scholarly journals Epidemiology of domestic cat behavioral problems in the city of Porto Alegre/Brazil: a survey of small animal veterinary practitioners

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalia Saraiva de Albuquerque ◽  
Guilherme Marques Soares

ABSTRACT: The popularity of cats as a companion animal has been growing. Additionally, there is also an increase in the number of complaints regarding behavioral problems associated with the species. Behavioral problems interfere with the animal welfare and quality of people’s lives that are living with them, and are one of the main reasons for abandonment and euthanasia in some countries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of behavioral problems among cats with the help of veterinary practitioners in the city of Porto Alegre/Brazil. This evaluation was performed through a questionnaire in veterinary clinics and hospitals of small animals, which was answered by veterinarians responsible for clinical care. The study showed that most veterinarians (92.0%) have been sought to assist with behavioral problems and that dogs were the most consulted species (72.0%). Regarding cats, scratching was the most common owners’ complaints (40.0%), followed by aggressiveness (39.0%), and inappropriate elimination of urine (38.0%). Aggression (73.8%) and scratching (56.9%) were the most frequent reasons that may lead to the abandonment or euthanasia of cats. Results of this research highlighted the importance of having a better understanding about the normal behavior of cats, and the fundamental role of the veterinarian in preventing behavioral problems and abandonment of these animals.

Author(s):  
Sadegh Fathi ◽  
Hassan Sajadzadeh ◽  
Faezeh Mohammadi Sheshkal ◽  
Farshid Aram ◽  
Gergo Pinter ◽  
...  

Along with environmental pollution, urban planning has been connected to public health. The research indicates that the quality of built environments plays an important role in reducing mental disorders and overall health. The structure and shape of the city are considered as one of the factors influencing happiness and health in urban communities and the type of the daily activities of citizens. The aim of this study was to promote physical activity in the main structure of the city via urban design in a way that the main form and morphology of the city can encourage citizens to move around and have physical activity within the city. Functional, physical, cultural-social, and perceptual-visual features are regarded as the most important and effective criteria in increasing physical activities in urban spaces, based on literature review. The environmental quality of urban spaces and their role in the physical activities of citizens in urban spaces were assessed by using the questionnaire tool and analytical network process (ANP) of structural equation modeling. Further, the space syntax method was utilized to evaluate the role of the spatial integration of urban spaces on improving physical activities. Based on the results, consideration of functional diversity, spatial flexibility and integration, security, and the aesthetic and visual quality of urban spaces plays an important role in improving the physical health of citizens in urban spaces. Further, more physical activities, including motivation for walking and the sense of public health and happiness, were observed in the streets having higher linkage and space syntax indexes with their surrounding texture.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uroš Radosavljević ◽  
Aleksandra Đorđević ◽  
Kseniјa Lalović ◽  
Jelena Živković ◽  
Zoran Đukanović

Using heritage as a cultural artifact in city development is not new, but little has been explored about how urban heritage can be utilized as new generative value and a new planning instrument for the revival of cities. The purpose of this paper is to show the creative and the generative use of urban heritage, both for the extension of cultural and tourist offer of the city and for the improvement of the quality of life in physical, social and economic terms for the community. The case study method was used for the adaptive reuse of projects for heritage buildings and urban revival in Kikinda. We argue that urban heritage has to be used, bearing in mind its spatial, economic and social sustainability aspects, and become a generator of urban revival. We go beyond recognition of the value of heritage as a cultural artifact that should solely be preserved and used as a static element in urban development, and view it more as a dynamic asset for city revival processes. We found that for the heritage nodes to be utilized as the new generative value for the revival of cities, they have to be perceived from the network perspective, thus influencing the urban environment in a sustainable way.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 294-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Li ◽  
Philip Pearce

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify dominant scams against domestic tourists in popular tourism cities in China. There are two questions of concern: what types of scams do domestic tourists experience and are the patterns of scams different between the capital and regional cities? The social situation framework was employed to interpret the outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A content analysis facilitated by Leximancer software was applied to 102 Chinese travel blogs reporting experiences of being scammed in Beijing, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Sanya and Guilin. Clear themes and concepts emerged from the analysis of these travel reviews and differences in scamming patterns between Beijing and regional cities were identified. Findings The most frequently reported scams in the capital Beijing were linked to the chaotic environment at tourist attractions and the misbehaviours of tour agents. By way of contrast scams involving manipulating the weight and quality of products purchased were more common in regional cities. The differences between Beijing and other locations may lie in the greater monitoring of fraudulent practices in the capital. Additionally, the role of shills (confederates of the scammer) was highlighted in many of the scams studied. Originality/value Scams include a slightly less serious but still troublesome set of problems accompanying major crimes and assaults. Rare research specifically focussed on tourist scams despite substantive work discussing crimes against tourists as general. Implications of the present study lie in enriching the literature on scams against tourists. The analysis of scams as a special type of social situation proved to be insightful in directing attention to facets of the interaction thus providing connections to previous work and directions for further study. It is also promising to be developed to inform strategic approaches to creating a safer tourism environment in cities.


Author(s):  
Sylwia Widzisz-Pronobis ◽  
◽  
Grzegorz Pronobis ◽  

Bytom is a polish, post-industrial city which is looking for a new vision of the future. City dwellers are between a history related to coal and new challenges. It is not easy for them to understand that industry is a thing of the past and you need to look for yourself and your identity again. Groups of social leaders are trying to show a different picture of the city and engage more and more people to act for the city. Building the city's identity and new image are basic ideas. However, in the era of global discussion about climate change and the technologization of city life, it becomes important to become aware of the role of greenery and community. In the article I want to show how Bytom social activists promote and animate the local community in the spirit of collectivism and improving the quality of life in the city. The assumption of the described groups was the maximum involvement of residents in activities to improve the space in Bytom. In the article I want to show what tools they used and what effects they obtained. Particularly important here are activities that contribute to making the community aware of the role of greenery and pedestrian space. The effects of social activities show more clearly how important are strong communities opposing local authorities and supporting good investment decisions. Analysis of the activities of social groups showed how important local leaders play and how various methods and tools used by them gave measurable effects in the city space. The bottom-up activity helped to understand the advantages of a pedestrian city, which is Bytom, and to show how little it takes for the city to gain a new image.


2017 ◽  
pp. 1125-1142
Author(s):  
Selda Uca Ozer

City branding means all types of image development studies for a city in order to attract more visitors, raise the quality of life and awareness of the city and provide development etc. Today, the increasing competition among the cities has made city branding a necessity. There are different strategies implemented for city branding. The mostly used strategy among those is the culture-focused branding studies. Culture has a critical importance for city branding and it is used as an international strategy for the economic, social and environmental renovation of cities. Marketing the cultural city sources and activities in an efficient way and branding the city accordingly have become increasingly important. In this chapter, the role and importance of culture which is one of the most important strategies used in city branding has been discussed in detail. Also, the cases of cultural cities which become successfully different from their rivals with their cultural heritage and the strategies implemented in these cases have been analyzed.


2019 ◽  
pp. bmjebm-2019-111247
Author(s):  
David Slawson ◽  
Allen F Shaughnessy

Overdiagnosis and overtreatment—overuse—is gaining wide acceptance as a leading nosocomial intervention in medicine. Not only does overuse create anxiety and diminish patients’ quality of life, in some cases it causes harm to both patients and others not directly involved in clinical care. Reducing overuse begins with the recognition and acceptance of the potential for unintended harm of our best intentions. In this paper, we introduce five cases to illustrate where harm can occur as the result of well-intended healthcare interventions. With this insight, clinicians can learn to appreciate the critical role of probability-based, evidence-informed decision-making in medicine and the need to consider the outcomes for all who may be affected by their actions. Likewise, educators need to evolve medical education and medical decision-making so that it focuses on the hierarchy of evidence and that what ‘ought to work’, based on traditional pathophysiological, disease-focused reasoning, should be subordinate to what ‘does work’.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 00097
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Sztubecka

Areas that are considered human-friendly are green spaces. The existing urban parks are designed to fulfill the role of relaxation, recreation, and entertainment. However, in many cases, these are historic places, which at the time didn't have much of an impact on external factors. Sustainable development issues are related to the quality of life and the usage of the environment and its resources by present and future generations. Noise and noise protection is an issue that is part of sustainable development. The inadequate implementation of the principles of sustainable development and non-inclusion of noise can noticeably lead to negative effects now and in the future. The aim of the paper is to analyze the soundscapes of two Bydgoszcz parks located in the city center. The values of the equivalent sound level for these areas were obtained from the existing Bydgoszcz acoustic plan. Subsequently, the resulting distribution of noise was compared with the results of subjective perception of sounds by visitors. On this basis, conclusions can be drawn regarding the ways of shaping such areas while taking into account the perception of visitors.


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