The grand jury did not announce charges against the other two officers involved. The police department shut down parts of downtown Louisville to car traffic, saying they wanted to ensure the area is safe for demonstrators and those who otherwise live and work there.
Too Soon
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is lying in repose at the U.S. Supreme Court today and Thursday, a two-day event honoring a justice who was both a cultural and legal icon.
Supreme Court police officers served as pallbearers. Then the justice's family, close friends and members of the court held a brief ceremony in the court's Great Hall.
Rabbi Holtzblatt, whose husband served as a law clerk for Ginsburg, said the justice's life's work was "to insist that the Constitution deliver on its promise, that we the people would include all the people. She carried out that work in every chapter of her life."
Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. have surpassed 200,000, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University. With more than 40,000 new cases a day, more than half of the US is seeing increases in numbers. 5 states are showing the highest increase. Missouri, Virginia, North Dakota, South Dakota and Hawaii.
Not Done Yet
Some places in the US experienced very unhealthy or hazardous air from wildfires for the first time ever, according to EPA air quality data. This year 1 in 7 Americans are affected, an increase of more than 9 million people compared to 2018, the worst previous year.