Dataset Information

An Investigation of the Complexities of Successful and Unsuccessful Guide Dog Matching and Partnerships.

ABSTRACT: Matching a person who is blind or visually impaired with a guide dog is a process of finding the most suitable guide dog available for that individual. Not all guide dog partnerships are successful, and the consequences of an unsuccessful partnership may result in reduced mobility and quality of life for the handler (owner), and are costly in time and resources for guide dog training establishments. This study examined 50 peoples' partnerships with one or more dogs (118 pairings) to ascertain the outcome of the relationship. Forty-three of the 118 dogs were returned to the guide dog training establishment before reaching retirement age, with the majority (n?=?40) being categorized as having dog-related issues. Most (n?=?26) of these dogs' issues were classified as being behavioral in character, including work-related and non-work-related behavior, and 14 were due to physical causes (mainly poor health). Three dogs were returned due to matters relating to the handlers' behavior. More second dogs were returned than the handlers' first or third dogs, and dogs that had been previously used as a guide could be rematched successfully. Defining matching success is not clear-cut. Not all dogs that were returned were considered by their handlers to have been mismatched, and not all dogs retained until retirement were thought to have been good matches, suggesting that some handlers were retaining what they considered to be a poorly matched dog. Almost all the handlers who regarded a dog as being mismatched conceded that some aspects of the match were good. For example, a dog deemed mismatched for poor working behavior may have shown good home and/or other social behaviors. The same principle was true for successful matches, where few handlers claimed to have had a perfect dog. It is hoped that these results may help the guide dog industry identify important aspects of the matching process, and/or be used to identify areas where a matching problem exists.

SUBMITTER: Lloyd J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5159482 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An Investigation of the Complexities of Successful and Unsuccessful Guide Dog Matching and Partnerships.

Lloyd Janice J Budge Claire C La Grow Steve S Stafford Kevin K

Frontiers in veterinary science 20161216

Matching a person who is blind or visually impaired with a guide dog is a process of finding the most suitable guide dog available for that individual. Not all guide dog partnerships are successful, and the consequences of an unsuccessful partnership may result in reduced mobility and quality of life for the handler (owner), and are costly in time and resources for guide dog training establishments. This study examined 50 peoples' partnerships with one or more dogs (118 pairings) to ascertain th ...[more]

PMID: 28018910

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Project description:PURPOSE:PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) is a sub-group of small RNAs about 30 nucleotides length which specifically expressed in mammalian germ cells. Although piRNAs play pivotal roles in spermatogenesis regulation, little is known in the testicular tissues of infertile men. To explore whether piRNA profile could serve as a biomarker for male infertility diagnosis in a clinic, in this study, we systematically investigated the expression profile of piRNAs in testicular tissues from the patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) between successful and unsuccessful sperm retrieval before micro-dissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE). METHODS:The differential expression levels of piRNAs were evaluated using small RNA-Seq method. Ontologic analyses were performed to determine the presence of enriched biological processes. RESULTS:A total of 18,324 Homo sapiens piRNAs were identified by small RNA-Seq from NOA patient testicular tissues; among them, 959 piRNAs were significantly altered between successful and unsuccessful sperm retrieval groups, of which 951 testicular piRNAs were significantly downregulated and 8 piRNAs were upregulated in NOA patients with unsuccessful sperm retrieval (USR) groups compared to those with successful sperm retrieval (SSR) groups, respectively. Unexpectedly, 553 testicular piRNAs were found completely absent in USR but showing abundant in SSR, which suggests that those piRNAs might serve as a biomarker for micro-TESE application. A total of 20 significantly differential piRNAs (hsa-piR-20830, hsa-piR-4731, hsa-piR-6254, hsa-piR-419, hsa-piR-7152, hsa-piR-7548, hsa-piR-14195, hsa-piR-5026, hsa-piR-11482, hsa-piR-17765, hsa-piR-17102, hsa-piR-4484, hsa-piR-17260, hsa-piR-17098, hsa-piR-20511, hsa-piR-5802, hsa-piR-19121, hsa-piR-2510, hsa-piR-4745, hsa-piR-11873) were selected to further validate the RNA-Seq data by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. In addition, bioinformatic analyses revealed that those altered piRNAs were involved in many important biological pathways, including apoptosis, cell proliferation, and differentiation. CONCLUSIONS:Our results demonstrate that testicular tissues from NOA patients with successful and unsuccessful spermatozoa retrieval exhibit differential piRNA profiles. This study provides a useful resource to further elucidate the regulatory role of piRNAs in spermatogenesis and provides a profound clue to identify useful biomarkers for predicting residual spermatogenic loci in NOA patients during assisted reproductive treatment.

Dataset Information

An Investigation of the Complexities of Successful and Unsuccessful Guide Dog Matching and Partnerships.

Publications

An Investigation of the Complexities of Successful and Unsuccessful Guide Dog Matching and Partnerships.

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