Animal welfare

Studiamo il comportamento degli animali per comprenderne e migliorarne il benessere. Miriamo a essere un team innovativo e interdisciplinare dedicato a svelare le complessità del benessere animale. La nostra principale area di ricerca si concentra sullo studio di come gli animali esprimano il loro benessere, includendo comportamenti naturali, test cognitivi, indicatori emozionali, misurazioni cerebrali e indicatori fisiologici. Inoltre, ci stiamo impegnado per adottare una prospettiva più ampia incorporando i principi del One Welfare, riconoscendo l'interconnessione del benessere umano, animale e ambientale. Nella nostra ricerca ci sforziamo continuamente di migliorare le nostre metodologie e per questo abbracciamo i principi della scienza aperta, promuovendo trasparenza, collaborazione e diffusione delle conoscenze.

Per questo sosteniamo progetti come PCI Animal Science.

Infine, siamo partner del programma University Federation of Animal Welfare (UFAW) e dell'Animal Welfare Research Network

• Matteo Chincarini 

• Giorgio Vignola 

• Lydia Lanzoni 

• Melania Giammarco 

• Isa Fusaro

• Manetta A.C. - Tecnico di laboratorio
• Di Giuseppe L. - Tecnico di laboratorio

• Inrae: NECOS NeuroEthologie et Cognition Sociale (France)
• Norwegian Veterinary Institute (Norway)
• University of Milan (Italy)
• Politecnico of Milan (Italy)
• University of Padova (Italy)
• University of Turin (Italy)
• University of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
• Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Abruzzo & Molise
• University of Vienna (Austria)

• “Demetra” Project (Dipartimenti di Eccellenza 2018-2022, CUP_C46C18000530001)
• University of Teramo, Italy (Founds for Basic Research Activities—FARBID)
• Ministry of University and Research and European Social Fund (PON-AIM1857439-1)
• Ministry of University and Research; MIUR-PRIN2015 (Grant Number 2015Y5W9YP)
• “SensTech: Sensor technology in sheep on range pastures to monitor health and welfare” (RFF no. 248077)
• QualityCalf: Improved health, welfare and profitability in a sustainable calf production (NRC no. 268023)

Progetti in corso

• “Pilot study: Involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the regulation of target genes known for assessing animal welfare in the ovine species."
• Cost action: LIFT: Lifting farm animal lives – laying the foundations for positive animal welfare (member)

1. Barnard, S., M. Chincarini, L.D. Tommaso, F.D. Giulio, S. Messori, N. Ferri (2015). “Free-roaming dogs control activities in one Italian province (2000- 2013): Is the implemented approach effective?” In: Macedonian Veterinary Review 38.2, pp. 149–158.
2. Cannas, Simona, Clara Palestrini, Elisabetta Canali, Bruno Cozzi, Nicola Ferri, Eugenio Heinzl, Michela Minero, Matteo Chincarini, Giorgio Vignola, Emanuela Dalla Costa (Aug. 2018). “Thermography as a Non-Invasive Measure of Stress and Fear of Humans in Sheep”. In: Animals 8.9, p. 146. doi: 10. 3390/ani8090146.
3. Chincarini, Matteo, Emanuela Dalla Costa, Lina Qiu, Lorenzo Spinelli, Simona Cannas, Clara Palestrini, Elisabetta Canali, Michela Minero, Bruno Cozzi, Nicola Ferri, Daniele Ancora, Francesco De Pasquale, Giorgio Vignola, Alessandro Torricelli (Sept. 2020). “Reliability of fNIRS for noninvasive monitoring of brain function and emotion in sheep”. In: Scientific Reports 10.1. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-71704-5.
4. Jean-Marie Graic, Livio Corain, Antonella Peruffo, Cristiano Bombardi, Cinzia Centelleghe, Enrico Grisan, Pietro Bontempi, Annamaria Grandis, Michela Minero, Elisabetta Canali, Giorgio Vignola, Luca Bonfanti, Matteo Chincarini, Cristina Ballarin, Francesco de Pasquale, Clara Palestrini, Emanuela Dalla Costa, Lorenzo Spinelli, Bruno Cozzi (2019). “Laminar Organization and Projections of the Motor Cortex of the Sheep”. In: The FASEB Journal.
5. Chincarini, Matteo, Lydia Lanzoni, Jorgelina Di Pasquale, Simone Morelli, Gior- gio Vignola, Barbara Paoletti, Angela Di Cesare (Feb. 2022). “Animal Welfare and Parasite Infections in Organic and Conventional Dairy Farms: A Comparative Pilot Study in Central Italy”. In: Animals 12.3, p. 351. doi: 10.3390/ani12030351.
6. Chincarini, Matteo, Lina Qiu, Lorenzo Spinelli, Alessandro Torricelli, Michela Minero, Emanuela Dalla Costa, Massimo Mariscoli, Nicola Ferri, Melania Giammarco, Giorgio Vignola (Dec. 2018). “Evaluation of Sheep Anticipatory Response to a Food Reward by Means of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy”. In: Animals 9.1, p. 11. doi: 10.3390/ani9010011.
7. Dai, F., G. Segati, M. Brscic, M. Chincarini, E.D. Costa, L. Ferrari, F. Burden, A. Judge, M. Minero (2018). “Effects of management practices on the welfare of dairy donkeys and risk factors associated with signs of hoof neglect”. In: Journal of Dairy Research 85.1, pp. 30–
8. Fuchs, Boris, Kristin Marie Sørheim, Matteo Chincarini, Emma Brunberg, Solveig Marie Stubsjøen, Kjell Bratbergsengen, Svein Olav Hvasshovd, Barbara Zimmermann, Unni Støbet Lande, Lise Grøva (Dec. 2019). “Heart rate sensor validation and seasonal and diurnal variation of body temperature and heart rate in domestic sheep”.In:Veterinary and Animal Science 8, p.100075. Doi:10.1016/j.vas.2019.100075.     
9. Giammarco, Melania, Matteo Chincarini, Isa Fusaro, Anna Chiara Manetta, Alberto Contri, Alessia Gloria, Lydia Lanzoni, Ludovica Maria Eugenia Mammi, Nicola Ferri, Giorgio Vignola (Sep. 2021). “Evaluation of Brix Refractometry to Estimate Immunoglobulin G Content in Buffalo Colostrum and Neonatal Calf Serum”. In: Animals 11.9, p. 2616. doi: 10.3390/ ani11092616.
10. Gloria, Alessia, Matteo Chincarini, Giorgio Vignola, Nicola Ferri, Alberto Contri (Nov. 2020). “Venous blood gas parameters in healthy Mediterranean buffalo calves in the first 72 hours of life”. In: Theriogenology 157, pp. 297–302. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.08.013.
11. Johnsen, Julie Føske, Matteo Chincarini, ̊Ase Margrethe Sogstad, Liv Sølverød, Marie Vatne, Cecilie Marie Mejdell, Laura HA ̃ ¤nninen (Jan. 2019). “Salivary IgG levels in neonatal calves and its association to serum IgG: an observational pilot study”. In: Translational Animal Science 3.1, pp. 589–593. doi: 10.1093/tas/txz001.
12. Lanzoni, L., L. Whatford, A.S. Atzori, M. Chincarini, M. Giammarco, I. Fusaro, G. Vignola (May 2023). “Review: The challenge to integrate animal welfare indicators into the Life Cycle Assessment”. In: animal 17.5, p. 100794. doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2023.100794. 
13. Lanzoni, Lydia, Matteo Chincarini, Melania Giammarco, Isa Fusaro, Alessia Gloria, Alberto Contri, Nicola Ferri, Giorgio Vignola (May 2021). “Maternal and Neonatal Behaviour in Italian Mediterranean Buffaloes”. In: Animals 11.6, p. 1584. doi: 10.3390/ani11061584.
14. Love, Scott, Hans Adriaensen, Camille Pluchot, C ́eline Parias, Matteo Chincar- ini, Elodie Chaillou (2022). “Functional MRI of the sheep auditory cortex”. In: Journ ́ees d’animation scientifiques du D ́epartement Physiologie Animale et Syst`emes d’Elevage.
15. Minozzi, Giulietta, Filippo Biscarini, Emanuela Dalla Costa, Matteo Chincarini, Nicola Ferri, Clara Palestrini, Michela Minero, Silvia Mazzola, Renata Piccinini, Giorgio Vignola, Simona Cannas (Dec. 2020). “Analysis of Hindgut Microbiome of Sheep and Effect of Different Husbandry Conditions”. In: Animals 11.1, p. 4. doi: 10.3390/ani11010004.
16. Rosa, Chiara La, Francesca Cavallo, Alessandra Pecora, Matteo Chincarini, Ugo Ala, Chris G Faulkes, Juan Nacher, Bruno Cozzi, Chet C Sherwood, Irmgard Amrein, Luca Bonfanti (July 2020). “Phylogenetic variation in cortical layer II immature neuron reservoir of mammals”. In: eLife 9. doi: 10.7554/ elife.55456.
17. Sarmiento, Marisol Parada, Lydia Lanzoni, Leandro Sabei, Matteo Chincarini, Rupert Palme, Adroaldo Jos ́e Zanella, Giorgio Vignola (May 2023). “Lame- ness in Pregnant Sows Alters Placental Stress Response”. In: Animals 13.11, p. 1722. doi: 10.3390/ani13111722.
18. Signore, Francesca Del, Massimo Vignoli, Leonardo Della Salda, Roberto Tam- burro, Andrea Paolini, Ilaria Cerasoli, Matteo Chincarini, Emanuela Rossi, Nicola Ferri, Mariarita Romanucci, Ilaria Falerno, Francesco de Pasquale (May 2022). “A Magnetic Resonance-Relaxometry-Based Technique to Iden- tify Blood Products in Brain Parenchyma: An Experimental Study on a Rabbit Model”. In: Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9. doi: 10.3389/fvets. 2022.802272.
19. Stubsjøen, Solveig Marie, Kristin Sørheim, Matteo Chincarini, Jon Bohlin, Emma Brunberg, Boris Fuchs, Rupert Palme, Lise Grøva (July 2018). “Exploring hair cortisone concentration as a novel tool to assess chronic stress in sheep with tick-borne fever”. In: Small Ruminant Research 164, pp. 110–119. doi: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2018.05.009.
20. Vaintrub, M. Odintsov, H. Levit, M. Chincarini, I. Fusaro, M. Giammarco, G. Vignola (Mar. 2021). “Review: Precision livestock farming, automats and new technologies: possible applications in extensive dairy sheep farming”. In: Animal 15.3, p. 100143. doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2020.100143.