Comments on the Sixth Report of the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-212
Author(s):  
Sylvia Vaughan
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Advisory Committee ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Research Programmes ◽  
Defence Research ◽  
Animal Use ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
The Three Rs

The Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (AWAC) was established in July 1996, to consider the care, welfare and use of animals involved in procedures for defence research purposes at Defence and Evaluation Research Agency (DERA) establishments in the UK. Two of the objectives of AWAC are to examine the broad trends in animal use at DERA establishments, and to implement and audit the application of the Three Rs principle. AWAC's sixth report addressed the period from 31 October 2000 to 28 February 2002. The statistics of animal use within the report are briefly examined, and some of the actions undertaken by defence research establishments to facilitate the application of the Three Rs are highlighted. It is recommended that, if possible (subject to security constraints), figures detailing the severity of the procedures undertaken should be included in future issues of the report, in order to provide a more-detailed account. It is concluded that Defence Science and Technology Laboratory establishments have made a contribution to the Three Rs, and that other establishments may be able to incorporate some of their actions into their own research programmes. There was an overall 36% increase in the number of procedures carried out by defence research establishments between 1995 and 2000, from 8,900 to 12,065. This probably reflects alterations in the research programme, which is, in turn, decided primarily by the Ministry of Defence's customers and the progress made with previous research programmes. It is therefore recommended that the UK Government allocates significantly more financial resources for the development and validation of alternatives, in order to maximise the potential for achieving the Three Rs in defence research, and to complement the existing initiatives within the defence research industry.

DMS research and MODREC – a guide for potential researchers

2016 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-134
Author(s):  
SAG Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Medical Research ◽  
Research Ethics ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Ethics Committee ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Finite Period ◽  
Defence Research ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Research Period ◽  
Support Research

AbstractFollowing and during recent conflict, the UK Defence Medical Services (DMS) research programme has resulted in significant advancements in care. There are opportunities to work in medical research with the backing of either MOD funding and/or 3rd sector support. Research may require Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee (MODREC) approval, a process that can be daunting and confusing for those new to research. Often researchers have a finite period in which to complete their research; any delay in the process can be frustrating and may decrease the effectiveness of the research period. Here, we use recent experience to describe the development of a research idea and its submission through the MODREC process. We identify considerations and potential pitfalls in order to streamline and inform the process for those considering DMS research in the future.

scholarly journals A review of the MAFF Optimal Nutrition Status research programme: folate, iron and copper

2002 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Buttriss ◽  
J Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Research Effort ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Nutrition Status ◽  
Functional Markers ◽  
Assessment Criterion ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Individual Variations ◽  
Dietary Requirements ◽  
Research Programmes ◽  
The Uk

AbstractObjective:The objective was to conduct a critical appraisal of research conducted within one of the UK government's research programmes, Optimal Nutrition Status, and to place the findings of this work in the context of the international research effort, to assist policy makers and advisers. Nine nutrients are addressed within the programme; the findings for three of these are reported here: folate/folic acid, iron and copper.Design:To conduct the review, the researchers had access to all unpublished progress reports, submitted to officials, arising from the projects. The overall assessment criterion was whether the information generated by the research programme could be regarded as reliable experimental data of direct relevance to setting optimal dietary requirements for the particular micronutrients. However, findings were also assessed against specific scientific criteria concerning understanding of the bioavailability, interactions, development of functional markers and inter-individual variations in metabolism, for each of the nutrients scrutinised.Results:The results of the review indicated that many important questions are indeed being addressed by the UK government's research programme, and that the work is contributing to the overall research effort being conducted world-wide on this important subject.Conclusions:Many major questions still need to be addressed before it will be possible to identify optimal intakes for various sub-populations. These priorities are summarised in the paper.

scholarly journals Advancing refinement of laboratory animal use

1998 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence H. Smaje ◽  
Jane A. Smith ◽  
Robert D. Combes ◽  
Roger Ewbank ◽  
John A. Gregory ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Animal ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Safety Testing ◽  
The World ◽  
Animal Use ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Recent Editorial ◽  
The Three Rs

Whatever view is taken of the morality of using animals in scientific research and safety testing, it can generally be agreed that so long as such use continues, every effort should be made to keep animal suffering to a minimum. This is the thinking behind the 'Three Rs' of refinement, reduction and replacement of laboratory animal use. This paper concerns refinement. We recognize that the Three Rs are taken very seriously in many countries of the world [see for example a recent editorial in the journal Science (Goldberg et al. 1996)] and, although we have written this paper from our own perspective in the UK, its principles are generally applicable.

Comments on UK Options for Transposition of European Directive 2010/63/EU

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-113
Author(s):  
Michael Balls ◽  
Michelle Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Animal ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Member States ◽  
Under Five ◽  
European Directive ◽  
Animal Use ◽  
Matters Of Concern ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Three Rs ◽  
Annual Publication

The British Government's proposals for the transposition of European Directive 2010/63/EU are discussed under five main headings: direct transposition without major effects on the UK legislation, introduction of stricter requirements in the Directive, retention of stricter controls in the Animals [Scientific Procedures] Act 1986, questions requiring further consideration, and matters of concern. The Home Office had published a consultation on the options in 2011, which resulted in 98 responses from organisations and 13,458 responses from individuals. Our main concerns relate to the use of non-human primates, the annual publication of the UK statistics on laboratory animal use, and the provision of greater transparency on how animals are used, and why. Finally, we conclude that the new Directive and its transposition into the national laws of the Member states provide a renewed opportunity for genuine commitment to the Three Rs, leading to progressive and significant Reduction, Refinement and Replacement.

scholarly journals THE SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS RESEARCH PROGRAMME: TOWARDS A PRACTIONERS’ PERSPECTIVE IN THE LATIN AMERICAN CONTEXT

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Sandoval-Hernández ◽  
Juan Carlos Barrón Pastor
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Effectiveness Research ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Research Programmes ◽  
School Effectiveness Research ◽  
The Uk ◽  
New Research

Based on the Lakatos’ notion of research programmes, this paper analyses the structure of the School Effectiveness Research Programme as it has been developed mainly in the UK and USA, and reviews the main criticisms that have recently risen, stressing those regarding its adherence to a positivist epistemology and the lack of context-sensitive models for school effectiveness. The paper concludes in outlining some possible basis for a new research programme which would suit better the Latin American social reality. This programme would include shifting towards a more critical epistemology and the use of a methodology and theoretical-conceptual tools that would allow the design of context-sensitive (both, micro and macro contexts) models for school effectiveness promoting a gradual inclusion of practitioners’ perspectives.

Questionable Progress in the Application of the Three Rs to Improve Science, Human Well-being and Animal Welfare

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-57
Author(s):  
Michael Balls ◽  
Robert D. Combes
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Animal Experimentation ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Home Office ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Three Rs ◽  
Very High

While the standard of animal experimentation in the UK is generally very high, the aim of the Home Office appears to be to maintain the status quo, rather than to achieve significant Replacement and Reduction, and ensure Refinement

scholarly journals The impact of huts on physiological stress: a refinement in post-transport housing of male guineapigs (Cavia porcellus)

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry L Walters ◽  
Cristobal Jose Torres-Urbano ◽  
Lee Chichester ◽  
Robert E Rose
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Cortisol Concentration ◽  
Experimental Science ◽  
Housing Environment ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
Animal Use ◽  
Acclimatization Period ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Ideal

The ideal animal model would contribute no confounding variables in experimental science. Variables affect experimental design resulting in increased animal use or repeated studies. We demonstrated a simple refinement which may reduce the number of animals used experimentally while simultaneously improving animal welfare. The objective of this study was to determine if the presence of a hut was an impact on physiological stress levels, as determined by faecal cortisol concentration, during a routine four-day acclimatization period of newly received male Hartley-Outbred guineapigs. We hypothesized that those animals provided with huts would have decreased physiological stress compared with animals not provided with huts. We examined this effect within both paired and single-housed animals. A between-subjects one-way analysis of variance revealed that pair-housed animals with a hut had significantly lower faecal cortisol concentration than pair-housed animals without a hut and the presence and absence of a hut had no significant impact on faecal cortisol concentration in single-housed animals. These findings show that presence of a hut is beneficial in reducing physiological stress when pair housing male guineapigs and does not appear to have an impact when single housing male guineapigs. In addition, we have shown that faecal cortisol, and therefore physiological stress, is still increasing on study day 4 suggesting a longer acclimatization period is necessary. A simple refinement in housing environment and acclimatization time can both reduce the number of animals used experimentally and improve animal welfare.

scholarly journals Convolutional Neural Network-Based Clinical Predictors of Oral Dysplasia: Class Activation Map Analysis of Deep Learning Results

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1291
Author(s):  
Seda Camalan ◽  
Hanya Mahmood ◽  
Hamidullah Binol ◽  
Anna Luiza Damaceno Araújo ◽  
Alan Roger Santos-Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cross Validation ◽  
Clinical Predictors ◽  
Oral Dysplasia ◽  
Novel Technologies ◽  
Photographic Images ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Map Analysis ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Fold Cross Validation ◽  
Activation Map

Oral cancer/oral squamous cell carcinoma is among the top ten most common cancers globally, with over 500,000 new cases and 350,000 associated deaths every year worldwide. There is a critical need for objective, novel technologies that facilitate early, accurate diagnosis. For this purpose, we have developed a method to classify images as “suspicious” and “normal” by performing transfer learning on Inception-ResNet-V2 and generated automated heat maps to highlight the region of the images most likely to be involved in decision making. We have tested the developed method’s feasibility on two independent datasets of clinical photographic images of 30 and 24 patients from the UK and Brazil, respectively. Both 10-fold cross-validation and leave-one-patient-out validation methods were performed to test the system, achieving accuracies of 73.6% (±19%) and 90.9% (±12%), F1-scores of 97.9% and 87.2%, and precision values of 95.4% and 99.3% at recall values of 100.0% and 81.1% on these two respective cohorts. This study presents several novel findings and approaches, namely the development and validation of our methods on two datasets collected in different countries showing that using patches instead of the whole lesion image leads to better performance and analyzing which regions of the images are predictive of the classes using class activation map analysis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document