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Since the passage of the Wild Free‐Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, federal agencies have been responsible for managing free‐roaming equids in the United States. Over the last 20 years, management has been hampered by direct opposition from advocacy groups, budget limitations, and a decline in the public's willingness to adopt free‐roaming horses (Equus caballus). As a result, free‐roaming equid numbers have increased to >3 times the targeted goal of 26,785 (horses and burros [E. asinus] combined), the cumulative sum of the appropriate management levels (AML) for all 177 designated herd management areas (HMA) managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This increase is one of the causes of greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population declines, owing to habitat alteration from free‐roaming equids exacerbated by ongoing drought. To evaluate potential demographic mechanisms influencing these declines, we compiled survival data from 4 studies in central Wyoming, USA, including 995 adult female (first‐year breeders or older) sage‐grouse during the breeding season, 1,075 nests, 372 broods, and 136 juveniles (i.e., overwinter survival for fledged young), from 2008–2022. During this period, we also obtained population information for free‐roaming horses from 9 HMAs used by individual grouse in our sample. Population estimates of free‐roaming horses for these HMAs ranged from 59% to 7 times of the maximum appropriate management level (AMLmax). Sage‐grouse monitored outside of HMAs represented control populations and, because we assumed they were not exposed to populations of free‐roaming horses, we set values of AMLmax to zero for all grouse located outside of HMAs. To evaluate whether free‐roaming horses were negatively affecting sage‐grouse, we modeled daily survival of breeding age females, nest, broods, and juveniles. There was strong or moderate evidence that overabundant free‐roaming horses negatively affected nest, brood, and juvenile survival. When horse abundance increased from AMLmax to 3 times AMLmax, survival was reduced 8.1%, 18.3%, 18.2%, and 18.2% for nests, early broods (≤20 days after hatch), late broods (>20 days to 35 days after hatch), and juveniles, respectively. These results indicate increasing free‐roaming horse numbers affected vital rates for important life stages of sage‐grouse, and that maintaining free‐roaming horse numbers below AMLmax would reduce negative effects to sage‐grouse populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) comprises nodes having small sensors and transceivers for sensing, tracking, and data collection in diverse scenarios. Managing sensor energy is crucial, especially in challenging environments where battery backup is difficult. To optimize sensor node energy, the integration of clustering and routing strategies becomes an effective solution. However, the deployment of sensor nodes introduces challenges such as high energy usage, packet loss, minimal network lifespan, and packet transmission delays. So, this research introduces an Energy Efficient Multiobjective Improved Wild Horse Optimization technique (EE-MIWHO) using Levy flight concept from Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CSA) to enhance WSN energy efficiency. The advantage of the Levy flight helps the WHO to improve its exploration ability for searching the optimal solutions effectively. The EE-MIWHO calculates an objective function, while CHs closer to the BS are involved in more transmission operations. This approach efficiently ensures a balanced distribution of energy consumption among network nodes. The primary objective of the proposed EE-MIWHO approach is reducing energy usage among WSN network, along with increasing the PDR, throughput, alive node count and network lifetime. To determine the enhanced performance of EE-MIWHO, comparative evaluations are conducted against the traditional approaches namely, Heterogeneous Optimized Cuckoo Krill (HECK) protocol, Crosslayer-based Opportunistic Routing Protocol (CORP), Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy with Improved Spider Monkey Optimization (ISMO), and Cross-layer-based Energy-Efficient WSN (CL-EEWSN). Thus, this research reveals that the EE-MIWHO outperforms the traditional approaches such as HECK and CORP with more count of alive nodes of 198 for 300 rounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a hybrid AHO-SNN-based energy management (EM) of hybrid energy systems (HES) with an efficient economic model. The proposed hybrid method is combined with the Archerfish Hunting Optimizer (AHO) and Spiking Neural Network (SNN). Commonly, it is named as AHO-SNN technique. The major aim of the AHO-SNN method is the efficient economical modeling of HES and the study of sizing and EM. The comprehensive approach for describing the ideal size EM system (EMS) combination for HES is presented in this paper. The HESs, like fuel cell (FC), electrolyzer (EL), PV, battery energy system (BES), diesel generator (DSL), and hydrogen tank (HT). To determine the ideal size-EMS combination, this new EMS is employed to re-use the analytical as well as economic sizing. The AHO-SNN technique is implemented in the MATLAB software and is compared to various existing techniques. The AHO-SNN method provides an optimum outcome than the existing Particle Swarm optimization (PSO), Heap based optimizer (HBO), and Wild horse optimizer (WHO) methods. The power comparison of the existing technique HBO achieved power is 30 W, WHO is 20 W, WHO is around 10 W. In the proposed technique, the power generated is 40 W, which is way higher than the existing techniques. After implementing the integrated framework, the size of PV is cut in half, from 140 to 60 kW, which reduces the electrolyzer and the size of the hydrogen tank in also cut in half. In addition to a 35% decrease in diesel generator working hours and a 40% reduction in the leveled energy cost, PV degrades at a rate of 0.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emphysema is normally employed in the sense of morphology, and thus, imaging the modalities has a significant part in detecting the disorder. Most importantly, the High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) is a trustworthy component for illustrating the emphysema pathology. Hence, the pulmonary emphysema diagnosis at the starting stage is very important and can secure the life of a human. When there is a failure in the technique, there is a possibility of the death that displays the importance of effective diagnosis. The endotracheal intubation’s delay is prevented by implementing distinct mechanisms that result in various requirements. The presented work develops a deep learning-aided pulmonary emphysema disease classification model that is implemented to defeat the above difficulties. At first, the images are accumulated from a standard dataset. Then, the collected images are provided to the phase of segmentation. Here, the newly developed Adaptive Trans-Residual Dense UNet (ATRDUNet) is employed to perform the segmentation process. Also, the recommended ATRDUNet model helps to locate the disease in the appropriate location. Moreover, the performance of the segmentation process is enriched to fine-tune the parameter using the Fitness Revised Position of Wild Horse Optimizer (FRP-WHO). While optimizing the parameters effectively, it tends to handle the complex issues to strengthen the model accurately. The segmented results from the ATRDUNet are passed to Vision Transformer-based Residual DenseNet with LSTM layer (ViTrans-RDLSTM) for getting the final classified outcome. To this end, the analysis of the suggested model is correlated to find the effectiveness of the recommended model. However, these results are examined with the help of standard performance measures. Also, the experimentation is carried out using the standard “Automatic emphysema detection using weakly labeled HRCT lung images” dataset to attain better outcomes in the developed model. The findings of the recommended approach show 95% in terms of accuracy. Also, the statistical analysis of the developed model shows 23.9%, 12.3%, 15.2%, and 13.0% better performance than BWO, CO, HBA, and WHO in terms of mean analysis to show enriched performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Dülmen wild horses have been managed by the Dukes of Croÿ for about 180 years in the Merfelder Bruch, a region near Dülmen in Westphalia, Germany. The Dülmen wild horses are freely roaming in this area of about 1400 acres all year round without human intervention and have to cope with the harsh natural conditions. Each breeding season 2–3 stallions are employed to sire foals. Herdbook records for this herd are not available due to the wildlife living conditions, free from any human disturbances. In this present study, we analyzed the distribution of the male progeny by their sires and whether sire effects on the genetic diversity and structure in the male progeny can be found. The genetic substructure in female progeny could not be evaluated as the fillies could not be captured for sampling. The paternal half-sib groups showed a very similar genetic diversity, but pairwise genetic distances and neighbor-joining dendrograms indicated a clustering by sires and a marker variance of 9% between paternal progeny groups. Bayesian cluster analysis supported subdivision into paternal progeny groups. Cluster memberships to paternal progeny groups, which were sired in the same year but by different sires, may also be related to mares, while clusters of paternal progeny from the same sire, but in intervals of more than one year, could not be distinguished. The employment of sires which are able to withstand the harsh natural conditions may also ensure a high genetic diversity in their progeny. The objectives of the present study were to analyze the influence of the stallions employed in the Dülmen wild horses on the genetic diversity and population substructure using Bayesian cluster analysis. The Dülmen wild horse is maintained as a unique horse population exposed to the natural conditions all year round in the Merfelder Bruch near Dülmen in Westphalia, Germany. Stallions selected for breeding have to prove their abilities to survive under this harsh environment. We used multilocus genotypic information from a set of 29 autosomal microsatellites to determine the paternity of 185 male foals sired by nine stallions. As females could not be sampled, we could not make inferences on all yearlings and test whether there are differences in the genetic population parameters between both sexes. The mean number of progeny was 19.92 with a range of 2–32, caused by the length of the service period per stallion. The average observed and unbiased expected heterozygosity was 0.688 and 0.631, the mean number of alleles was 4.448, and Wright's FIS was −0.173. Pairwise genetic distances (FST and Nei's unbiased genetic distances) were significant and varied between 0.038 to 0.091 and 0.085 to 0.290, respectively. Neighbor-joining dendrogram plots clustered a large proportion of the paternal progeny groups in different branches. Posterior Bayesian analyses using seven paternal half-sib groups with 10–74 members supported a maximum of six clusters, with two paternal progeny groups not differing, and a median of five clusters, with two groups of two sires each falling into the same clusters. When sires were employed in non-consecutive years, progeny from these different years of the same sires were grouped in the same cluster, whereas the progeny of one sire from two consecutive years were in different clusters. We were able to distinguish male progeny from Dülmen wild horse stallions and to show the effects of stallion use on the genetic substructure in the Dülmen wild horse herd. In conclusion, the analyses showed the genetic potential of the Dülmen wild horse stallions to maintain a high genetic diversity and also the effects in which breeding seasons and for how long stallions are used to sire foals. The selection of stallions may be sensitive for the further development of genetic diversity and preserve this closed population as a valuable resource for further studies on the evolution of the horse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild horse crossing events are a major concern for highway safety in rural and suburban areas in many states of the United States. This paper provides a practical and real-time approach to detecting wild horses crossing highways using 3D light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology. The developed LiDAR data processing procedure includes background filtering, object clustering, object tracking, and object classification. Considering that the background information collected by LiDAR may change over time, an automatic background filtering method that updates the background in real-time has been developed to subtract the background effectively over time. After a standard object clustering and a fast object tracking method, eight features were extracted from the clustering group, including a feature developed to specifically identify wild horses, and a vertical point distribution was used to describe the objects. The classification results of the four classifiers were compared, and the experiments showed that the support vector machine (SVM) had more reliable results. The field test results showed that the developed method could accurately detect a wild horse within the detection range of LiDAR. The wild horse crossing information can warn drivers about the risks of wild horse–vehicle collisions in real-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-frequency noise absorbers often require large structural dimensions, constraining their development in practical applications. In order to improve space utilization, an acoustic metamaterial with a spatial double helix, called a spatial double helix resonator (SDHR), is proposed in this paper. An analytical model of the spatial double-helix resonator is established and verified by numerical simulations and impedance tube experiments. By comparing the acoustic absorption coefficients of the spatial double-helix resonator, it is shown that the results of the analytical model, the numerical model, and the experiments are in good agreement, proving the accuracy of the theoretical model. The effects of different structural parameters on the peak sound absorption coefficient and resonance frequency are quantitatively revealed. The impedance variation law of the model is obtained, and the resistance and reactance distributions at the resonance frequency are analyzed. In the optimization model, the Back Propagation (BP) network is used to construct the mapping between the structural parameters and the resonance frequency and sound absorption coefficient, and this is used as the constraints of the equation, which is combined with Wild Horse Optimization (WHO) to establish the BP-WHO optimization model to minimize the volume of the spatial double helix resonator. The results show that, for a given noise frequency, the optimized structural parameters enhance the space utilization without affecting the performance of the space double helix resonator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion recognition is an acceptable task of understanding the other's emotions and thoughts. Modern technology allows machines to recognize objects without the need for human intervention. The existing emotion recognition system faces more difficulties in making an accurate result with limited audio files. To address this problem, a Bag of audio terms-based hybrid deep learning models will be introduced it is known as the pioneering deep learning model. Input voice data is considered from a large dataset and pre-processed using a Data normalization and adaptive bilinear filtering approach. Afterward, acoustic features are taken out from the voice signals to capture related information for emotion recognition. These features can include linear prediction coefficients (LPC), three-dimensional (3D) log-mel spectrum, mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs), and Prosodic features. Subsequently, feature selection is performed using an improved wild horse optimization (WHO) approach. Finally, a hybrid capsule slime mould dense deep learning framework (HCSDN) is used for voice-based emotion recognition. IEMOCAP and EMODB datasets are used to calculate system performance. The performance metrics denote the proposed system achieves 96.78% accuracy, 96.45% specificity, 95.81% precision, 4.256% error rate, and 94.256% sensitivity, 0.75% false positive rate in terms of the IEMOCAP dataset. Similarly, the proposed system achieves 96.85% accuracy, 95.74% specificity, 96.12% precision, 3.432% error rate, 95.25% sensitivity, and 0.62% false positive rate in terms of the EMODB dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In recent decades, the integration of horses (Equus ferus) in European rewilding initiatives has gained widespread popularity due to their potential for regulating vegetation and restoring natural ecosystems. However, employing horses in conservation efforts presents important challenges, which we here explore and discuss. These challenges encompass the lack of consensus on key terms inherent to conservation and rewilding, the entrenched culture and strong emotions associated with horses, low genetic diversity and high susceptibility to hereditary diseases in animals under human selection, as well as insufficient consideration for the social behaviour of horses in wild‐living populations. In addition, management of wild‐living horses involves intricate welfare, ethics and legislative dimensions. Anthropocentric population‐control initiatives may be detrimental to horse group structures since they tend to prioritise individual welfare over the health of populations and ecosystems. To overcome these challenges, we provide comprehensive recommendations. These involve a systematic acquisition of genetic information, a focus on genetic diversity rather than breed purity and minimal veterinary intervention in wild‐living populations. Further, we advise allowing for natural top‐down and bottom‐up control – or, if impossible, simulating this by culling or non‐lethal removal of horses – instead of using fertility control for population management. We advocate for intensified collaboration between conservation biologists and practitioners and enhanced communication with the general public. Decision‐making should be informed by a thorough understanding of the genetic makeup, common health issues and dynamics, and social behaviour in wild‐living horse populations. Such a holistic approach is essential to reconcile human emotions associated with horses with the implementation of conservation practices that are not only effective but also sustainable for the long‐term viability of functional, biodiverse ecosystems, while rehabilitating the horse as a widespread wild‐living species in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a hybrid technique for optimizing Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power (CCHP) systems integrating a diverse set of components including geothermal heat pumps, gas turbines, absorption chillers/heaters, and photovoltaic/thermal collectors, along with storage units like batteries and water tanks. The innovation lies in combining the Capuchin Search Algorithm (CapSA) with the Wild Horse Optimizer (WHO) to concurrently optimize primary energy savings, cost reductions, and carbon dioxide emissions. Parametric distributions are used in probabilistic strategies to resolve uncertainty in solar radiation and building load. CapSA optimizes the CCHP system’s design, while WHO enhances its performance. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is demonstrated through implementation in MATLAB, where it achieves an average ACSR (Average Comprehensive Saving Rate) enhancement of 5.48%. This numerical result highlights a substantial improvement over existing methodologies, showcasing the superior performance of the hybrid optimization approach in enhancing energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of CCHP systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wild horse optimizer (WHO) is a novel metaheuristic algorithm, which has been successfully applied to solving continuous engineering problems. Considering the characteristics of the wild horse optimizer, a discrete version of the algorithm, named discrete wild horse optimizer (DWHO), is proposed to solve the capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP). By incorporating three local search strategies-swap operation, reverse operation, and insertion operation-along with the introduction of the largest-order-value (LOV) decoding technique, the precision and quality of the solutions have been enhanced. Experimental results conducted on 44 benchmark instances indicate that, in most test cases, the solving capability of discrete wild horse optimizer surpasses that of basic wild horse optimizer (BWHO), hybrid firefly algorithm, dynamic space reduction ant colony optimization (DSRACO), and discrete artificial ecosystem-based optimization (DAEO). The discrete wild horse optimizer provides a novel approach for solving the capacitated vehicle routing problem and also offers a new perspective for addressing other discrete problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study optimized the locations and sizes of wind-based distributed generators (WDGs) and solar photovoltaic-based distributed generators (PVDGs) to reduce the overall active power loss (OAPL) of an IEEE 85-bus distribution power system (DPS). Three metaheuristic algorithms, including the Wild Horse Optimizer Algorithm (WHOA), the Archimedes Optimization Algorithm (AOA), and the Transient Search Optimization (TSO) algorithm, were applied and compared to each other to identify the most effective method for finding the best value of OAPL. Based on the analysis, WHOA outperformed the other methods in achieving the best value of OAPL according to different criteria. Additionally, the effectiveness of WHOA was compared with previous studies, while WHOA also proved its strength in reducing overall losses, decreasing grid power, and improving voltage profiles. Moreover, the effectiveness of WHOA was tested for a 24-hour period with varying loads and the addition of PVDGs and WDGs. The results indicated that WHOA could successfully determine the optimal positions of both PVDGs and WDGs in Case 3, Case 4.1, and Case 4.2, achieving the optimal value of OAPL in the selected DPS, decreasing grid power utilization, and improving the voltage profile. In conclusion, WHOA proved itself to be an effective optimization tool for dealing with large-scale optimization problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While few places on earth have been as deeply impacted by the human-horse relationship as the steppes of Mongolia and eastern Eurasia, gaps in the archaeological record have made it strikingly difficult to trace when and how the first domestic horses were integrated into ancient societies in this key region of the world. Recently, organic materials preserved in melting mountain ice have emerged as a key source of archaeological insight into the region's deep past. Newly-identified artefacts recovered from melting snow and ice in the Altai Mountain range of western Mongolia (including metal artefacts, skeletal remains, and hoof fragments) provide archaeological evidence for the use of horses at high altitudes from the Bronze Age through the 20th century. Direct radiocarbon dating and genomic sequencing demonstrate the presence of Przewalski's horse in the region during the early second millennium BCE, suggesting that this taxon may have once foraged at high altitudes frequented by human hunters. Importantly, directly-dated remains of horse hoof trimmings provide some of the oldest direct evidence of horse transport in the Eastern Steppe as early as the 14th century BCE, and suggest a role for high-mountain hunting in the innovation of reliable mounted riding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Upon release into the wild, Przewalski's horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) undergo adaptation to diverse habitats and dietary patterns. These environmental shifts prompt adaptive alterations in fecal microbiota, yet render them vulnerable to gastrointestinal ailments, notably diarrhea. However, the interplay between fecal microbiota, hormones, and diarrhea in Przewalski's horses remains largely unexplored. An analysis of fecal samples revealed substantial shifts in the composition and diversity of fecal microbiota, as well as fluctuations in hormone levels during episodes of diarrhea in Przewalski's horses. These findings highlight the potential significance of fecal microbiota and hormonal dynamics as factors contributing to diarrhea occurrences in Przewalski's horse populations. Diarrhea serves as a vital health indicator for assessing wildlife populations post-reintroduction. Upon release into the wild, wild animals undergo adaptation to diverse habitats and dietary patterns. While such changes prompt adaptive responses in the fecal microbiota, they also render these animals susceptible to gastrointestinal diseases, particularly diarrhea. This study investigates variations in fecal microorganisms and hormone levels between diarrhea-afflicted and healthy Przewalski's horses. The results demonstrate a significant reduction in the alpha diversity of the fecal bacterial community among diarrheal Przewalski's horses, accompanied by notable alterations in taxonomic composition. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes emerge as dominant phyla across all fecal samples, irrespective of health status. However, discernible differences in fecal bacterial abundance are observed between healthy and diarrhea-stricken individuals at the genus level, specifically, a diminished relative abundance of Pseudobutyrivibrio is observed. The majority of the bacteria that facilitate the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids, Christensenellaceae_R_7_group (Christensenellaceae), NK4A214_group (Ruminococcus), Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group (Lachnospiraceae), [Eubacterium]_coprostanoligenes_group (Eubacterium), Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group (Lachnospiraceae), and Prevotellaceae_UcG_001 (Prevotella) are noted in diarrhea-affected Przewalski's horses, while Erysipelotrichaceae, Phoenicibacter, Candidatus_Saccharimonas (Salmonella), and Mogibacterium are present in significantly increased amounts. Moreover, levels of immunoglobulin IgA and cortisol are significantly elevated in the diarrhea group compared with the non-diarrhea group. Overall, this study underscores substantial shifts in fecal bacterial diversity, abundance, and hormone levels in Przewalski's horses during episodes of diarrhea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: West Nile Virus (WNV) is a zoonotic arbovirus worldwide spread. Seasonal WNV outbreaks occur in the Mediterranean basin since the late 1990's with ever-increasing incidence. In Southern Spain WNV is endemic, as disease foci - caused by WNV lineage 1 (WNV-L1) strains - occur every year. On the contrary, WNV-L2 is the dominant lineage in Europe, so most European WNV sequences available belong to this lineage, WNV-L1 sequences being still scarce. Methods: To fill this gap, this study reports the genetic characterisation of 27 newly described WNV-L1 strains, involved in outbreaks affecting wild birds and horses during the last decade in South-Western Spain. Results: All strains except one belong to the Western Mediterranean-1 sub-cluster (WMed-1), related phylogenetically to Italian, French, Portuguese, Moroccan and, remarkably, Senegalese strains. This sub-cluster persisted, spread and evolved into three distinguishable WMed-1 phylogenetic groups that co-circulated, notably, in the same province (Cádiz). They displayed different behaviours: from long-term persistence and rapid spread to neighbouring regions within Spain, to long-distance spread to different countries, including transcontinental spread to Africa. Among the different introductions of WNV in Spain revealed in this study, some of them succeeded to get established, some extinguished from the territory shortly afterwards. Furthermore, Spain's southernmost province, Cádiz, constitutes a hotspot for virus incursion. Conclusion: Southern Spain seems a likely scenario for emergence of exotic pathogens of African origin. Therefore, circulation of diverse WNV-L1 variants in Spain prompts for an extensive surveillance under a One Health approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camera‐based abundance estimators are an alternative methodology of growing interest in both research and management applications. The statistical formulations of camera‐based abundance estimators using time‐lapse data should theoretically produce precise and unbiased estimates; however, production of unbiased results also requires meeting several important assumptions, and real‐world case studies evaluating such results remain relatively few. We applied instantaneous sampling (IS) and space‐to‐event (STE) estimators to remote camera data collected in April 2021 via time‐lapse sampling of closed populations of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) on Wild Horse Island in western Montana, USA, and compared results for bighorn sheep to aerial and ground‐based counts. Point estimates from camera‐based approaches underestimated bighorn sheep populations by 32–44% (IS estimator) and 62–69% (STE estimator) relative to aerial and ground counts. Patchy spatial distribution and group‐living behavior of sheep resulted in a high degree of noise surrounding the IS estimate. In comparison, a low point estimate with relatively narrow confidence intervals suggested potential sensitivity of the STE estimator to violating assumptions of independence among individual animals and sampling occasions. Estimates of mule deer had improved precision over sheep estimates, as indicated by lower estimated coefficients of variation of the mean (CVmean) derived from the analytic SE estimator. Using 15‐m viewsheds and the IS estimators, mule deer density estimates came with a 26% CVmean compared to 43% CVmean for bighorn sheep. This discrepancy may be a result of differences in distribution, behavior, and relative abundance between the 2 species. Accounting for group size and increasing time between sampling may improve accuracy of density estimates and adhere better to model assumptions when estimating precision. In addition, factors influencing viewshed and resulting density extrapolations must be considered carefully. While camera‐based methods theoretically provide an alternative way to estimate density when traditional methods are impractical, our results suggest that more work is needed to ensure density estimates are accurate and precise enough to inform population management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild Horse Optimizer (WHO) is a swarm-based meta-heuristic algorithm inspired by animal behavior, which mainly imitates the decent behavior, grazing behavior, mating behavior and leadership dominance behavior of wild horses in nature in their lives for finding the optimal. The location update method of WHO is prone to low convergence accuracy, poor global search ability and local optimum problems. With the aim of balancing global searchability and exploitation performance, an improved WHO that incorporates a dual weight starvation strategy and a random convergence factor is proposed. In the exploration stage, the starvation strategy is inspired by the starvation characteristics of animals, so that the algorithm can continuously adjust the stallion position according to the starvation level and automatically adjust the distance between the stallion and the wild horse according to the changing adaptation value, which improves the global search performance and can jump out of the local optimum at the same time. In the exploitation stage, a convergence factor is added to help it jump out of the local optimum and continue to search for a better solution. The simulation experiment on 23 benchmark functions is to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm being compared with Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA), Moth-Flame Optimization (MFO), Rat Swarm Optimizer (RSO), Multi-Verse Optimizer (MVO), Gray Wolf Optimizer (GWO) and Artificial Bee Swarm Optimizer (ALO). Finally two real engineering design problems were solved. The simulation results show that the proposed SD3WHO has a strong seeking capability and optimization performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysing social behaviour provides valuable insights into the dynamics of species living in groups. An essential part of social behaviour is represented by lead-and-follow interactions as they influence group stability through individual needs and decision making. In horses, Equus ferus caballus , this behaviour plays a crucial role since individuals depend on the security and knowledge their group offers. Only one study has analysed the lead-and-follow behaviour of Przewalski's horses, Equus ferus przewalskii. However, no such study has been conducted on the wild population, nor on the potential impact of the horses' origin and experience. We filmed 34 wild-born and captive-bred individuals with different experiences (held in a fenced enclosure before release into the wild, long-term reintroduced and wild-born) in the Great Gobi B (Mongolia) over summer 2018, late spring 2019 and autumn 2019 to investigate Przewalski's horses' lead-and-follow behaviour in situ. We documented lead-and-follow interactions within 11 groups and used these data to construct lead-and-follow networks. We also examined the influence of various social factors (origin, sex, age, dominance rank, group size, parity, kinship and time belonging to the group) on different network measures. The analyses revealed that wild-born horses with greater experience in the area tended to exhibit well-defined lead-and-follow connections with few leading individuals, typical of stable groups of horses. In contrast, in inexperienced reintroduced groups, many (or all) members controlled the movement. The results show that newly formed groups of released Przewalski's horses require time to develop typical and stable lead-and-follow patterns. • We investigated lead-and-follow behaviour in Przewalski's horses in Mongolia. • Wild-born groups with more experience have well-defined lead-and-follow connections. • Reintroduced groups show less established networks, with many individuals leading. • Age significantly influences leading behaviour, with older horses leading. • Understanding lead-and-follow dynamics is important for the reintroduction success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid technique is proposed for the energy management (EM) of smart grid (SG) systems. The proposed method integrates the Wild Horse Optimization (WHO) and dwarf mongoose optimization (DMO) methods; hence, it is named the WHO–DMO approach. The Micro‐grid (MG)‐tied system is a combination of battery, micro turbine (MT), photovoltaic (PV), and Wind Turbine (WT). The key aim of the proposed approach is to manage the resources and power of the SG model and reduce the cost of electricity. The objective of the system is to improve load demand. The WHO method is enhanced by the DMO method, which minimizes the objective of the system. Access to power demand, state of charge (SOC), and renewable energy sources (RESs) for storing elements are considered constraints of the system. The unit of renewable power systems relies on batteries as energy sources to stabilize and sustain stable and consistent output power throughout the operation. The proposed technique is done in MATLAB platform and its implementation is calculated using the existing methods. From the simulation, the proposed method has less cost and higher power than the existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Multilevel inverters (MLIs) are a popular industrial and, more especially, renewable energy application solution. This is because of its appetite for filters, low distortion class, and capacity to provide a multilayer output voltage that resembles a pure sine waveform. The novelty is in applying the wild horse optimization algorithm (WHOA) to adjust the sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) technique by producing the optimal reference signal parameters in a new multilevel inverter architecture known as the packed U-cell multilevel inverter (PUC-MLI). Purpose. This study helps with the idea of new inverter architecture and a modified pulse width modulation (MPWM) method to make the multilevel inverter smaller, cheaper, and with less total harmonic distortion (THD). Methods. We use the proposed approach to control a 7-level, single-phase PUC-MLI. The WHOA is used to discover the optimal parameters of the additional reference sine signal after being compared with SPWM to evaluate its performance in harmonic reduction. The simulation’s outcome was validated by building a PUC-MLI prototype. Results. Experimental results and simulations validate the effectiveness of the suggested approach. The WHOA-improved MPWM approach achieves a significant reduction in THD on the PUCMLI output voltage, as indicated by the results. Practical value. THD in MLI output voltage will be reduced without spending any cost. The suggested solution works with many MLI topologies with varying output voltage levels. References 20, tables 6, figures 12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Prion diseases, also called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), are fatal neurodegenerative diseases. Prion disease has not been reported in horses up to now; therefore, horses are known to be a species resistant to prion diseases. Residue S167 in horses has been cited as a critical protective residue for encoding PrP conformational stability in prion-resistance. This article focuses on molecular dynamics and optimization studies on the horse PrP wild type and its S167D mutant, respectively, to understand their conformational dynamics and optimized conformation. Prion diseases, also called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), are fatal neurodegenerative diseases characterised by the accumulation of an abnormal prion protein isoform (PrPSc: rich in β-sheets—about 30% α-helix and 43% β-sheet), which is converted from the normal prion protein (PrPC: predominantly α-helical—about 42% α-helix and 3% β-sheet). However, prion disease has not been reported in horses up to now; therefore, horses are known to be a species resistant to prion diseases. Residue S167 in horses has been cited as a critical protective residue for encoding PrP conformational stability in prion-resistance. According to the "protein-only" hypothesis, PrPSc is responsible for both the spongiform degeneration of the brain and disease transmissibility. Thus, understanding the conformational dynamics of PrPSc from PrPC is key to developing effective therapies. This article focuses on molecular dynamics and optimization studies on the horse PrP wild type and its S167D mutant, respectively, to understand their conformational dynamics and optimized confirmation; the interesting results will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an optimisation method for fabricating composite materials and functionally graded structures. Using the proposed method, 3D printing of copper (Cu)–polyethylene (PE) composite, Al2O3–ZrO2 ceramic composite and functionally graded CuO foams are utilised. This work aims to advance the capabilities of additive manufacturing by leveraging nature‐inspired approaches to create complex, tailored structures with enhanced performance across various industries. The major objective of the proposed method is to reduce the feed rate and increase the airflow rate and airflow temperature for the heat transfer process. Using the proposed technique in the advanced preparation conditions, Cu–PE composites with unreliable Cu substances are fabricated. The PE binder particle is melting as well as forming thick composites by means of soft surfaces. Using the proposed AHO approach, functionally graded materials with common distributions can be efficiently optimised. By then, the proposed model is implemented on the MATLAB platform, and its execution is calculated using the current procedures. The proposed technique displays superior outcomes in all existing methods like wild horse optimiser, particle swarm optimisation and heap‐based optimiser. The proposed method shows a throughput of 57 mm3. The existing method shows the throughput of 32, 27 and 45 mm3. The results show that the proposed method has higher throughput compared with existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) for friction stir welded joints between AA6082-T6 and AA2014-T87 is crucial for ensuring material compatibility, optimizing welding parameters, and assessing mechanical performance. This information helps engineers design safer, more reliable structures and optimize the welding process, improving the utilization of these aluminum alloys in high-performance applications. Traditional methods for identifying UTS face challenges such as material variability, precise experimental setup, the influence of welding parameters, and are time-consuming and costly. This research aims to develop a mathematical model capable of identifying the UTS based on given inputs, specifically optimal tilt angle, travel speed, and rotational speed. The developed model is further utilized to identify the optimal machining parameters. Processing this manually or through trial and error is time-consuming and complex, highlighting the need to incorporate optimization techniques to determine the optimal parameters efficiently. This research involves several optimization techniques, among which the evolved wild horse optimization (EWHO) performs better, achieving a mean square error of 0.45. This is superior performance compared to other optimization techniques and employed prediction models. This approach saves time, reduces complexity, and enhances precision compared to manual or trial-and-error methods, ultimately improving the efficiency and reliability of material processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When evidence-based policymaking is so often mired in disagreement and controversy, how can we know if the process is meeting its stated goals? We develop a novel mathematical model to study disagreements about adequate knowledge utilization, like those regarding wild horse culling, shark drumlines and facemask policies during pandemics. We find that, when stakeholders disagree, it is frequently impossible to tell whether any party is at fault. We demonstrate the need for a distinctive kind of transparency in evidence-based policymaking, which we call transparency of reasoning. Such transparency is critical to the success of the evidence-based policy movement, as without it, we will be unable to tell whether in any instance a policy was in fact based on evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Wild horses in the region around Dülmen in Westphalia, Germany, date back to the Middle Ages. These horses ranged the wooden and marsh area in small herds. The Dukes of Croÿ fenced these wild horses in 1856 in an area called Merfelder Bruch, near Dülmen, and managed this herd as a self-contained population. Stallions employed were from the Dülmen wild horse population and, in some breeding seasons, from other primitive horse populations. The Dülmen wild horse population has to cope with harsh natural conditions all year round. The Dülmen wild horse population consists of about 530 horses with around 380 mares. Each year, 2 to 3 stallions sire 50 to 60 foals. In the present study, we characterize, for the first time, the Dülmen wild horse population in comparison to warmblood, coldblood, and primitive horse populations using a highly informative microsatellite marker set. We found a high degree of genetic diversity in the Dülmen wild horse population. Genetic distance measures, principal component analysis, and Bayesian cluster analyses clearly demarcated the Dülmen wild horse population from the other 17 horse populations studied here. In addition, data supported the hypothesis of an early genetic divergence of Dülmen wild horses. The Dülmen wild horse population appeared as an invaluable resource to study the evolution of domesticated horses. The objective of the present study was to analyze the genetic diversity, individual-based assessment of population structure, and admixture in the Dülmen wild horse population in comparison to warmblood, coldblood, and primitive horse populations. The Dülmen wild horse is kept as a unique horse population in the Merfelder Bruch near Dülmen in Westphalia, Germany, and since 1856 has been managed by the Dukes of Croÿ. The Dülmen wild horse population is exposed to the natural conditions of the Merfelder Bruch all year round without human interventions for feeding and veterinary care. In the present study, genetic diversity was estimated for 101 Dülmen wild horses using multilocus genotypic information from a set of 29 autosomal microsatellites and compared with 587 horses from 17 different horse populations. Dülmen wild horses maintained a high degree of genetic diversity, with an average observed heterozygosity of 0.68, a mean number of 6.17 alleles, and heterozygote deficit of −0.035. Pairwise genetic distances (FST, Nei's standard, and Cavalli-Sforza distances) were closest to German coldblood breeds, Polish Konik, and Icelandic horses and most divergent from Sorraia and Przewalski's horses. Neighbor joining dendrogram and PCA plots showed a clear distinction of Dülmen wild horses from other populations, particularly from Przewalski horses. Posterior Bayesian analysis confirmed clear differentiation from other horse populations without an admixture pattern and a high membership index (0.92). It was possible to distinguish Dülmen wild horses from Dülmen and Polish Konik horses. In conclusion, Dülmen wild horses show a notable separation from other German horse breeds and primitive horse populations and may serve as a resource to study evolution of equine domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) is an endangered equid native to the steppes of central Asia. After becoming extinct in the wild multiple conservation efforts convened to preserve the species, including captive breeding programs, reintroduction and monitoring systems, protected lands, and cloning. Availability of a highly contiguous reference genome is essential to support these continued efforts. We used Oxford Nanopore sequencing to produce a scaffold-level 2.5 Gb nuclear assembly and 16,002 bp mitogenome from a captive Przewalski's mare. All assembly drafts were generated from 111 Gb of sequence from a single PromethION R10.4.1 flow cell. The mitogenome contained 37 genes in the standard mammalian configuration and was 99.63% identical to the domestic horse (Equus caballus). The nuclear assembly, EquPr2, contained 2,146 scaffolds with an N50 of 85.1 Mb, 43X mean depth, and BUSCO quality score of 98.92%. EquPr2 successfully improves upon the existing Przewalski's horse reference genome (Burgud), with 25-fold fewer scaffolds, a 166-fold larger N50, and phased pseudohaplotypes. Modified basecalls revealed 79.5% DNA methylation and 2.1% hydroxymethylation globally. Allele-specific methylation analysis between pseudohaplotypes revealed 226 differentially methylated regions in known imprinted genes and loci not previously reported as imprinted. The heterozygosity rate of 0.165% matches previous estimates for the species and compares favorably to other endangered animals. This improved Przewalski's horse assembly will serve as a valuable resource for conservation efforts and comparative genomics investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial ecology of feral horses (Equus ferus f. caballus) in Greece has never been studied before, including home range size and habitat selection. We tracked two mares fitted with global positioning system collars between September 2020 and August 2021 in a portion of Mount Menoikio in Central Macedonia, Northern Greece. We used K-select analysis to assess habitat selection for the study period by combining location data with several environmental variables. The mean home ranges for horses varied from 26.72 km2 (95% Minimum Convex Polygon; SE = 0.442) to 27.84 km2 (95% Kernel Density; SE = 1.83). Both horses selected areas with flat and smooth topography near natural grasslands with high green productivity. Conversely, they avoided areas near broadleaved forests and pastures, as well as at north-facing aspects. Overall, suitable habitats corresponded to a small portion (15.1%) of the available habitat. Our findings could assist land managers in mapping primary horses' habitat in the wider region and implement management regimes that will aid in preserving natural grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a hybrid technique for a grid-connected solar–wind hybrid system with electric vehicles. The Mexican Axolotl Optimization and wild horse optimizer are the proposed optimization techniques. The wild horse optimizer improves the axolotl's life behavior. As a result, the proposed scheme is conducted while reducing the annualized cost of the system and utilizing the proposed method. Using modern optimization approaches, the component is sized to achieve the lowest levelized cost of electricity by decreasing the loss of power supply probability. Lastly, the sensitivity analysis is performed to analyze the influence of maximum grid sales and buy capabilities on levelized cost of electricity. The proposed technique's performance is then executed in MATLAB environment and compared to several current methodologies. As a result of the simulation outcomes, the efficiency and performance of the current method are compared to other techniques. According to simulation outcomes, the energy management system (EMS) may lower general expenses by more than 55% and 29% in summer and winter, respectively, while ensuring the satisfaction rate of demand for electric vehicle-charging without knowing the departure times of electric vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classifying vehicles in real time was necessary to manage and plan road traffic and avoid frequent traffic jams, traffic violations, and fatal traffic accidents. However, detecting vehicles at night presents a significant challenge, requiring the classification algorithm to be tested under diverse conditions, such as rainy weather, cloudy weather, low illumination, and others, which makes identifying vehicles a complicated task. This paper detected and classifiess vehicle through YOLO-v2, ResNet50, and an optimally configured Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). But figuring out the best hyperparameters by trial and error took longer and was more complicated. The research resolved the computational time and complexity by involving Oppositional-based Wild Horse Optimization (OWHO) techniques to identify the optimal hyperparameters for LSTM. The result showed that the proposed technique was better, with an average accuracy of 97.38% in classifying vehicles, which was better than other techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the milling process of high-strength steel, the tool and the chip produce severe contact and friction, resulting in severe tool failure. Tools need to be replaced in a timely manner to reduce the impact on workpiece quality and processing efficiency caused by severe wear. Therefore, tool wear condition monitoring is a key factor in improving processing efficiency, ensuring processing accuracy, and achieving intelligent manufacturing. In actual machining production, the color and shape of the chip are often relied upon to judge the time to change the tool. In this paper, chip spectrum is proposed as an important feature to identify tool wear condition. What's more, a new support vector machine model optimized by wild horse optimizer (WHO-SVM model) was constructed to identify and classify tool wear conditions. Firstly, the chip spectrum features of different tool wear stages were extracted by the near-infrared spectrum acquisition system. Through the analysis, the chip spectrum can characterize the difference in chip color under different wear conditions. The mapping relationship between chip spectrum and tool wear condition was established. Secondly, the chip spectrum was preprocessed by standard normal variable transformation (SNV) and multivariate scattering correction (MSC). What's more, principal component analysis was used to reduce the dimensionality of the spectral data to extract 7-dimensional chip spectrum feature most correlated with tool wear amount. Finally, the WHO-SVM model was constructed, and the extracted chip spectrum was used as sensitive features to identify and classify the tool wear condition. The accuracy rate of the test set reached 90.3%. The experimental results confirm the feasibility of using the WHO-SVM model and monitoring tool wear based on chip spectrum feature. Compared with PSO-SVM, CS-SVM, and SSA-SVM models, it is concluded that WHO-SVM has a better training effect and higher prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antennas play a crucial role in designing an efficient communication system. However, reducing the maximum sidelobe level (SLL) of the beam pattern is a crucial challenge in antenna arrays. Pattern synthesis in smart antennas is a major area of research because of its widespread application across various radar and communication systems. This paper presents an effective technique to minimize the SLL and thus improve the radiation pattern of the linear antenna array (LAA) using the chaotic inertia-weighted Wild Horse optimization (IERWHO) algorithm. The wild horse optimizer (WHO) is a new metaheuristic algorithm based on the social behavior of wild horses. The IERWHO algorithm is an improved Wild Horse optimization (WHO) algorithm that combines the concepts of chaotic sequence factor, nonlinear factor, and inertia weights factor. In this paper, the method is applied for the first time in antenna array synthesis by optimizing parameters such as inter-element spacing and excitation to minimize the SLL while keeping other constraints within the boundary limits, while ensuring that the performance is not affected. For performance evaluation, the simulation tests include 12 benchmark test functions and 12 test functions to verify the effectiveness of the improvement strategies. According to the encouraging research results in this paper, the IERWHO algorithm proposed has a place in the field of optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the size and distribution of the horse population in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW, including changes from 2007 to 2021, to better understand populations at risk of Hendra virus transmission. Methods: Census data from the 2007 Equine Influenza (EI) outbreak were compared with data collected annually by New South Wales Local Land Services (LLS) (2011–2021), and with field observations via road line transects (2021). Results: The horse populations reported to LLS in 2011 (3000 horses; 0.77 horses/km2) was 145% larger than that reported during the EI outbreak in 2007 (1225 horses; 0.32 horses/km2). This was inconsistent with the 6% increase in horses recorded from 2011 to 2020 within the longitudinal LLS dataset. Linear modelling suggested the true horse population of this region in 2007 was at least double that reported at the time. Distance sampling in 2021 estimated the region's population at 10,185 horses (3.89 per km2; 95% CI = 4854–21,372). Field sampling and modelling identified higher horse densities in rural cropland, with the percentage of conservation land, modified grazing, and rural residential land identified as the best predictors of horse densities. Conclusions: Data from the 2007 EI outbreak no longer correlates to the current horse population in size or distribution and was likely not a true representation at the time. Current LLS data also likely underestimates horse populations. Ongoing efforts to further quantify and map horse populations in Australia are important for estimating and managing the risk of equine zoonoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An overabundance of wild horses and burros on federal lands can lead to suboptimal welfare when there are insufficient forage and water resources. Placing some of these animals in private homes has been identified as a key part of the solution. A nationwide online survey completed by 2,247 current and former horse owners is used to assess the feasibility of accommodating this strategy. The survey tool addressed basic horse ownership and demographic information, previous experience with wild horses, and hypothetical wild horse adoption scenarios. Results suggest that most respondents are receptive to the idea of adopting a wild horse, with previous adopters and younger potential adopters showing greater willingness-to-pay. By reducing existing barriers to adoption, which includes educating the horse-owning public on adoption requirements, expanding the training of wild horses, and targeting certain age groups of potential adopters, our study suggests that it may be possible to increase the annual number of adoptions over current levels. With appropriate and informed strategies, enhanced welfare of privately adopted and on-range animals can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating network expansion planning into electric vehicle (EV) smart charging solutions involves designing scalable infrastructure to accommodate the growing demand for electric mobility while considering grid capacity and energy distribution efficiency. This paper proposes a hybrid approach for EV smart charging with network expansion planning. The hybrid technique is the joint execution of the coati optimization algorithm (COA) and cascade‐correlation‐growing deep learning neural network, commonly known as the COA‐CCG‐DLNN technique. The objective of the proposed method is to minimize the cost of charging EVs, and it forecasts the best course of action. EV charging with network expansion is based on vehicle‐to‐building (V2B), vehicle‐to‐grid (V2G), and grid‐to‐vehicle (G2V). The COA approach is used to minimize the cost of EV charging and the CCG‐DLNN approach is used to predict the optimal solution for the system. The proposed method is executed on the MATLAB platform and is compared with existing techniques like particle swarm optimization (PSO), heap‐based optimization (HBO), and wild horse optimization (WHO). The proposed method achieves a low cost of $1.33 and a high accuracy of 99.5% compared with other existing techniques. The performance metrics for the proposed method include 2996.348 as the best result, 3000.100 as the mean, 3001.261 as the worst, and a standard deviation of 1.160348, along with a median of 2998.816, all of which outperform other existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tape Qeshlaq represents a Chalcolithic settlement that was excavated as part of a larger archaeological survey conducted between 2011 and 2013. This study investigates the role of animals during the Chalcolithic period (ca. 5000--3500 BCE) in the Central Zagros region of Iran, utilizing data obtained from the excavations at Tape Qeshlaq. By examining both organic and inorganic data, the research aims to elucidate the subsistence and nonsubsistence dimensions of human-animal interactions, thereby assessing how biological data can enhance the understanding of cultural data. The primary objective of this investigation is to ascertain the environmental conditions of the area through faunal data and to explore the cultural implications of the animal species present for the inhabitants during the Chalcolithic era. Faunal remains from Tape Qeshlaq have been collected and stored at the Archaeological Laboratory of Bu-Ali Sina University, where they are analyzed according to Stiner's coding system (2004) and Von den Driesch's (1976) measurement techniques. Statistical evaluations of the organic data reveal that the faunal assemblage from Tape Qeshlaq comprises 550 specimens, which include 474 bones, 41 teeth, 22 horns, and 13 shells. The category of large ungulates includes the fragmented remains of Bos taurus (cattle) and equids, specifically wild horses and onagers. Morphological and dental analyses reveal that approximately 70% of the equid remains are attributed to the onager, Equus hemionus, or the Asiatic wild ass. This study examines both the practical and relational dimensions of these animals, emphasizing their economic and symbolic significance at Tape Qeshlaq. The dominance of goats, sheep, cattle, and onagers as primary livestock underscores the necessity of varied pastoral strategies in response to the environmental challenges characteristic of steppe regions. Furthermore, the essential role of animal bones in tool production is underscored, highlighting their functional utility. The presence of nonorganic artifacts, including zoomorphic figurines, horn-shaped tokens, and decorative pottery, reveals additional cultural dimensions of these animals, illustrating their role not only as vital resources but also as cultural symbols that inspired artistic expression and contributed to the social structure of Chalcolithic communities in western Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐native species can affect ecosystems by influencing native predator‐prey dynamics. Therefore, management interventions designed to remove non‐natives may inadvertently lead to increased predation on native species. Feral horses are widely distributed throughout the arid parts of western North America. A growing body of research indicates that horses can be an important prey species to mountain lions in ecosystems where they overlap. In December 2020, the Bureau of Land Management removed 455 horses from the Delamar Mountains, Nevada, USA. We leveraged this management intervention to implement a before–after–control–impact study to test hypotheses about predation on horses and native ungulates. We predicted (1) that horses would comprise an important part of the diet in this mixed‐prey community, (2) following removal, the proportion of horses in the diet would decrease and native ungulates would increase, and (3) mountain lion home ranges overlapping the treatment areas would increase in response to decreased prey availability. From 2018 to 2022, we investigated 1360 clusters from 29 GPS‐collared lions and identified 1056 prey items. To model the probability of a predation event (a kill), we fit a mixed‐effects logistic regression model for ungulate prey as a function of lion sex, treatment area (in/out), and treatment period (pre‐/post‐removal). We used a log‐linear regression model to evaluate changes in home range size. The most common prey were mule deer (55%), feral horses (32%), and coyotes (4%). Twenty‐two of 29 lions consumed horses, although the rate of horse consumption was highly variable across individuals. Horses of both sexes and all age classes were predated. In contrast to predictions, our models detected no effect of removals on diet composition (βinteraction = 0.30 ± 1.1), nor did the removal influence home range size (βinteraction = 0.02 ± 0.02). Despite a 46% reduction in horse abundance, we found no evidence for prey‐switching following the horse removal treatment. Removal magnitude, rapid horse immigration, and/or behavioral specialization of individual mountain lions may help explain these results. Our findings have important implications for mountain lion and feral horse management in arid environments characterized by high prey diversity, but low prey abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Congenital malformations of the equine caudal cervical vertebrae (C6 and C7) were first reported in the 1800s. However, by the 21st century these findings were no longer incidental, especially with studies reporting breed percentages as high as 38%. Therefore, this study examined the association between C6 osseous specimens (n = 85) demonstrating the congenital malformation of either a partial unilateral or bilateral absent ventral process and the transposition on the ventral surface of sequential C7s (44/85). The aim was to determine if the absent morphology on C6 corresponded to the transposition on C7 and in some cases replication of a transverse foramen (33/44). Findings revealed the larger morphological absence on C6 generated a stronger dependency for transposition on C7 that included the replication of a transverse foramen. The transposition on C7 was characterized by either a complete or incomplete likeness of the C6 ventral process. Complete transpositions on C7 appeared as a normal C6 ventral process, while incomplete transpositions appeared in most as a cranial ventral tubercle (CrVT). When complete bilateral transpositions were demonstrated, the morphology of C7 resembled C6. These findings are relevant to the reading of radiographic images and potential clinical findings. In recent years, equine complex vertebral malformation (ECVM) has been of concern in the equine community, with studies identifying numerous associative morphological variations. Here, we examine the morphological association between C6 and C7 for dependency in ECVM cases, where the partially absent ventral process of C6 transposes on the ventral surface of C7. A C6 ventral process presents two tubercles, one cranial (CrVT) and one caudal (CVT). In this study, the C6 osseous specimens (n = 85) demonstrated a partial or completely absent CVT (aCVT) graded 1–4 that often extended cranially creating a partially absent cranial ventral tubercle (aCrVT) graded 1–3. In the 85 C6 osseous specimens examined, the corresponding C7s demonstrated either a complete or incomplete transposition of the ventral process from C6 in 44/85, with 30/44 replicating a transverse foramen. A strong statistical dependency existed between C6 grade 4 aCVTs and grades 1–3 aCrVTs and C7 transpositions with replicated transverse foramen. Sidedness was also demonstrated, where a left sided absent C6 associated with transposition on the left ventral surface of C7. This likewise applied to right sidedness and most bilateral cases. These findings might benefit practitioners when radiographing the extent of the ECVM configuration in patients presenting caudal cervical pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For thousands of years, humans and horse have co-habitated on the earth. From the steppes of Mongolia to the shores of Ireland and Iceland, horses gradually became an increasingly integral part of the social fabric, as they offered their services to humans in exchange for domesticated survival. In this article, we trace the equestrian iconography of power and leadership from its origins in ancient times through to modern times and identify the transitory position of contemporary management, moving into a post-centaurian age in which the complex iconographic reservoir of meanings and figures is supplanted by new forms of managerial reasoning, founded in the long legacy of the anthropocentrism of the Enlightenment. Through an explorative approach, the systems theoretical approach of Niklas Luhmann is extended to include the modus operandi of pre-modern societies with its abundance of non-human actors such as demons, gods, angels and horses. In conclusion, the article demonstrates how the widely used idea of post-heroic leadership is a severe misconception of historical concepts of heroes; rather, post-heroic deeds are in adherence with equestrian treatises of heroic leadership which promoted the demonstration of heroic excellence in the equestrian manège. As the horses and the heroes of modernity are seemingly relegated to the confinements of history books, the reservoir of equine-heroic semantics and concepts is still with us today and continues to resonate in semantic figures of power, framing the life of the post-centaurian manager, politicians, Ukranian soldiers and the plethora of societal realms still using the language connected to equestrian semantics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Routine tasks performed by equids have been taken over by motorised transportation and agricultural mechanisation services, and both are rapidly expanding in developing nations. For instance, in developing nations, the length of all‐season roads annually has increased by 0.2% and the number of vehicles by 15% to 17%. Consequently, rural agriculture no longer regularly recruits equines. Objectives: Strategies need to be developed to safeguard the use values of equids to guarantee their crucial role in the daily lives of rural people. Study design: The report has compiled the findings of field‐based exploratory qualitative study. Methods: This study involved in‐depth interviews of 10 knowledgeable informants and analysed FAOSTAT historical dataset to assess the population status of equids. Results: To encourage people to use equids for companionship and recreational purposes, the hobbies of equine farming need to be promoted in both urban and rural areas. Equestrian riding and racing can be beneficial for festivals and sociocultural events, like weddings, funerals and competitions. It is illogical to disregard the transportation, ploughing and crop harvesting roles of equids. It is worthwhile to include donkeys and mules in the well‐established sports of horseracing and riding. Bovines can produce high‐quality carcasses when equids are used as work animals. Equine manure is rich in nutrients compared with ruminant manure. Equid meat is occasionally consumed and exported. Equid hides can be used to produce leather goods and parchments. It is essential to investigate the medicinal value of equine products. By clipping hair from horses' tails and manes, handicraft people can make whiskers and cords of musical instruments. Equids are highly sought‐after in landscape management and scientific studies. In rangelands, horses can assist in monitoring grazing and browsing livestock. In open urban public spaces and rural areas, equines can graze on communal grazing lands as stray animals and a population of feral animals may eventually emerge. Main limitations: This is an exploratory qualitative study and it needs to be supported by extensive studies involving formal surveys. Conclusion: To ensure the continued existence of equids, it is worthwhile to explore the derived use values, enhance the existing ones and alleviate their major production constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Baise horse, an indigenous horse breed mainly distributed in the Baise region of Guangxi province in southwest China, has a long history as draft animal. However, there is a lack of research regarding the origin and ancestral composition of the Baise horse. In this study, whole‐genome resequencing data from 236 horses of seven Chinese indigenous horse breeds, five foreign horse breeds, and four Przewalski's horses were used to investigate the relationships between the Baise horse and other horse breeds. The results showed that foreign horse breeds had no significant impact on the formation of the Baise horse. The two southwestern horse populations, the Debao pony and the Jinjiang horse, exhibit the closest genetic affinity with the Baise horse. This is consistent with their adjacent geographical distribution. Analysis of the migration route revealed a gene flow from the Chakouyi horse into the Baise horse. In summary, our results confirm that the formation of the Baise horse did not involve participation from foreign breeds. Geographical distance emerges as a crucial factor in determining the genetic relationships with the Baise horse. Gene flows of indigenous horse breeds along ancient routes of trade activities had played a role in the formation of the Baise horse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]