Imposing vs finding unity.

The target article argues that embodied cognitive neuroscience converges on a mechanistic approach to explanation. We argue that it does not. Even some of the article's for embodied cognitive neuroscience are explicitly non- or anti-mechanistic.

A long-lasting gel-based diffuser of feline pheromone can help reduce undesirable behaviors in cats at home: comparison with an electric diffuser.

Using pheromone diffusers is part of the strategy to control stress-related behaviors in cats (). The goal of the study was to compare the efficacy of a novel long-acting, unpowered gel-based diffuser containing a facial pheromone analog (Zenifel gel diffuser, Virbac) with a similar electrically powered feline pheromone diffuser that already has proven efficacy, on situational stress in cats, at home. The study involved 90 owners of cats presenting undesirable behaviors receiving one diffuser or the other: 46 received one gel diffuser and 44 received one plug-in device and a refill, for the 2-month study duration.

Use of mirtazapine in the treatment of canine behaviour problems: A review of 32 cases.

Background: Canine behaviour problems seen by speciality behavioural medicine services often involve chronic anxiety disorders that have resulted in maladaptation of the individual to its environment. Common stressors include the presence of other individuals (other dogs or people), noise and being alone. The treatment of these behavioural problems usually includes a combination of behaviour modification, environmental modification and biological therapies.

Repetitive Behaviors in Dogs.

Repetitive behaviors in companion animals have been compared with obsessive-compulsive disorders in people. There is evidence that repetitive behaviors may go unrecognized because they have a high level of comorbidity with other, more salient, behavior problems and may be overshadowed or regarded as amusing eccentricities. To assess repetitive behavior problems, we propose a standardized approach involving 5 categories or axes.

A more ecological perspective on human-robot interactions.

Drawing from two strands of ecological psychology, we suggest that even if social robots are interactive depictions, people need not mentally represent them as such. Rather, people can engage with the opportunities for action or affordances that social robots offer to them. These affordances are constrained by the larger sociocultural settings within which human-robot interactions occur.

Cat-Owner Relationship and Cat Behaviour: Effects of the COVID-19 Confinement and Implications for Feline Management.

The restrictive measures implemented to stem the spread of COVID-19 abruptly changed the lives of many cats and their owners. This study explored whether the lockdown in Italy affected the cat-owner relationship, as well as cat behaviour and welfare. A survey that included questions on owner and cat's demographics, living environment, cat behaviour and a modified version of the Cat/Dog Relationship Scale (C/DORS) was distributed online during the lockdown and was completed by 548 cat owners, mainly women (81.

Acute Pericarditis Leading to a Diagnosis of SLE: A Case Series of 3 Patients.

In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cardiac manifestations are known to be present in up to 50% of patients. However, it is rare for acute pericarditis to be the leading symptom at the time of diagnosis of SLE occurring in up to 1% of patients. We present a case series in which 3 patients with no prior history of SLE presented with acute pericarditis.

Owner-Perception of the Effects of Two Long-Lasting Dog-Appeasing Pheromone Analog Devices on Situational Stress in Dogs.

Devices that release a synthetic analog of the canine-appeasing pheromone can help to relax dogs during stressful situations, but they usually last for only one month. Two new devices with this analog were tested by owners of dogs showing signs of stress in a range of everyday situations: Zenidog™ collar, lasting three months, and Zenidog™ diffusing gel, lasting two months (Virbac, Carros, France). They were compared against reference products that last for one month.

Proteomic profiling of the oncogenic septin 9 reveals isoform-specific interactions in breast cancer cells.

Septins are a family of multimeric GTP-binding proteins, which are abnormally expressed in cancer. Septin 9 (SEPT9) is an essential and ubiquitously expressed septin with multiple isoforms, which have differential expression patterns and effects in breast cancer cells. It is unknown, however, if SEPT9 isoforms associate with different molecular networks and functions.

Revisiting the original Akin technique: A comparative analysis of radiographic outcome.

Background: The Akin osteotomy is widely used to correct the hallux valgus and different fixation techniques have been proposed. Currently most of these procedures coexist, with disagreement on which offers the best results. The aim of this study is to compare the radiological outcome of the original Akin's technique with one in which a staple was used to stabilize the osteotomy.

The Value of Companion Dogs as a Source of Social Support for Their Owners: Findings From a Pre-pandemic Representative Sample and a Convenience Sample Obtained During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Spain.

Dogs are a source of companionship and comfort for their owners, but the degree to which this might translate into real emotional and social support has not been quantified. Emotional and social support are essential to help people to get through personal crises such as bereavement. In this study we characterize the social support owners obtain from their dogs, provide evidence of how widespread this social support is amongst dog-owners, and show how social support from dogs can increase during a crisis (using the COVID-19 pandemic as an example).

The impact of a stress-reducing protocol on the quality of pre-anaesthesia in cats.

Introduction: Transport to the clinic is a major source of stress for cats. The process involves being put into a carrier, driven in a car and handled. Cats are therefore removed from the safe-haven of their territory and experience many stressful stimuli and interactions.

Epidemiology of Dog Bite Incidents in Chile: Factors Related to the Patterns of Human-Dog Relationship.

Dog bites are one of the main public health problems. They produce important consequences for those who suffer them (physical and psychological injuries, secondary infections, sequelae, risk of transmission of zoonoses and surgeries, among others). The objective of this study was to characterize epidemiologically the incidents of bites in Chile and the patterns of human-dog relationship involved.

The effects of the Spanish COVID-19 lockdown on people, their pets, and the human-animal bond.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Spanish confinement for the control of the COVID-19 pandemic on the behavior of pet cats and dogs, and the support that pets provided to their owners. We found that the quality of life of owners was strongly influenced by the lifestyle and emotional effects of the confinement, and that pets provided them with substantial support to mitigate those effects. However, pets showed signs of behavioral change that were consistent with stress, with dogs that had pre-existing behavioral problems being the most affected.

Making the Case for Multi-Axis Assessment of Behavioural Problems.

The systematic classification of human mental health disorders and behavioural problems in companion animals face the same challenges. These disorders and problems are complex, multi-factorial, and can interfere with the individual's ability to function within society, a social or family environment. Classification systems are reductive, they discard a lot of critical information, and can be overly focused on the presenting problem, inflexible and obstructive to new research.

Psychological Correlates of Attitudes toward Pet Relinquishment and of Actual Pet Relinquishment: The Role of Pragmatism and Obligation.

Understanding pet relinquishment is essential to inform interventions and assess their impact. In a cross-sectional study, we explored how attitudes of lack of obligation and pragmatism toward pet relinquishment correlated with, and differed according to, sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, education, political orientation, religion, income, and household), previous animal experience, and owner perceptions of animals (perceiving pet as a burden, motives for pet relinquishment, regret having a pet, and general trust in pets). We adapted and developed three scales to measure attitudes toward pet relinquishment (ATPR), motives for pet relinquishment (MPR), and general trust in pets (GTP), revealing good psychometric qualities.

Acute Myelogenous Leukemia With Trisomy 8 and Concomitant Acquired Factor VII Deficiency.

Acquired isolated factor VII deficiency is a rare bleeding disorder and has been reported in 31 cases. This is in contrast to congenital factor VII deficiency, which while also infrequent is the most common rare congenital bleeding disorder. Acquired isolated factor VII deficiency has been described primarily in patients with solid malignancies, sepsis, and in the presence of anti-factor VII autoantibodies.

Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis From Carcinoma of Unknown Primary in a Young Patient: A Case Report and a Literature Review.

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, leptomeningeal meningitis, or, as referred here, leptomeningeal metastasis (LM), is a rare but frequently fatal complication seen in advanced stage of cancer either locally advanced or after a metastasis of a known primary cancer. We present a rare and uncommon case of leptomeningeal metastases from carcinoma of unknown primary. A 32-year-old female was diagnosed with LM; however, no known primary carcinoma was identified after 2 separate biopsies.

A Septin Double Ring Controls the Spatiotemporal Organization of the ESCRT Machinery in Cytokinetic Abscission.

Abscission is the terminal step of mitosis that physically separates two daughter cells [1, 2]. Abscission requires the endocytic sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT), a molecular machinery of multiple subcomplexes (ESCRT-I/II/III) that promotes membrane remodeling and scission [3-5]. Recruitment of ESCRT-I/II complexes to the midbody of telophase cells initiates ESCRT-III assembly into two rings, which subsequently expand into helices and spirals that narrow down to the incipient site of abscission [6-8].

First evidence for an association between joint hypermobility and excitability in a non-human species, the domestic dog.

There is a well-established relationship between joint hypermobility and anxiety in humans, that has not previously been investigated in other species. A population of 5575 assistance dogs were scored for both hip hypermobility and 13 behaviour characteristics using previously validated methods. Our results suggest a positive association between hip joint hypermobility and emotional arousal in domestic dogs, which parallel results found in people.

Inversion effects in the expert classification of mammograms and faces.

A hallmark of a perceptual expert is the ability to detect and categorize stimuli in their domain of expertise after brief exposure. For example, expert radiologists can differentiate between "abnormal" and "normal" mammograms after a 250 ms exposure. It has been speculated that rapid detection depends on a global analysis referred to as holistic perception.

Development of the cat-owner relationship scale (CORS).

Characteristics of the human-animal bond can be influenced by both owner-related and pet-related factors, which likely differ between species. Three studies adapted the Monash Dog-Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) to permit assessment of human-cat interactions as perceived by the cat's owner. In Study 1293 female cat owners completed a modified version of the MDORS, where 'dog' was replaced with 'cat' for all items.

Highly Educated Men Establish Strong Emotional Links with Their Dogs: A Study with Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) in Committed Spanish Dog Owners.

The characteristics of the human-animal bond may be influenced by both owner-related and dog-related factors. A study was designed to explore the existence of different dog ownership patterns and their related factors. We created an on line questionnaire that included demographic questions about the dog and the owner, a Spanish version of the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) and a validated measure of satisfaction with life (Cantril's ladder).

Component-Based Modelling for Scalable Smart City Systems Interoperability: A Case Study on Integrating Energy Demand Response Systems.

Smart city systems embrace major challenges associated with climate change, energy efficiency, mobility and future services by embedding the virtual space into a complex cyber-physical system. Those systems are constantly evolving and scaling up, involving a wide range of integration among users, devices, utilities, public services and also policies. Modelling such complex dynamic systems' architectures has always been essential for the development and application of techniques/tools to support design and deployment of integration of new components, as well as for the analysis, verification, simulation and testing to ensure trustworthiness.

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Program As a Useful Adjunct to Conventional Psychosocial Rehabilitation for Patients with Schizophrenia: Results of a Small-scale Randomized Controlled Trial.

Currently, one of the main objectives of human-animal interaction research is to demonstrate the benefits of animal assisted therapy (AAT) for specific profiles of patients or participants. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of an AAT program as an adjunct to a conventional 6-month psychosocial rehabilitation program for people with schizophrenia. Our hypothesis is that the inclusion of AAT into psychosocial rehabilitation would contribute positively to the impact of the overall program on symptomology and quality of life, and that AAT would be a positive experience for patients.