The research of standardized protocols for dog involvement in animal-assisted therapy: A systematic review

Dogs are considered the most important species involved in animal-assisted therapy (AAT), and the scientific literature focuses on the benefits linked to the involvement of dogs in various therapeutic areas. In this study, we carried out a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, exploring the scientific literature from the last 5 years (2016–2021) on three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) to highlight the characteristics of the dogs involved in AATs. Based on the scientific literature relevant to such dogs, we considered different parameters (i.e., number, age, sex, breed, temperament, methods of choice and training, health status, research goals, and activities with dogs) to include studies in our paper. After screening 4331 papers identified on the searched databases, we selected 38 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Analysis of the included articles showed that the characteristics of the dogs were neglected. Our findings indicated a lack of information about the dogs, as well as the absence of standardized and univocal criteria for dog selection, training programs, and health protocols

GLOBAL STABILITY AND BIFURCATIONS ANALYSIS OF AN EPIDEMIC MODEL WITH CONSTANT REMOVAL RATE OF THE INFECTIVE

In this thesis we consider an epidemic model with a constant removal rate of infective individuals is proposed to understand the effect of limited resources for treatment of infective on the disease spread. It is found that it is unnecessary to take such a large treatment capacity that endemic equilibria disappear to eradicate the disease. It is shown that the outcome of disease spread may depend on the position of the initial states for certain range of parameters. It is also shown that the model undergoes a sequence of bifurcations including saddle-node bifurcation, subcritical Hopf bifurcation. Keyword: Epidemic model, nonlinear incidence rate, basic reproduction number, local and global stabilit

Leveraging off-stoichiometry to defeat n-type degeneracy in zinc tin nitride

Over the last decade, identification of new materials with potential applications to a wide variety of technologies has rapidly increased. In particular for solar technology, many new potential absorber materials based on earth-abundant and non-toxic elements have been predicted. These materials, often made in thin film form and known to absorb light 10–1000 times more efficiently than crystalline silicon, could lower photovoltaic (PV) module cost and enable broader solar deployment. One such material is zinc tin nitride (ZnSnN2), a II-IV-nitride analog of the III-nitride materials, which has been identified as a possible solar absorber due to its direct bandgap, large absorption coefficient, and disorder-driven bandgap tunability. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Diagnosis of centrocestus formosanus infection in zebrafish (Danio rerio) in Italy: A window to a new globalization-derived invasive microorganism

Centrocestus formosanus is a digenetic trematode with a complex life cycle, involving invertebrate and vertebrate hosts, humans included. In particular, it causes gill lesions and mortality in freshwater fish species, and gastrointestinal symptoms in infected humans. Here, we describe the occurrence of C. formosanus infection in zebrafish imported in Italy and propose a newly designed species-specific primer pair to ameliorate the diagnostic investigations for C. formosanus. Gill arches of 30 zebrafish were examined for the presence of encysted metacercariae under a stereomicroscope and processed through molecular analyses targeting the ribosomal internal transcribed sequence 2 (ITS2). Although C. formosanus distribution was originally restricted to Asia, it has been subsequently reported in new countries, revealing itself as an invasive species and raising important concerns for biodiversity, economy, scientific research, as well as animal and public health. Given the crucial role played by the ornamental fish industry in spreading this parasite, there is an urgent need for control measures to prevent the introduction and establishment of C. formosanus in non-endemic areas, including Europe. We also suggest developing new strategies in microbiology and epidemiology to better explore this new globalization-derived invasive species

Computer Percolation Models for Espresso Coffee: State of the Art, Results and Future Perspectives

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. This has two main consequences: a high level of competitiveness among the players operating in the sector and an increasing pressure from the supply chain on the environment. These two aspects have to be supported by scientific research to foster innovation and reduce the negative impact of the coffee market on the environment. In this paper, we describe a mathematical model for espresso coffee extraction that is able to predict the chemical characterisation of the coffee in the cup. Such a model has been tested through a wide campaign of chemical laboratory analyses on espresso coffee samples extracted under different conditions. The results of such laboratory analyses are compared with the simulation results obtained using the aforementioned model. The comparison shows a close agreement between the real and in silico extractions, revealing that the model is a very promising scientific tool to take on the challenges of the coffee market