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Determinazione di biomarcatori in matrici biologiche non invasive per la valutazione dello stato di benessere del cane.
No full textLo stretto rapporto instauratosi tra uomo e cane è il frutto di una coevoluzione sviluppatasi inizialmente con scopi di collaborazione ‘lavorativa’, ma che in seguito, per l’uomo, ha portato ad un crescente sviluppo di affettività nei confronti del cane e ad uno sviluppato interesse per il benessere dell’animale stesso. Portando inoltre ad un aumento delle ricerche che hanno come obiettivo l’identificazione di biomarcatori fisiologici del benessere animale, in matrici non invasive.
Nella prima parte di questa ricerca, si è valutato le variazioni del cortisolo salivare in diverse razze di cani, nei diversi ambienti in cui vivevano e nelle diverse attività che svolgevano. I risultati ottenuti in questo primo studio hanno mostrato come la concentrazione media del cortisolo salivare fosse significativamente più alta nei cani ospitati in rifugi rispetto a quelli che vivevano con i loro proprietari o nei canili (P <0.05). Inoltre, non si sono rilevate differenze significative di concentrazioni di cortisolo tra cani interi, mentre, per i maschi e le femmine sterilizzati, sono stati trovati valori di cortisolo significativamente inferiori rispetto ai cani interi (P <0.01 maschi interi vs. maschi sterilizzati; P <0.05 femmine intere vs. femmine sterilizzate). Si è rilevata inoltre, una concentrazione media di cortisolo significativamente inferiore per i cani di taglia gigante e quelli di taglia grande rispetto ai cani di piccola taglia (P <0.01), mentre, la concentrazione media di cortisolo per i cani di media taglia non ha fatto registrare livelli significativamente diversi dalle altre taglie. L'interazione tra l’ambiente in cui vivevano i cani e il tempo di campionamento è risultata essere significativa (P <0.05): al tempo T2 (campione raccolto 30 minuti dopo l'ultima interazione del giorno tra cane e uomo, quando i cani erano in uno stato di riposo e rilassamento) si sono rilevate concentrazioni di cortisolo più alte nei cani di privati e nei cani dei canili, per i cani in allevamento invece, questo si è verificato al tempo T0 (campione raccolto prima del pasto del mattino (6: 00-8: 00 AM) subito dopo la prima interazione della giornata con il proprietario).
In seguito, lo stesso biomarcatore (cortisolo) e la stessa matrice (saliva) sono stati considerati anche per i cani in attività fisica. I risultati ottenuto da questa ricerca hanno mostrato variazioni di concentrazioni di cortisolo tra le attività che richiedono un’alta intensità di sforzo fisico (Agility Training) e quelle che richiedono resistenza (Pointing Hunting). Inoltre, le attività olfattive sembrano avere una scarsa influenza sulla secrezione di cortisolo.
In seguito a questa valutazione sul cortisolo salivare, è stato preso in considerazione un altro aspetto del benessere del cane: il microbioma intestinale. Dai campioni fecali raccolti, è stata fatta l'estrazione del DNA batterico ed stata valutata una sua possibile correlazione con la dieta, in particolare con l’utilizzo del probiotico (Enterococcus Faecium) come additivo alla dieta. Per questo studio è stata inoltre raccolta la saliva per valutare la risposta a breve termine dell'asse HPA e il pelo per poter valutare le variazioni di cortisolo in relazione al lungo periodo. Inoltre, il pelo raccolto è stato analizzato per valutare le concentrazioni di metalli pesanti presenti al suo interno. I metalli pesanti potrebbero essere infatti presi in considerazione come indicatori biologici per il benessere del cane. I metalli pesanti sono indicatori strettamente legati all'inquinamento ambientale e nutrizionale e inoltre, alcuni di loro, possono anche causare gravi malattie sia nei cani che negli esseri umani.
La bibliografia e quindi i dati a disposizione in merito a questo ultimo argomento sono pochi, ma ci sono buoni presupposti affinché possa diventare un’indagine da sviluppare e approfondire in futuro anche come strumento di valutazione del benessere animale.The current close relationship between humans and dogs is the result of a coevolution for a cooperative work. This close relationship has led to growing affection for the dog and a consequent increasing interest in its well-being. Then, many researches have been developed with the aim of identifying physiological bioindicators able to evaluate the animal well-being state. Furthermore, it has been found necessary to identify physiological biomarkers in non-invasive matrices, to minimize biased results caused by the sampling modality. In this thesis was taken into consideration different matrices and different biomarkers. Salivary cortisol is one of the biomarkers that was considered by studying the variation of dog salivary cortisol in the different breeds, considering also the different environments where dogs live and the different activities that they play. Saliva was collected with swabs placed gently into the cheek pouch of the dog by the owners. In this study, was derived that mean salivary cortisol was significantly higher for dogs hosted in shelters than those privately owned or in kennels (P < 0.05). Cortisol values from intact dogs did not differ between males and females, whereas for castrated males and spayed females, significantly lower values were found (P < 0.01 intact vs. castrated males; P < 0.05 intact vs. spayed females). Mean salivary cortisol concentration was significantly lower for giant and large-sized dogs than for small-sized ones (P < 0.01), whereas mean cortisol for medium-sized dogs was not significantly different from the other sizes. The interaction of site with time of sampling was significant (P < 0.05), with the highest cortisol concentration at T2 (sample collected 30 minutes after the last interaction of the day with man, when dogs were resting and relaxed) for dogs privately owned and housed in the kennels and at T0 (sample collected before the morning meal (6:00-8:00 AM), right after the first interaction of the day with the owner) for those hosted in the shelters.
After these observations, the same biomarker (cortisol) and the same matrix (saliva) was considered also for working dogs. Was chosen this canine category to monitor physiological response in animals that are often subjected to various stimuli due to inter and intra-specific interactions, environmental variations and the effort required by the different activities. Moreover, it is known, that in recent years, working dogs are gaining popularity for their ability to learn and perform tasks, entertaining their human companions. The response of cortisol suggested that the extent of Hypothalamus – Pituitary – Adrenal (HPA) axis activation varies between short high-intensity activities (Agility Training) and endurance exercises (Pointing Hunting), reflecting the different metabolic engagement of these activities. Furthermore, olfactory activities seem to have low influence on cortisol secretion.
Consequently, was chosen to evaluate also another aspect of dog well-being: gut microbioma through the extraction of bacterial DNA from faeces and its hypothetical correlation with diet, in particular with probiotic addition (Enterococcus Faecium). Was also collected saliva to assess the short term response of HPA axis and was collected also hair in order to evaluate cortisol for extended periods. Additionally, hair was analysed also to evaluate heavy metals, that could become another bio-indicator for dog well-being. In fact, heavy metals are closely related to environmental and nutritional pollution, and can cause serious diseases both in dogs and humans.
Very little is available from the bibliography on the evaluation of heavy metal in the hair, but it seems to be a very interesting topic for the future.
This preliminary investigation puts the foundation for a more in-depth study, which must necessarily take into account a larger animal sample and reduce, as far as possible, the variables of breed, age and sex
Salivary cortisol concentration in healthy dogs is affected by size, sex, and housing context
No full textThe aim of the article was to investigate the effect of site of sampling, size, and sex on the variations of salivary cortisol of healthy dogs. Samples of saliva were collected from dogs of private owners (n 1⁄4 13), kennels (n 1⁄4 4), and shelters (n 1⁄4 2). For each dog, samples were collected at the first interaction of the day with man (T0) before the morning meal (6:00-8:00 AM), 30 minutes after the meal (T1), and 30 minutes after the last interaction of the day with man (T2), when dogs were resting and apparently relaxed. A total of 92 dogs belonging to 17 different pure breeds or crossbred were eligible for the study, being 19 dogs privately owned, 47 recruited in kennels, and 26 hosted in shelters. Salivary cortisol concentrations of the dog population were not normally distributed, and data were transformed to natural logarithm (ln). The mean values ranged from 0.70 to 3.40 ln ng/mL, with an average of 0.90 0.76 ln ng/mL, corresponding to 0.50, 30.00, and 3.48 4.05 ng/mL. Mean salivary cortisol was significantly higher for dogs hosted in shelters than those privately owned or in the kennels (P < 0.05). Cortisol values from intact dogs did not differ between males and females, whereas for castrated males and spayed females, significantly lower values were found (P < 0.01 intact vs. castrated males; P < 0.05 intact vs. spayed females). Mean salivary cortisol concentrationwas significantly lower for giant and large-sized dogs than for small-sized dogs (P < 0.01), whereas mean cortisol for medium-sized dogs was not significantly different from the other sizes. The interaction of site with time of sampling was significant (P < 0.05), with the highest cortisol concentration at T2 for dogs privately owned and housed in the kennels and at T0 for dogs hosted in the shelters. This study, focused on healthy dogs, indicated that several factors can affect the concentration of salivary cortisol. Further studies also involving pathological conditions are required to identify critical values that can be used for clinical management settings
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
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