Article
Veterinary Sciences
Seung-Aee Ma, Hye-Jin Kang, Kyuyoung Lee, Sun-A Kim, Jin Soo Han
Summary: This study developed a simple, objective, and reliable welfare assessment tool for zoos in South Korea. The modified AWAG system showed high usability and objectivity, and could identify welfare differences between different grades of Korean zoos.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Rachel Dunn
Summary: The EU has impacted many animal welfare laws in the UK, including those governing animals used in scientific procedures. Brexit poses challenges in maintaining protection for these animals but also provides opportunities to enhance existing protection. The potential implications of Brexit on animal welfare legislation involving experiments are explored in this article, along with suggestions for progress.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Oriol Tallo-Parra, Marina Salas, Xavier Manteca
Summary: Zoological institutions, such as zoos and aquariums, have made animal welfare a top priority, as it is not only a moral obligation but also crucial for fulfilling their roles in education and conservation. There is a need for science-based tools to assess and monitor animal welfare in these settings. However, assessing the welfare of zoo animals is challenging due to the diversity of species and lack of knowledge on their specific needs. This review aims to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of existing methodologies for assessing zoo animal welfare through: (1) A critical analysis of the main approaches to zoo animal welfare assessment; (2) A description of the most relevant animal-based welfare indicators for zoo animals with a particular focus on behavioural and physiological indicators; and (3) An identification of areas that require further research.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
A. S. Cooke, S. M. Mullan, C. Morten, J. Hockenhull, M. R. F. Lee, L. M. Cardenas, M. J. Rivero
Summary: Animal welfare is an integral part of livestock production and sustainability. Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA) is a technique used to assess animal welfare, with behavior being a key component. Video-QBA (V-QBA) is a method that uses video footage for assessment, and studies have found broad agreement between V-QBA and live QBA results. However, caution should be taken when implementing V-QBA due to the lack of absolute agreement and lower scores obtained in some cases.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Francesca Bandoli, Jenny Mace, Andrew Knight
Summary: This study assessed the integrated impact of environmental conditions and human presence on the behaviour of zoo-housed Asian small-clawed otters. The otters displayed species-specific behaviours and generally had positive welfare states. However, they engaged less in locomotion, food-related and affiliative behaviours, and more in vigilance compared to previous captive studies. Visitor presence and background noise did not affect behaviour, but time of day and animal identity did. The results provide meaningful information for improving husbandry practices and highlight the importance of multivariate analysis to assess animal welfare.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Chloe H. Stevens, Barney T. Reed, Penny Hawkins
Summary: The housing and care of laboratory zebrafish remain a topic of debate, with particular attention on environmental enrichment. While some argue there is a lack of evidence supporting the benefits of enrichment for zebrafish, there is a growing body of evidence indicating that enrichment can improve the welfare of zebrafish by reducing stress and anxiety.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Chloe J. Maher, Angela Gibson, Laura M. Dixon, Heather Bacon
Summary: This study evaluated the reliability of a composite bear welfare assessment tool using keeper ratings for hibernating brown and American black bears in multiple zoos. The tool showed good reliability among multiple keepers and individual keepers assessing the same bears over time, with unanimous ratings for each item within the assessment. The development of such a tool is an important step in identifying challenges to bear welfare in captivity.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Shari Cohen, Cindy Ho
Summary: Monitoring and assessing animal welfare is crucial for their health and well-being. Choosing appropriate welfare assessment indicators that are validated, feasible, and of multiple dimensions is important for identifying compromises or improvements in animal welfare. Animal welfare indicators can be either animal-based or resource-based. However, there is a lack of ideal constellation of indicators for animal-based welfare assessment in small mammals such as guinea pigs, mice, rabbits, and rats. This systematic review aims to identify and outline common animal-based indicators for animal welfare assessment in these species, providing a foundation for further research and improvement in animal welfare assessment, management, and strategies.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Ester Perez-Martin, Almudena Coto-Vilcapoma, Juan Castilla-Silgado, Maria Rodriguez-Canon, Catuxa Prado, Gabriel Alvarez, Marco Antonio Alvarez-Vega, Benjamin Fernandez-Garcia, Manuel Menendez-Gonzalez, Cristina Tomas-Zapico
Summary: Stereotaxic surgeries are important for drug delivery to specific brain regions, but their long-term use poses challenges for animal welfare. This study proposes an optimized method for safe implantation of intrathecal devices, focusing on preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative procedures. The refinements include modifications to device dimensions, the use of cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive and UV light-curing resin, and the development of a welfare assessment scoresheet. These refinements positively impacted animal welfare and can enhance experimental data quality and reproducibility.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Sarah J. Wahltinez, Nicole I. Stacy, Catherine A. Hadfield, Craig A. Harms, Gregory A. Lewbart, Alisa L. Newton, Elizabeth A. Nunamaker
Summary: Despite invertebrates making up over 95% of the Earth's species, welfare considerations and regulations for them have lagged behind those for vertebrates. Recent research suggests that aquatic invertebrates, particularly cephalopod mollusks and decapod crustaceans, may experience stress and pain. To advance aquatic invertebrate welfare, efforts should be made in areas such as the use of anesthesia, diagnostic methods, humane slaughter, and reducing invasive procedures in aquaculture and fisheries.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Laura Wittek, Chadi Touma, Tina Nitezki, Thomas Laeger, Stephanie Kraemer, Jens Raila
Summary: Housing mice in metabolic cages can induce a significant stress response, especially due to the cold housing conditions. This study aimed to reduce stress during metabolic cage housing by comparing an innovative metabolic cage with a commercially available metabolic cage and a control cage. The innovative metabolic cage showed promising results in reducing cold stress and improving animal welfare.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Cecilie Ravn Skovlund, Marlene Katharina Kirchner, Barbara Contiero, Signe Ellegaard, Xavier Manteca, Mikkel Stelvig, Oriol Tallo-Parra, Bjorn Forkman
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the ability of Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA) to discern emotional state in zoo-housed polar bears, and to validate it through associations with behavioral and health-related indicators, as well as the consistency of QBA scores. The results showed that QBA was sensitive to emotional state and had some evidence of validity through its associations with other welfare indicators. QBA has the potential to be used as a tool to assess emotional state in polar bears with a single assessment in the short term.
APPLIED ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
J. M. Clarkson, J. E. Martin, J. Sparrey, M. C. Leach, D. E. F. McKeegan
Summary: The use of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas for killing laboratory mice in scientific research presents ethical concerns. In this study, we investigated the use of gradual decompression with hypobaric hypoxia as an alternative method. The results suggest that gradual decompression may provide a more humane way of killing laboratory mice.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
S. M. Abeyesinghe, N. M. Chancellor, D. Hernandez Moore, Y. -M. Chang, J. Pearce, T. Demmers, C. J. Nicol
Summary: Broiler chickens are prone to various health and welfare issues, with behaviour showing strong associations with health indicators. Better growth and feed efficiency were observed in conventional broilers, while specific behaviours were identified as indicators of good or poor health outcomes. These behavioural measures not only reflect health status but also provide insights into motivational and affective aspects of welfare, suggesting the importance of incorporating behaviour into broiler welfare assessments.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Lena Bohn, Louisa Bierbaum, Niklas Kaestner, Vanessa Tabea von Kortzfleisch, Sylvia Kaiser, Norbert Sachser, S. Helene Richter
Summary: This study investigated the effect of novelty when applying structural enrichment to laboratory mice. The results showed that mice with access to structurally enriched environments spent more time in the enriched cages and entered them faster than mice without any structural enrichment. There was only one significant difference between novelty and complexity conditions, with novelty mice spending more time in their extra cages during week 3. Further research is needed to explore the potential benefits of novelty beyond complexity.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Critical Care Medicine
Elliot Lilley, Rachel Armstrong, Nicole Clark, Peter Gray, Penny Hawkins, Karen Mason, Noelia Lopez-Salesansky, Anne-Katrien Stark, Simon K. Jackson, Christoph Thiemermann, Manasi Nandi
Review
Immunology
Penny Hawkins, Rachel Armstrong, Tania Boden, Paul Garside, Katherine Knight, Elliot Lilley, Michael Seed, Michael Wilkinson, Richard O. Williams
INFLAMMOPHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Penny Hawkins, Paul Littlefair
Article
Developmental Biology
Nikki Osborne, Gregory Paull, Adam Grierson, Karen Dunford, Elisabeth M. Busch-Nentwich, Lynne U. Sneddon, Natalie Wren, Joe Higgins, Penny Hawkins
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Adrian J. Smith, Penny Hawkins
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Penny Hawkins, Mark J. Prescott, Larry Carbone, Ngaire Dennison, Craig Johnson, I. Joanna Makowska, Nicole Marquardt, Gareth Readman, Daniel M. Weary, Huw D. R. Golledge
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Sarah Kappel, Penny Hawkins, Michael T. Mendl
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Penny Hawkins, Huw D. R. Golledge
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2018)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Penny Hawkins, Thomas Bertelsen
Review
Neurosciences
Elliot Lilley, Melissa R. Andrews, Elizabeth J. Bradbury, Heather Elliott, Penny Hawkins, Ronaldo M. Ichiyama, Jo Keeley, Adina T. Michael-Titus, Lawrence D. F. Moon, Stefano Pluchino, John Riddell, Kathy Ryder, Ping K. Yip
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2020)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Hibba Mazhary, Penny Hawkins
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Chloe H. Stevens, Barney T. Reed, Penny Hawkins
Summary: The housing and care of laboratory zebrafish remain a topic of debate, with particular attention on environmental enrichment. While some argue there is a lack of evidence supporting the benefits of enrichment for zebrafish, there is a growing body of evidence indicating that enrichment can improve the welfare of zebrafish by reducing stress and anxiety.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ioanna Katsiadaki, Tim Ellis, Linda Andersen, Philipp Antczak, Ellen Blaker, Natalie Burden, Tom Fisher, Christopher Green, Briony Labram, Audrey Pearson, Karina Petersen, Dan Pickford, Chris Ramsden, Anita Ronneseth, Kathy Ryder, Dominic Sacker, Chloe Stevens, Haruna Watanabe, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Fiona Sewell, Penny Hawkins, Hans Rufli, Richard D. Handy, Samuel K. Maynard, Miriam N. Jacobs
Summary: The fish acute toxicity test (TG203; OECD, 2019) is widely used in global hazard and risk assessment, with potential refinements such as reducing fish numbers and shortening test duration to minimize fish suffering. Standardisation of clinical sign data recording, training, and harmonisation of reporting templates are essential to improve data quality.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Elliot Lilley, Penny Hawkins, Maggy Jennings
ATLA-ALTERNATIVES TO LABORATORY ANIMALS
(2014)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Aline Silva da Cruz, Maria Margarida Drehmer, Wagner Baetas-da-Cruz, Joao Carlos Machado
Summary: This study quantified microcirculation cerebral blood flow in a rat model of ischemic stroke using ultrasound biomicroscopy and ultrasound contrast agents. The results showed high sensitivity and specificity of this method, making it a valuable tool for preclinical studies.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Christina Dalla, Ivana Jaric, Pavlina Pavlidi, Georgia E. Hodes, Nikolaos Kokras, Anton Bespalov, Martien J. Kas, Thomas Steckler, Mohamed Kabbaj, Hanno Wuerbel, Jordan Marrocco, Jessica Tollkuhn, Rebecca Shansky, Debra Bangasser, Jill B. Becker, Margaret McCarthy, Chantelle Ferland-Beckham
Summary: Many funding agencies have emphasized the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in experimental design to improve the reproducibility and translational relevance of preclinical research. Omitting the female sex from experimental designs in neuroscience and pharmacology can result in biased or limited understanding of disease mechanisms. This article provides methodological considerations for incorporating sex as a biological variable in in vitro and in vivo experiments, including the influence of age and hormone levels, and proposes strategies to enhance methodological rigor and translational relevance in preclinical research.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Wenyu Gu, Dongxu Li, Jia-Hong Gao
Summary: We developed a precise and rapid method for positioning and labelling triaxial OPMs on a wearable magnetoencephalography (MEG) system, improving the efficiency of OPM positioning and labelling.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Kai Lin, Linhang Zhang, Jing Cai, Jiaqi Sun, Wenjie Cui, Guangda Liu
Summary: The article introduces an EEG feature map processing model for emotion recognition, which achieves significantly improved accuracy by fusing EEG information at different spatial scales and introducing a channel attention mechanism.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
John E. Parker, Asier Aristieta, Aryn H. Gittis, Jonathan E. Rubin
Summary: This work presents a toolbox that implements a methodology for automated classification of neural responses based on spike train recordings. The toolbox provides a user-friendly and efficient approach to detect various types of neuronal responses that may not be identified by traditional methods.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yun Liang, Ke Bo, Sreenivasan Meyyappan, Mingzhou Ding
Summary: This study compared the performance of SVM and CNN on the same datasets and found that CNN achieved consistently higher classification accuracies. The classification accuracies of SVM and CNN were generally not correlated, and the heatmaps derived from them did not overlap significantly.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Antonino Visalli, Maria Montefinese, Giada Viviani, Livio Finos, Antonino Vallesi, Ettore Ambrosini
Summary: This study introduces an analytical strategy that allows the use of mixed-effects models (LMM) in mass univariate analyses of EEG data. The proposed method overcomes the computational costs and shows excellent performance properties, making it increasingly important in the field of neuroscience.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Xavier Cano-Ferrer, Alexandra Tran -Van -Minh, Ede Rancz
Summary: This study developed a novel rotation platform for studying neural processes and spatial navigation. The platform is modular, affordable, and easy to build, and can be driven by the experimenter or animal movement. The research demonstrated the utility of the platform, which combines the benefits of head fixation and intact vestibular activity.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
