1,721,025 research outputs found
The dark side of beauty in companion animals: can we speak about genetic abuse?
Full text linkthe role of companion animals, especially dogs and cats, in human
society, has changed in the last century and nowadays they are considered
not only moral subjects, but even family members with a deep affective bond
with their human partners. Many ethical principles support the needs to face
the companion animals’ welfare issues in all their facets included the selective
breeding. Scientific evidences highlight the impact of unethical breeding
practices for the health and welfare of pedigree cats and dogs both at individual
and population level. Over-type, inbreeding depression and reduction of genetic
variability have caused the spread of inherited diseases with detrimental
consequences for animals and negative impacts on their owners. Therefore,
unhealthy and unethical breeding practices can be considered a genetic
abuse and they can’t be justify anymore thanks to the development of DNA
technologies, new diagnostic instruments and the preventive actions that can
be applied through suitable breeding programs. Nowadays cattery clubs, kennel
clubs and veterinary associations should act to increase breeders’ awareness
about health and welfare concerns in pedigree dogs and cats and to support
them in their breeding choices. Moreover education programs and welfare
certification systems could be possible tools to improve the sector
The Welfare of Dogs and Cats in the European Union: A Gap Analysis of the Current Legal Framework
Full text linkCompanion animals, especially dogs and cats, have increasingly been recognized as moral subjects and valued as family members by European citizens. This new role encourages policy makers to face the many companion animals’ welfare issues not yet covered by the EU legislation. The main gaps in the protection of dog and cat welfare during their all lifespan have been identified: unhealthy and unethical breeding practices, irresponsible sale and ownership, transport for commercial and non-commercial purposes, training methods, working dog conditions and rights, regulation of dog and cat shows and competitions, the therapeutic neglect, dog and cat end-of-life care, shelter management legislation and the free-ranging cat and dog population rights. The EU legislation framework is still very weak and far from establishing a harmonized approach, promoting a high standard of care and protection across Member States. We conclude that education and awareness regarding responsible pet ownership and the need for a One Welfare approach have a high value in finding adequate solutions, especially when poor human social welfare affects companion animal welfare. Given the link between human and companion animal welfare, the use of stakeholders’ involvement strategies and a transdisciplinary approach appear crucial for the development of an EU legal framework for the well-being of dogs and cats
Healthy honey bees and sustainable maize production: Why not?
No full textIn the early 2000s, Italian beekeepers began to report bee mortality events linked to maize sowing. Evidence pointed to three neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam) and a phenylpyrazole (fipronil) used for seed dressing that were dispersed in the environment during sowing. Following these events and based on the precautionary principle, in September 2008, the Italian Ministry of Health suspended these four active ingredients as maize seed dressing. Here we show that in Italy after the precautionary suspension, the number of bee mortality events linked to maize sowing drastically declined. At the same time, the average annual maize production per hectare remained unchanged. This finding is indicative of the possibility to maintain stable maize productions without affecting honey bee health status. The implementation of Integrated Pest Management for maize production is discussed
Report conclusivo: Agricoltura sociale, One Welfare e economia civile. Nuovi modelli gestionali improntati sulla sostenibilità economica, sociale e ambientale per fattorie sociali che erogano interventi assistiti con gli animali
No full textReport riassuntivo dei risultati emersi dallo Scenario Workshop realizzato presso l'Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie in data 11 Gennaio 2023 a cui hanno partecipato stakeholder della Regione Veneto. L'attività è stata svolta nell'ambito del progetto di dottorato elaborato dal Centro di Referenza Nazionale per gli Interventi assistiti con gli animali in collaborazione con il Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie dell'Università di Pisa
Transcriptomic analysis identified up-regulation of a solute carrier transporter and UDP glucuronosyltransferases in dogs with aggressive cutaneous mast cell tumours
No full textGene expression analyses have been recently used in cancer research to identify genes associated with tumourigenesis and potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets. In the present study, the transcriptome of dogs that had died because of mast cell tumours (MCTs) was characterised to identify a fingerprint having significant influence on prognosis determination and treatment selection. A dataset (GSE50433) obtained using a commercial canine DNA microarray platform was used. The transcriptome of seven biopsies obtained from dogs with histologically-confirmed, surgically-removed MCT, treated with chemotherapy, and dead for MCT-related causes, was compared with the transcriptional portrait of 40 samples obtained from dogs with histologically-confirmed, surgically-removed MCT that were still alive at the end of the follow-up period. Among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), eight transcripts were chosen to validate DNA microarray results by quantitative real time PCR; then, their mRNA levels were measured in a cohort of 22 additional MCTs. Statistical analysis identified 375 DEGs (fold change 2, false discovery rate 5%). The functional annotation analysis provided evidence of drug metabolism and cell cycle pathways. Particularly, members of solute carrier transporter (SLC) and UDP glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) gene families were identified as targets. The principal component analysis of the 22 additional MCTs identified in a separate cluster dogs dead for MCT-related causes. SLCs and UGTs have been recently recognised in human cancer as important key factors in tumour progression and chemo-resistance. An in-depth analysis of their role in aggressive canine MCT might be useful in future studies
Investigation of donkeys learning capabilities through an operant conditioning
No full textDespite donkeys being involved in various activities with humans, their cognitive and learning abilities are still little known. A deeper understanding of their perceptive, cognitive and learning processes is, thus, necessary to preserve their well-being and establish a good human-animal bond. An operant conditioning task was applied to
explore donkeys’ learning abilities. Nine out of 14 adult and non-working donkeys of both sexes fully completed a three-phases training procedure. In the first phase, animals could approach the manipulandum, a specifically designed cabin with a button on the front side. Thereafter, donkeys had to learn how to interact with the button
to obtain a feed reward. To evaluate donkeys’ learning capabilities, two linear models were built: i) a fixed effects model, exploring how the average between-pressures time (BPT) was affected by individual characteristics (i.e. age, sex, and donkeys’ height at the withers) and the training session; and ii) a mixed-effects model to evaluate the difference in the average between-pressures time among consecutive sessions (BPTcs) in the function of the animals’ characteristics, including the sessions-lags as the random effect. In the first model, all the explanatory variables resulted significantly associated with the BPT observed variability. Male donkeys presented a BPT significantly higher, increased by 23.14 s (S.E.=9.71, p = 0.003) compared to females of the same height and age. Age was significant with a positive coefficient (Est.=1.21, S.E.=0.55, p = 0.032). The ‘high’ height class estimate was significant (Est.=13.06, S.E.=6.26, p = 0.032), while no significant effects were identified between the ‘medium’ and ‘short’ and the ‘medium’ and ‘high’ height classes. Lastly, the variable ‘session’ was significant with a negative coefficient (Est.=–10.64, S.E.=1.56, p < 0.0001), indicating an increase in the average speed to perform the desired behaviour for each additional training session. In the second model, the variable ‘sex’ was the only predictor significantly associated with the BPTcs, indicating that the male group
progressively improved performance time faster than females (Est.=–8.71, S.E.=4.19. p = 0.045). This pilot study: i) provides insights into donkeys learning abilities by applying an effective methodology for operant conditioning; ii) it highlights how intrinsic animal characteristics might affect asses training performances, although further points need to be explored in future research; iii) it confirms that feed represents an effective
positive reinforcement in operant conditioning with donkeys. The development of appropriate handling and training methods, respectful of animals’ subjective experiences and based on positive practices, can improve donkeys’ welfare and their relationship with humans
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
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