1,720,983 research outputs found
Qualified “in shelter” dogs’ evaluation and training to promote successful dog-human relationships
No full textThe phenomenon of dogs’ relinquishment in Italy has become a social evil, although many laws exist to regulate animal protection and lately, the act of abandonment has become criminalised (law n.189/2004, enforced by law n.201/2010). Adoption from shelters seems to be the only way to have a controlled, microchipped population of dogs, as well as limiting confinement and euthanasia. After being asked to simplify the previous Ethotest © version [13] by many shelter operators and veterinarians, the authors aimed at analyzing the effectiveness of an improved model to test dogs’ behavioral aptitude matching the expectations of a hypothetical adopter. The new version improves the test feasibility by the elimination of a previous computer-based program, and by the introduction of new items such as hierarchical behavior towards food. In this study dogs housed in the sanitary shelter of L’Aquila (Abruzzo, Italy), of different age and sex, either sterilized or not, and belonging to different breeds or crossbreeds, were tested. All the dogs adopted from the shelter were monitored for one year after the adoption by both phone interviews and home visit. The study aimed at analyzing if the shelter dogs showed a good and consistent behavior after adoption in the new environment. The results demonstrated that apart from a predictable relinquishment and an unfortunate case of abuse, none of the dogs adopted showed any unwanted behaviors such as house soiling, jumping up, separation-related and aggressive behaviors; this made their stay in the family a desirable, exciting experience independently of the dog sex, age, and the family composition. The authors stress the necessity of every shelter, together with the veterinary cares, for a professional expert at dogs’ behavior who can efficaciously prevent behavioral problems, eventually train the dogs and afford the pairing with humans in a competent, qualified manner.[...
Assessment of motor laterality through the analysis of natural bending
No full textThe study assumes that horses are animals whose biomechanics is profoundly modified by human influence; therefore, an analysis of motor laterality cannot rely on observational methods that are usually suitable for free-ranging animals. These considerations, together with the difficulty of obtaining objective data through in field observations, led the authors to study motor laterality of horses through a more objective parameter – i.e. the analysis of horses' natural bending at pace, trot, and canter. Horses belonging to private owners and riding-schools are significantly right footed (P<0.001). Lateralized horses can overcome the natural bending by exercising at the lunge-line by repeated transitions to slow down. Riders can facilitate or hinder the achievement of the balance, depending on their equestrian skills.[...
Does small intestine-liver axis play a role in obesity related liver damage in children ? A pilot study.
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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
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