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Detection dogs are trained to locate a variety of substances to provide security and protection for the public and the environment, but access to substances for training is often limited. Various training aids have been created to deliver target odors as safer or more accessible alternatives to using the actual substance material, many of which are commercially available. However, the methods used to create and validate the effectiveness of these training aids are rarely reported or available to consumers, leading to uncertainty regarding their use. There has been a recent drive in the detection canine community to create standards by which to measure the manufacture and utility of canine training aids, but little progress has been made in determining how a reliable canine training aid should be developed and which analytical measurements should be utilized. While the interest in and need for an independently evaluated training aid is clear, developers typically do not release the necessary information, whether for proprietary or other reasons. Transparent analysis and procedures would allow for direct examination of training aids using objective measures, which in turn would allow canine teams to select the best tool to achieve their mission. To this end, the current manuscript provides a stepwise method for the development and validation of a novel canine training aid, using triacetone triperoxide as an example target. This method can be applied to the creation of training aids of many different target odors, such as explosives, narcotics, chemical warfare agents, or biological diseases and viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolutionary pressures have driven speciesspecific sensory system modifications resulting in a diversity of capabilities and adaptations. The sense of smell, olfaction, is an important sensory system in companion animals for communication, modulating behavior and influencing biological fitness. The enhanced olfactory acuity of companion animals relative to humans, and in particular domestic dogs, has led to employment of these animals in modern society as highly capable biological sensors. The use of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals in companion animals may directly or indirectly impact olfactory acuity. Identifying knowledge gaps, exploring capabilities, and addressing limitations associated with pharmaceutical and nutraceutical interventions is important in optimizing outcomes and maintaining minimal side effects, especially in working animals performing olfactory-based tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The guidelines are the first comprehensive consensus report on veterinary healthcare recommendations for working, assistance, and therapy dogs. This category of canine patients includes a broad assortment of animals, some with well-defined functions and others that provide a more generalized support role. The guidelines discuss recommendations for dogs trained for protection, odor/scent detection, service functions for people with diagnosed disabilities or physical limitations, emotional support, and therapeutic intervention. Although the term is often used to describe dogs providing animal-assisted activities, true therapy dogs provide goal-directed therapy, often under the supervision of a healthcare professional such as an occupational therapist or psychologist. Many working dogs undergo extensive training and have rigorous physical demands placed upon them. These factors make working, assistance, and therapy dogs inherently valuable and impose a need for a high level of primary veterinary care as described in the guidelines. Because working dogs have a particularly close relationship with their handlers, a trust relationship between the practice team and the working-dog client is imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olfactory responses are intensely enhanced with the addition of endogenous and engineered primarily-elemental small zinc nanoparticles (NPs). With aging, oxidation of these Zn nanoparticles eliminated the observed enhancement. The design of a polyethylene glycol coating to meet storage requirements of engineered zinc nanoparticles is evaluated to achieve maximal olfactory benefit. The zinc nanoparticles were covered with 1000 g/mol or 400 g/mol molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG). Non-PEGylated and PEGylated zinc nanoparticles were tested by electroolfactogram with isolated rat olfactory epithelium and odorant responses evoked by the mixture of eugenol, ethyl butyrate and (±) carvone after storage at 278 K (5 oC), 303 K (30 oC) and 323 K (50 oC). The particles were analyzed by atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and laser Doppler velocimetry. Our data indicate that stored ZnPEG400 nanoparticles maintain physiologically-consistent olfactory enhancement for over 300 days. These engineered Nanoparticles support future applications in olfactory research, sensitive detection, and medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R4690 --> 664.15 --> Odorants interact with specialized G‐protein coupled receptors lining the cilia of the olfactory sensory neuron initiating an intracellular cascade of signal transduction events resulting in cAMP‐gated ion channel opening and generation of ion currents. These ion currents polarize the cilia membrane resulting in the voltage transition across the olfactory epithelium, which can be recorded as an electroolfactogram (EOG). The observed dose‐dependent change of the EOG amplitude after stimulation of olfactory epithelium with the mixture of odorant and electron donors and acceptors indicates a potential involvement of electrons in the initial events of signal transduction. Our model of signal transduction consists of a dimer of the G‐protein coupled olfactory receptors positioned vertically in the phospholipid bilayer between olfactory extracellular mucus layer and the intracellular cytoplasm, within the cilia of the olfactory sensory neuron. In this model, two identical receptors of the dimer form an odorant activated potassium ion channel. Prior to odorant binding at the receptor, the ion channel gate is closed. Each receptor has a single biding site for the odorant molecule on the extracellular end located within the mucus layer, and a binding site for the heterotrimeric G‐protein complex within the cytoplasm. The brief binding of odorant molecules to the mucosal part of the receptors causes the ion channel to open and pass intracellular potassium ions to the extracellular mucus layer. The potassium‐coupled electrons polarize the cytoplasmic portion of the receptors and facilitate activation of the bound G‐protein complex thereby influencing the subsequent signal cascade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]