Human Companion Research Articles

Identifying need for spay and neuter services: A GIS-based analysis

Abstract This study provides a method for assessing the need for spay and neuter services in Massachusetts by creating a composite index that accounts for spatial accessibility and social vulnerability. An accessibility index (AI) of existing low-cost spay/neuter (S/N) facilities was created using the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method which was then combined with the social vulnerability index (SVI) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create a need index (NI). Two methods for selecting the final target areas from the NI results were examined and used to make recommendations for S/N funding allocation. The construction of the NI (i.e. factors included or weights applied to factors) had a significant impact on the results. The NI displayed statistically significant spatial autocorrelation, and hot spot analysis revealed statistically significant clusters of comparatively high- and low-need regions in the state. The target areas identified were strongly influenced by high levels of social vulnerability in urban areas and low spatial accessibility of low-cost S/N facilities in more rural western Massachusetts. The results of this project demonstrate the utility of geographic information systems (GIS)-based analysis in veterinary and shelter medicine, as well as the potential for the use of non-veterinary specific data, such as the CDC SVI, when planning the equitable distribution of limited resources. One Health impact statement Providing spay and neuter (S/N) services to owned and free-roaming cats, dogs and other companion animal species is integral to the health and well-being of the animals themselves. Their human companions also reap the physical and mental health benefits of the human–animal bond, in addition to the environmental and public health impact of limiting free-roaming dog and cat populations. By recognizing the relationships between human and animal populations, existing gaps in need can be addressed through the use of human data to inform decisions on animal health when relevant animal health service data are lacking. A composite index of factors accounting for the social vulnerability was combined with the spatial accessibility of existing S/N resources to create a final index of need for S/N resources. This transdisciplinary approach takes methodologies from public health, acknowledges the impact of the vulnerability of human populations on surrounding companion animal populations, and applies a practical method of identifying the need for specific veterinary medical services.

Relações íntimas: histórias multiespécie da vida social da mandioca

Abstract Manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a way of life that gives us the opportunity to rethink agricultural production and thus provides a divergent understanding of the human domestication of plants. In the traditional literature about manioc, its evolution has been recognized as a process of domestication, the control of a biological species by humans or through “the paradigm of human exceptionalism.” In this paper we seek possible ways to tell another story about manioc and its human and non-human companions: a partial and modest testimony among many possibilities found between the biological and anthropological worlds. We argue that the domestication model is only a particular Western mode of telling the story and forming relations with maniocs. To contrast this we see the possibility of opening our minds to another story, to describe the human-manioc relation as an intimate relationship in which all elements are agents, and simultaneously objects of action. Maniocs are bodies-in-movement, growing and developing in the formation of multi-species landscapes. We understand this intimate relationship, as Donna Haraway explains, as a sympoietic story, a process of “becoming-with” that occurs in the flow of life.

Dog: A Companion on the Journey to Independence Beyond Attachment Trauma

The ‘Animal symbol’ symbolizes the primitive and instinctive nature of human beings, and has been psychologically important since ancient times. Among many animals, dogs, in particular, were originally wolves, but were the first to be domesticated by humans. It is an animal that people attach to and regard as a family member because it is absolutely obedient to and dependent on humans when they perceive humans as the leader. However, in most countries, the dog is an animal that has been recognized not only as a loyal, home-keeper, but also as a guide between the dead and the underworld and as a human companion. The reason is that although dogs have been domesticated and become new animals, they still have the instinctive characteristics of wolves. Infants in the early stages of their lives also have a time when they rely entirely on their mothers, similar to the characteristics of domesticated dogs. However, when a healthy attachment is formed, the baby is psychologically separated from the mother and self-development begins toward independence. However, if psychological independence is not achieved for some reason, similar to a domesticated dog, they become completely dependent on their mother and are swallowed up by their maternal mother, and they may become stuck in childhood dependence, causing difficulties in interpersonal relationships. In this case, our reason, guided by the instinctive energy of our inner dog, begins a healing journey towards independence. In this paper, among the many symbols of dogs, the dog as a symbol of loyalty, the dog as a healing animal, the dog as a guide to the unconscious, and the dog as a symbol of instinct and intuition were examined. In addition, the symbolic meaning of the dog discussed above was confirmed through the case where a high school client who was psychologically dependent on his mother while having sandplay therapy started a healing journey by using a dog symbolically to achieve attachment and independence.

Risk factors for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage in MRSA-exposed household pets.

Household pets can carry meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) introduced to the home by their human companions. Specific factors promoting pet carriage of this pathogen have not been fully elucidated. This study evaluated MRSA cultured from pets and the home environment in households where a human infected with MRSA had been identified, and aimed to determine potential risk factors for pet MRSA carriage. Humans diagnosed with community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) skin or soft-tissue infection (SSTI) in the mid-Atlantic United States were identified. One hundred forty-two dogs and cats from 57 affected households were identified of which 134 (94.4%) pets and the household environment were sampled for bacterial culture, PCR confirmation and spa-typing for MRSA strain determination. Samples were obtained 3 months later from 86 pets. At baseline, 12 (9.0%) pets carried MRSA. Potential risk factors associated with carriage included pet bed (environmental) MRSA contamination, flea infestation and prior antimicrobial use in the pet. Pets tended to carry human-adapted MRSA strains and spa-types of MRSA isolates cultured from pets were concordant with strains cultured from the home environment in seven of eight homes (87.5%) at baseline. Results may inform risk-based veterinary clinical recommendations and provide evidence for selective pet testing as a possible alternative to early removal of pets from the homes of humans infected with MRSA. MRSA contamination of the home environment is likely an important risk factor for pet MRSA carriage, and household interventions should be considered to reduce risk of MRSA carriage in exposed pets.

The Witch's Familiar

The Witch's Familiar Alit Karp (bio) Translation from the Hebrew Click for larger view View full resolution Photo by Joachim Pressl on Unsplash [End Page 14] Click for larger view View full resolution A few days into a third lockdown, a cat and her human companion have differing views about how to handle an army of slugs attacking the petunias. My cat P., of uncertain parentage, helps me with the gardening. The status of the petunias I purchased at the plant nursery just a few days ago, on the eve of the third lockdown, is rather poor. "They don't have any leaves at all," P. says, as if I haven't noticed that myself. "Who ate them?" we ask one another, without answer. "Listen," I tell her. "Let's lay in ambush tonight and see what's going on." "Ambush is my middle name," P. says, as if I didn't know that she ambushes me in my bed every night by stalking my legs, which she apparently likens to giant mice, so that she can pounce on them. But since there are all sorts of mutually agreed-upon lies between us, and since we try to preserve a status quo that would not be worth upsetting after so many years together on account of a few minor inaccuracies, I keep my mouth shut. In the evening, we sit on the couch watching the news. I'm under the blanket and she's on top of it, but that's only because I'm afraid that if I let her under the covers, she'll bite me at the first opportunity. During a commercial break I tell her, "Don't you remember we planned to stand guard in the garden this evening?" "Ummm …" she responds. "Do 'guard' and 'garden' come from the same root?" (You must understand, my cat P. did not have the benefit of a proper education, and her knowledge of language and her knowledge in general are products of her natural intelligence alone.) "No," I tell her. "They are spelled differently." But I know that the point of her question is really just to distract us from the need to go outside. And yet we go. Just as I'm about to illuminate the plants with the flashlight on my cell phone, P. reminds me that she descends from tigers and is blessed with night vision. "It's the slugs, those thugs," she says. (She has a musical ear and a knack for language, as you've no doubt noticed.) And indeed, an army of slugs had stationed itself on whatever was left of my flowers, while a force of armored snails had already advanced to devour my strawberries. This does not fit in with my plans. Quite a few years ago, my husband and I traveled together with our daughter to Sweden one summer. The friend who hosted us had taken upon herself the responsibility of caring for the garden allotment of another friend who was away from the city on a trip. This garden was part of a large park area located in a central location in Stockholm. Yes, that's how it works. In Stockholm you can rent a pea patch to cultivate in the center of the city. Sometimes in the summers you'll see an old lady riding the subway carrying a basket with large zucchini, a bundle of carrots, and other such vegetables. If you've ever encountered an old woman of this sort, you can be certain that for the next two weeks her family will be eating watery vegetable stews from her garden. In any case, this friend of my friend never grew vegetables. Her garden was full of strawberries, only strawberries. I had never seen such strawberries. The bushes they grew on were enormous, and the red, ripe, sweet strawberries poked out everywhere. In the absence of the owner, we watered the garden plot and raided the strawberries. We devoured them until we nearly burst, and our lips turned red as blood. "Mother," asked my daughter—this was her first visit to Sweden since we had left many years ago, "why is it so green here...

Comparative Analyses of the Gut Microbiota in Growing Ragdoll Cats and Felinae Cats.

Simple SummaryAccumulating studies have revealed that the gut microbiota had intimate relations with the animal gastrointestinal tract diseases. Through regulating the development of the host’s intestinal immune system, the gut microbiota could directly influence the host’s intestinal function. In the current study, the gut microbiota of Ragdoll cats and Felinae cats were investigated and compared. Results demonstrated the diversity and richness of the gut microbiota in the Felinae cats were much higher than in the Ragdoll cats. However, the relative abundances of beneficial microbes in the Ragdoll cats were much higher than those in the Felinae cats. In all, different genetic portraits determined the different microbial communities in the feline gut. The candidate probiotics isolated in the growing cat’s gut might be applied to treat the gastrointestinal tract diseases.Today, domestic cats are important human companion animals for their appearance and favorable personalities. During the history of their domestication, the morphological and genetic portraits of domestic cats changed significantly from their wild ancestors, and the gut microbial communities of different breeds of cats also apparently differ. In the current study, the gut microbiota of Ragdoll cats and Felinae cats were analyzed and compared. Our data indicated that the diversity and richness of the gut microbiota in the Felinae cats were much higher than in the Ragdoll cats. The taxonomic analyses revealed that the most predominant phyla of the feline gut microbiota were Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, Fusobacteriota, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Campilobacterota, and others, while the most predominant genera were Anaerococcus, Fusobacterium, Bacteroides, Escherichia-Shigella, Finegoldia, Porphyromonas, Collinsella, Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus_gnavus_group, Prevotella, and others. Different microbial communities between the Ragdoll group and the Felinae group were observed, and the compared results demonstrated that the relative abundances of beneficial microbes (such as Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Blautia, Roseburia, and so on) in the Ragdoll group were much higher than in the Felinae group. The co-occurrence network revealed that the number of nodes and links in the Felinae group was significantly higher than the Ragdoll group, which meant that the network of the Felinae group was larger and more complex than that of the Ragdoll group. PICRUSt function analyses indicated that the differences in microbial genes might influence the energy metabolism and immune functions of the host. In all, our data demonstrated that the richness and diversity of beneficial microbes in the Ragdoll group were much higher than the Felinae group. Therefore, it is possible to isolate and identify more candidate probiotics in the gut microbiota of growing Ragdoll cats.

Pet Attitudes Predicting Preferences for Pets Over People

The preference for animal companionship over human companionship may be predicted by attitudes about pet ownership. We hypothesized that pet attitudes could predict preferences for relationships with pets over humans. We sampled 182 people who named a person and a pet they love and care about. Participants rated their feelings of love, time spent, enjoyment, and equity in both their human and pet relationships. We also presented seven hypothetical negative event scenarios that involve both the pet and human and asked participants to predict their feelings and reactions based on these events. The Pet Attitudes Scale (Templer et al., 1981) was used to assess attitudes towards pets. People had similar positive feelings about their pet-human and human-human relationships. However, people were more likely to react negatively towards a human compared to a pet. Positive pet attitudes predicted more positive and less negative reactions to pets. Positive pet attitudes can predict preference for pet relationships over human relationships and may help researchers identify what relationships work best depending on a personʻs pet attitudes. 

Investigation of humans individual differences as predictors of their animal interaction styles, focused on the domestic cat

Humans’ individual differences including their demographics, personality, attitudes and experiences are often associated with important outcomes for the animals they interact with. This is pertinent to companion animals such as cats and dogs, given their social and emotional importance to humans and degree of integration into human society. However, the mechanistic underpinnings and causal relationships that characterise links between human individual differences and companion animal behaviour and wellbeing are not well understood. In this exploratory investigation, we firstly quantified the underlying structure of, and variation in, human’s styles of behaviour during typical human-cat interactions (HCI), focusing on aspects of handling and interaction known to be preferred by cats (i.e. ‘best practice’), and their variation. We then explored the potential significance of various human individual differences as predictors of these HCI styles. Seven separate HCI styles were identified via Principal Component Analysis (PCA) from averaged observations for 119 participants, interacting with sociable domestic cats within a rehoming context. Using General Linear Models (GLMs) and an Information Theoretic (IT) approach, we found these HCI PC components were weakly to strongly predicted by factors including cat-ownership history, participant personality (measured via the Big Five Inventory, or BFI), age, work experience with animals and participants’ subjective ratings of their cat behaviour knowledge. Paradoxically, greater cat ownership experiences and self-assessed cat knowledge were not positively associated with ‘best practice’ styles of HCI, but were instead generally predictive of HCI styles known to be less preferred by cats, as was greater participant age and Neuroticism. These findings have important implications regarding the quality of human-companion animal relationships and dyadic compatibility, in addition to the role of educational interventions and their targeting for optimal efficacy. In the context of animal adoption, these results strengthen the (limited) evidence base for decision making associated with cat-adopter screening and matching. In particular, our results suggest that greater cat ownership experiences and self-reports of cat knowledge might not necessarily convey advantages for cats in the context of HCI.

Socially assistive robots on the market : Experiences from inpatient care and potentials for care at home.

The article addresses commercial socially assistive robots (SAR). There is evidence of the impact of SAR on older persons in institutional settings. Family care at home has not yet been the subject of systematic research; however, especially at home SAR could help to prevent loneliness, provide emotional support, and foster communication. Inspired by evidence on the potential impact of SAR, the article analyzes their potential for supporting family care at home. Aparticipatory research and development (R&D) project stands as an example of how SAR can improve communication and relations at home. Apart from the results of selected randomized controlled trials (RCT) in institutional settings, the article provides results from tests that were run in the R&D project. SAR can increase the quality of life of users at home. They are capable of improving relations within family care. They inspire communication, change routines, and provide relief to family caregivers; however, it takes trained human companions to support the use of SAR at home and address ethical aspects. If SAR are supposed to deliver their potential for care at home, older persons and their caregivers must be actively involved in research and development. These processes must be systematically evaluated.

Zasady utrzymywania zwierząt domowych w świetle prawa Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej i Republiki Estońskiej

The article is an attempt at a comparative analysis of the regulations which specify the rules of keeping pet animals in the Republic of Poland and in the Republic of Estonia. The analysis is based on a model by W.J. Kamba and comprises a description of the key elements of both systems, specification of their features, and indication of similarities and differences between them, followed by the identification of the central structural elements of both systems and their evaluation in terms of optimization of the existing solutions. Furthermore, the comparison includes a definition of a pet in both legal systems which is translated into specification of the object-related scope of both regulations, as well as the basic requirements for keeping a pet animal as a human companion, including the duties connected with identification and registration of animals, vaccination of animals against infectious diseases and the conditions of keeping pets.

Pampered pets or poor bastards? The welfare of dogs kept as companion animals

Over the past two centuries, the typical life of dogs has changed dramatically, especially in the Global North. Dogs have moved into human homes, becoming human companions. In many respects, this change seems to have led to improvements in dog welfare. However, the shift into family homes from the free-roaming lifestyle characteristic of dogs as they lived and co-evolved with humans in the past, has created a typically more confined and isolated lifestyle for dogs. In addition, over the same period, selective breeding of dogs, largely driven by human aesthetic ideals and concepts of breed purity, has transformed dog populations. In this discussion paper, based on a narrative literature review, we compare the welfare of companion dogs with that of modern village dogs. We adopt this comparison because dogs have lived in ways resembling village dog life for most of their history. As such, the comparison may serve as a good basis for assessing the effects of the ‘petification’ of dogs. We argue that compared to the typical village dog, the typical modern suburban or urban companion dog experiences good welfare in a number of respects. This is especially the case when it comes to security, satisfaction of nutritional needs (though companion dogs have problems with a high prevalence of obesity), and proper veterinary care. However, in other ways the modern companion dog often suffers from a range of human-created challenges leading to poor welfare. We examine two key challenges for companion dogs: 1) unrealistic social demands that can lead to anxiety, depression, and aggression, and 2) ill devised breeding schemes that result in breeding-related diseases for many companion dogs.

Putting Access to Veterinary Care on the Map: A Veterinary Care Accessibility Index.

Access to veterinary care is a complex problem that sits at the intersection of a number of societal factors including income inequality, access to transportation, language and cultural differences as well as the spatial distribution of veterinary care providers. This research aims to create an index evaluating accessibility of veterinary care across the contiguous United States and thus fill an important gap in the literature. The location and number of employees of veterinary clinics were aggregated at the county level. Projected pet population and household counts were used to normalize the number of employees to provide a relative assessment of the distribution of care access. Existing US Census data was used as percentile rankings to identify counties which may experience additional, non-spatial, barriers to care. By combining the percentile rankings of each of the variables, an overall index was created, evaluating the relative accessibility of veterinary care in each of the counties of the contiguous US. This work can be used by organizations looking to improve access to care or by policymakers considering legislation that impacts this issue. It may also be of use to individuals in human health care as they consider the intersection of human wellness and companion animal wellness.

COVID-19 as an Anthroponosis: Toward a Nonspeciesist Criminology of Human-to-Animal Pathogen Transmission

This paper examines a potentially fatal type of pathogen transmission, namely, the spillover of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from COVID-19-positive humans to nonhuman animals. This neglected direction of pathogen transmission (“anthroponosis”) was first publicized in March 2020, when eight large felids at a zoo in New York City were infected with SARS-CoV-2 by a COVID-19-positive employee. The paper gathers and problematizes the as-yet sparse evidence of anthroponotic transmissions of SARS-CoV-2 at sites in the animal–industrial complex where animals are held captive in zoos; appointed as human companions; used in scientific experiments; and raised and slaughtered in industrialized agriculture. The great fear is that animals infected with SARS-CoV-2 by COVID-19-positive humans will develop mutant strains of the virus, that these variants will be transmitted back to humans, and that the variants will be immune to the vaccines currently in use or in development. When we harm animals, we harm ourselves. Never has the need for a nonspeciesist approach to public health and safety been more urgent.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19 and pets among pet owners referred to veterinary clinics in Iran

Covid-19 or severe acute respiratory syndrome is a novel beta coronavirus. SARS-CoV-2 has a putative animal origin. As SARS-CoV-2 started outspreading in the whole world, potential spill overexposure was considered in companion and pet animals, similarly because of their strict social relationship with humans. As the novel coronavirus prevalence spreads in the world with devastating impacts on human health, pets and companion animals are also becoming unessential sacrifices among the pandemic panic and concern amid the public that companion animals might play a role in spreading COVID-19 pets being obsolete or even killed. These facts led to a KAP survey design to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19 and pets among pet owners referring to veterinary clinics. This study was conducted as a cross-sectional paper-based survey. The questionnaire comprised 56 items, of which nine were on socio-demographic profiles, 41 were on KAP of COVID-19 and pets, and the other six items were on the source of individual information about this subject. The questionnaire was answered by 462 participants anonymously in October 2020. All the statistical analyses were performed by using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 26.0. Based on the results, most general population (62.7%) had moderate knowledge about the Covid-19, and 22.1% had insufficient knowledge about this subject. The present study indicated that a higher knowledge score concerning COVID-19 was notably related to a higher likelihood of having a positive tendency and good practice when the COVID-19 outbreak. Also, our findings presented that the majority of participants (62.3%) obtained their information from social media.

The New Status Quo: Enhancing Access to Human-Animal Interactions to Alleviate Social Isolation & Loneliness in the Time of COVID-19.

Simple SummaryThe human–animal bond is a powerful agent for reducing feelings of loneliness and social isolation; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our typical avenues for accessing human–animal interaction (HAI) have been drastically impacted. Because the way we interact with animals has shifted during these times of collective struggle, we have ultimately grown in our appreciation of the human–animal bond. This paper will outline the impact of the pandemic on our relationships with animals, while also discussing the ways in which organizations that facilitate HAI have responded to the pandemic. Preparations for post-pandemic re-entry into the community with our animals will be outlined, and suggestions for future research and best practices on this topic will be provided.Access to human–animal interactions (HAI) have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Service animals that were trained and accustomed to daily access to public places had to adjust to staying at home. Therapy animals and their handlers who previously visited with many of the populations most vulnerable to the virus have had to halt their programming. Professionals who utilize animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have had to develop new strategies for providing goal-oriented care. Even the landscape for companion animals has been significantly altered, leading to behavioral changes and new practices for pet owners and veterinarians. While animals and their human companions face new challenges, our recognition of the power of the human–animal bond (HAB) has grown, as it provides a vital need for connection during this time of isolation. In this paper, we will not only focus on describing the new status quo related to various kinds of animals and the public’s access to HAI, but will also offer suggestions for sharing the human–animal bond during a time in which physical connections are limited. Organizational insights from the service and therapy animal fields will be explored, and findings related to the auspiciousness of new initiatives, such as animal-related engagement (ARE), will be presented. Recommendations for people who share their lives with any of these kinds of animals will be made to ensure both human and animal welfare. Finally, future research and best practices will be suggested, so we can empirically understand and develop these revised offerings to ultimately bring HAI to a wider audience than ever before.

Hunting dogs bark differently when they encounter different animal species

Previous studies have shown that vocalizations of dogs can provide information to human companions. While acoustic signals of dogs have been intensively studied during the last decade, barking during hunting activities remains unstudied. The experiences of hunters indicate that owners can recognize what animal species has been found based on the bark of their dog. Such a phenomenon has never been tested before. We tested such an ability by comparing barks that were produced when dogs encountered four different animal species: wild boar, red fox, rabbit and fowl. Classification results of a discrimination analysis showed, that based on barks of dachshunds and terriers, it is possible to categorize towards which animal species barks were produced. The most distinctive barks were produced during encounters with the most dangerous of these animals, the wild boar. On the contrary, barks evoked by red fox encounters were classified similarly as those towards other smaller and non-dangerous animals like rabbits and fowl. Although the red fox represents a potentially dangerous species, the barking provoked was not classified with a much higher result than barking at animals that pose no threat. This might indicate that the key parameter could be the body size of the animal the dog meets. We further tested whether the degree of threat from the species of animal the dog encounters is reflected in the structure of the acoustic parameters based on the valence-arousal model. We found that barks produced in contact with a wild boar showed significantly lower frequency parameters and longest duration compared to other barks. According to these results, it seems that the variability of barking depending on the species of animal a dog encounters is an expression of the dogʼs inner state rather than functionally reference information.

Penerapan Keselamatan Dan Kesehatan Kerja Rumah Sakit (K3RS) di Rumah Sakit Umum X Jakarta

Introduction: Hospital as a health service institution for thecommunity is a workplace that has a high risk to the safety andhealth of hospital human resources, patients, patient companions,visitors, and hospital environment so that the hospital is obliged toimplement the Republic of Indonesia Ministerial Regulation No. 66of 2016 concerning Hospital Work Safety and Health Standards.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine theImplementation of Occupational Safety and Health Standards at theJagakarsa Regional Hospital in 2019.Method: This type of research is qualitative using 5 informants.Result: From the results of research Jagakarsa Hospital hasimplemented the application of occupational safety and healthstandards of the hospital which include risk management, safetyand security, occupational health services, Management ofhazardous and toxic materials (B3) from aspects of occupationalsafety and health, fire prevention and control, management hospitalinfrastructure from aspects of occupational safety and health,management of medical equipment from aspects of occupationalsafety and health, preparedness to deal with emergencies ordisasters have been implemented well by Jagakarsa RegionalHospital but in reality there are still some elements that have notbeen carried out according to the Occupational Safety and HealthStandards diseases including risk management, fire control andprevention as well as hospital infrastructure.Conclution: Jagakarsa Regional Hospital should complement theshortcomings in the field so that it can realize the dream of thehospital becoming a favorite and perfect hospital

Affordability, Feasibility, and Accessibility: Companion Animal Guardians with (Dis)Abilities' Access to Veterinary Medical and Behavioral Services during COVID-19.

Simple SummaryCompounding pre-existing diverse vulnerabilities, pet owners living with (dis)abilities are expected to confront more challenges than their peers without (dis)abilities. However, there is a paucity of literature investigating COVID-19-specific impacts on access to veterinary medical and behavioral services from the lens of persons with (dis)abilities (PWDs). Through semi-structured in-depth interviews, this study highlights PWDs’ difficulties, three-fold: (1) COVID-19 has worsened PWDs’ already precarious financial capacity to pay for veterinary services, (2) existing assistance and support programs do not effectively address PWDs’ unique requirements to support their companion animals’ health needs, and (3) public health protocols triggered public transportation challenges for PWDs who must now also adapt to complicated curbside services. Building PWD-driven social assistance and support programs would help reduce these challenges and promote health and well-being for both PWDs and their companion animals.The research aims to explore COVID-19 health and safety protocol impacts on companion animal guardians living with (dis)abilities relating to veterinary medical and behavioral service access. The COVID-19 global public health crisis has impacted almost all international communities; however, vulnerable and marginalized groups have been disproportionately affected. Within the human–companion animal domain, COVID-19-driven societal impacts (e.g., social, health, and economic) not only boomed with new companion animal guardians, but also negatively influenced guardians’ access to veterinary services. Although studies have examined guardian-related COVID-19-specific challenges, there is a paucity of concentration on vulnerable populations, such as persons with disabilities (PWDs). Responding to this research deficit, this study recruited twelve companion animal guardians to participate in semi-structured in-depth interviews, and eight (67%) of the twelve participants self-identified as PWDs. From a PWD perspective, this research reveals three pandemic-triggered primary barriers, preventing PWDs from pursuing veterinary services: (1) service affordability, (2) assistance program feasibility, and (3) veterinary service accessibility. This article argues that PWD-driven approaches could improve existing assistance and support programs to address PWDs’ unique requirements, promoting a healthy human–animal bond.

A First Evaluation of a Multi-Modal Learning System to Control Surgical Assistant Robots via Action Segmentation

The next stage for robotics development is to introduce autonomy and cooperation with human agents in tasks that require high levels of precision and/or that exert considerable physical strain. To guarantee the highest possible safety standards, the best approach is to devise a deterministic automaton that performs identically for each operation. Clearly, such approach inevitably fails to adapt itself to changing environments or different human companions. In a surgical scenario, the highest variability happens for the timing of different actions performed within the same phases. This paper presents a cognitive control architecture that uses a multi-modal neural network trained on a cooperative task performed by human surgeons and produces an action segmentation that provides the required timing for actions while maintaining full phase execution control via a deterministic Supervisory Controller and full execution safety by a velocity-constrained Model-Predictive Controller.

Expressive Cognitive Architecture for a Curious Social Robot

Artificial curiosity, based on developmental psychology concepts wherein an agent attempts to maximize its learning progress, has gained much attention in recent years. Similarly, social robots are slowly integrating into our daily lives, in schools, factories, and in our homes. In this contribution, we integrate recent advances in artificial curiosity and social robots into a single expressive cognitive architecture. It is composed of artificial curiosity and social expressivity modules and their unique link, i.e., the robot verbally and non-verbally communicates its internally estimated learning progress, or learnability, to its human companion. We implemented this architecture in an interaction where a fully autonomous robot took turns with a child trying to select and solve tangram puzzles on a tablet. During the curious robot’s turn, it selected its estimated most learnable tangram to play, communicated its selection to the child, and then attempted at solving it. We validated the implemented architecture and showed that the robot learned, estimated its learnability, and improved when its selection was based on its learnability estimation. Moreover, we ran a comparison study between curious and non-curious robots, and showed that the robot’s curiosity-based behavior influenced the child’s selections. Based on the artificial curiosity module of the robot, we have formulated an equation that estimates each child’s moment-by-moment curiosity based on their selections. This analysis revealed an overall significant decrease in estimated curiosity during the interaction. However, this drop in estimated curiosity was significantly larger with the non-curious robot, compared to the curious one. These results suggest that the new architecture is a promising new approach to integrate state-of-the-art curiosity-based algorithms to the growing field of social robots.