The EURL ECVAM Search Guide: Good Search Practice to Animal Alternatives

Encouraged by the success of the first edition in 2012 the Joint Research Centre has re-published an entirely updated version of the EURL ECVAM Search Guide in 2013 (The Guide). The Guide has specifically been developed to support untrained database users in finding high quality information on relevant alternative strategies and methods to animal experiments on the web. The Guide provides examples of search procedures, suggested search terms and user guidance. It includes descriptions of relevant information resources and thesauri used for indexing publications as alternative approaches are concerned. A check list is moreover offered (the seven golden steps) to allow for searches in a structured and systematic way and to document them - a fundamental step in preparing a research project. Target users are scientists in biomedical sciences and toxicology, national authorities involved in animal protection and ethical committees verifying that all possible alternatives have been considered before conducting animal experiments.JRC.I.5 - Systems Toxicolog

JRC QSAR Model Database: EURL ECVAM DataBase service on ALternative Methods to animal experimentation: Guideline for Authors and Editors

EURL ECVAM DataBase service on ALternative Methods to animal experimentation In the regulatory assessment of chemicals, Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) models are playing an increasingly important role in predicting properties needed for hazard and risk assessment. The JRC QSAR Model Database provides information on the validity of QSAR models that have been submitted to the JRC. The database is intended to help to identify valid QSARs, e.g. for the registration and authorisation purposes of chemical substances within the context of REACH Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (EC 1907/2006), a European Union regulation dated 18 December 2006. The QSAR Model Reporting Format (QMRF) is a harmonised template for summarising and reporting key information on QSAR models, including the results of any validation studies. The information is structured according to the OECD principles for the validation of QSAR models.JRC.F.3-Chemicals Safety and Alternative Method

DB-ALM Report, 2016

This deliverable report outlines the activities performed during January 2014-June 2016 for the DB-ALM (EURL ECVAM DataBase service on advanced and Alternative Methods) enhancements regarding: information content, system evolution and innovation, as well as enlarging its outreach. In October 2014, the first version of the entirely innovated and revised DB-ALM was publicly launched that provoked several positive reactions at International conferences. Completion is foreseen in 2017, progressively phasing out the previous version data sector by data sector. Several initiatives have been taken to ensure the state-of-the-art for both the scientific content and technological development. The online information content is continuously updated with current emphasis on the methods originating from EU funded research projects and/or undergoing validation studies towards international acceptance. The online information content covers today: 325 method descriptions (168 Summaries and 157 Protocols) linked to 82 method evaluations with 3017 test compounds, 9231 results, and experts` contact details. Further development refers particularly to the innovation of the content management system in addition to the public DB-ALM internet version. The Method Summary is the main data sector of the DB-ALM, providing the key-features of the comprehensively described methods, with regularly updated conent and revised nomenclature. This ensures a harmonised framework for adequately describing alternative methods in an OECD accepted format, robust and flexible for various types of alternative approaches to testing of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices or biologicals. A further consolidation and growing interest in the DB-ALM was observed with a steady increasing user community and usage, amounting to a total of nearly 5,000 individual registrations from 82 countries, as well as an enhanced usage with over 40,000 accesses to the DB-ALM through the internet during the last calendar year. DB-ALM is, for example, referenced in OECD Test Guidelines and Guidance documents; scientific books and cited in scientific article, in addition to website references of relevant international organisations in and outside of Europe. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) suggests the DB-ALM as useful information source on in vitro methods to be considered for REACH registration purposes and the OECD recommended further the use of the DB-ALM for the storage and dissemination of method descriptions compliant with the new Guidance Document for describing non-guideline in vitro test methods GD 211.JRC.F.3-Chemicals Safety and Alternative Method

SEURAT-1 Tools & Methods Catalogue

The SEURAT-1 methods are here collected together and reported in the format of the database service that ensures OECD compliant descriptions. The information provided for for each methods is provided as reported and publicly available in the EURL ECVAM DataBase service on Alternative Methods, DB-ALM (http://ecvam-dbalm.jrc.ec.europa.eu/), developed and maintained by the Commission's Joint Research Centre. The aim of the FP7 SEURAT-1 Research Initiative is the development of a long-term research strategy leading to pathway-based human safety assessments in the field of repeated dose systemic toxicity testing of chemicals. The overall goal is to develop complementary theoretical, computational and experimental (in vitro) models that predict quantitative points of departure needed for human safety assessment and replace currently used animal testing.JRC.F.3-Chemicals Safety and Alternative Method

JRC QSAR Model Database: EURL ECVAM DataBase service on ALternative Methods to animal experimentation: To promote the development and uptake of alternative and advanced methods in toxicology and biomedical sciences: SDF - STRUCTURE DATA FORMAT: How to create from SMILES

EURL ECVAM DataBase service on ALternative Methods to animal experimentation To promote the development and uptake of alternative and advanced methods in toxicology and biomedical sciences. This publication is a Tutorial by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. It aims to provide user support. The scientific output expressed does not imply a policy position of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use that might be made of this publication.JRC.F.3-Chemicals Safety and Alternative Method

Haltung exotischer Rinder in Deutschland

Exotic cattle keeping in Germany is increasing (zebu, domestic water buffalo, bison). The aim of the study was to collect key features of German farms with these cattle species. Questionnaires from 20 farms keeping zebu and 21 farms keeping bison were evaluated. Five farms keeping dairy buffaloes were visited. No differences between conventional and organic farms were found

Towards Maturity Models as Methods to Manage IT for Business Value – A Resource-based View Foundation

For more than three decades business value of IT attracts attention in Information Systems Research (ISR) and practice. Despite the fact, that corporate management considers enterprise IT increasingly as a strategic factor, the question on how to manage IT effectively for business value remains widely unsolved. With the goal to support this management task we suggest maturity models (MMs) as a new method. We found MMs in the resource-based view in order to provide maturity models with a theoretical basis in general and to lay out the feasibility of MMs as methods to manage IT resources for business value in particular. To accomplish these goals, we conduct an in-depth analysis using an argumentative-deductive research approach. We contribute to the knowledge base by adopting a well-proven approach, transferring it to a new application domain, and grounding it in theory. Taking an example from corporate management research we illustrate our findings schematically

Accelerating progress in the Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal testing through better knowledge sharing

In the context of the European Commission's Communication published in response to the European Citizens' Initiative "Stop Vivisection", Action 1 aimed to conduct an assessment of current technologies, information sources and networks from all relevant sectors with potential impact on the advancement of the refinement, reduction and replacement of animals used for scientific purposes (the "Three Rs"). The main objective of this study is to map knowledge sources relevant to the Three Rs, to examine how knowledge is being shared, and to identify possible gaps and opportunities to enhance knowledge sharing. An inventory of knowledge sources (KS) potentially relevant to the Three Rs used in the area of life sciences has been compiled which should be viewed as a snapshot of the current status of knowledge sources available (the supply), and as a starting point for further analysis of knowledge sharing strategies. A public survey was also conducted to complement this study (supply versus demand), and to inform on how to proceed effectively with any knowledge management strategy. The survey has revealed that many involved in this area consider that whilst access to relevant knowledge sources is adequate, there is a need for better coordination of the sources, as well as for the communication of information. Opportunities for face-to-face exchanges are highly valued and there is a firm call for more developments in education and training at professional, university and secondary school levels.JRC.F.3-Chemicals Safety and Alternative Method

Effectiveness and acceptability of congestion pricing

2015 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Urban congestion is a pervasive and growing problem in developed and developing countries. The lack of excludability for scarce urban space, specifically roads and parking spaces, creates a common resource problem yielding a congestion externality that generates many external costs. Marginal social cost pricing has long been advocated as a means of alleviating market failures resulting from such negative (environmental) externalities. Congestion pricing comes in numerous forms (e.g., tolls on roads or express lanes), but has only been sporadically adopted despite congestion being a growing problem. The literature argues that concerns on equity and fairness issues and revenue redistribution are major hurdles of making an effective congestion pricing policy politically feasible and publicly acceptable. This dissertation investigates the effectiveness and acceptability of congestion pricing schemes in different contexts and examines whether individual beliefs in addition to the objective welfare effects determine voter acceptability. The first chapter employs laboratory experiments to examine the evolution of voting behavior after individuals become accustomed to the congestion problem and the congestion pricing policy, and the nature of the experience from the congestion policy. The congestion pricing policy exogenously creates inequitable outcomes which in some cases makes some people worse off. The second chapter develops and examines a three-player bottleneck congestion game and examines the ex-ante and ex-post welfare implications of an \textit{ex-ante} efficient tolling policy. The third chapter examines the effectiveness and acceptability of tolls in the three-player bottleneck congestion game using laboratory experiments where equity concerns are endogenously determined. The results suggest policymakers should be open to and considerate of the equity effects, the characteristics and beliefs of their constituents, and how to earmark revenues before implementing efficiency enhancing environmental policies

PARADIGMS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS AS AN APPLIED DISCIPLINE – A MODEL-BASED REPRESENTATION, PROBLEMS, AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

Information Systems Discipline (ISD) is dominated by the two contrary paradigms of design science on the one hand and behavioral science on the other. Apart from that, research results are considered more or less relevant for practice depending on the respective paradigm. Conclusively, research communities following the paradigms are partly incompatible while, due to the notion of relevance for practice, the exchange between science and practice is hampered. Various “disconnects” hindering the collaboration both between design science and behavioral science and between science and practice emerged due to this. These aspects will be described and represented within a model-based analysis of the situation while suggestions from ISD literature on the topic will be presented and discussed. Considering that comparable challenges have recently been faced in the field of medicine, Evidence-based Medicine (EbM) emerged as a new paradigm to solve similar problems and is now well-established. We will present and discuss some attempts to transfer the evidence-based research approach from medicine and how they may apply to the equally application-oriented field of Information Systems