Directive 2010/63/EU introduced requirements for the classification of the severity of procedures to be applied during the project authorisation process to use animals in scientific procedures and also to report actual severity experienced by each animal used in such procedures. These requirements offer opportunities during the design, conduct and reporting of procedures to consider the adverse effects of procedures and how these can be reduced to minimize the welfare consequences for the animals. Better recording and reporting of adverse effects should also help in highlighting priorities for refinement of future similar procedures and benchmarking good practice. Reporting of actual severity should help inform the public of the relative severity of different areas of scientific research and, over time, may show trends regarding refinement. Consistency of assignment of severity categories across Member States is a key requirement, particularly if re-use is considered, or the safeguard clause is to be invoked. The examples of severity classification given in Annex VIII are limited in number, and have little descriptive power to aid assignment. Additionally, the examples given often relate to the procedure and do not attempt to assess the outcome, such as adverse effects that may occur. The aim of this report is to deliver guidance on the assignment of severity, both prospectively and at the end of a procedure. A number of animal models, in current use, have been used to illustrate the severity assessment process from inception of the project, through monitoring during the course of the procedure to the final assessment of actual severity at the end of the procedure (Appendix 1).

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A fully automated urinary screening system for paracetamol and its metabolites is proposed. The method comprises on-line acid microwave assisted hydrolysis of the drug to p-aminophenol followed by reaction with o-cresol in alkaline medium. The indophenol blue dye formed can be continuously monitored at 620 nm. The detection limit achieved, 0.1 microgram ml-1, allows a high dilution of the samples, thus reducing potential interferences from the sample matrix (mainly protein degradation during urine hydrolysis). The proposed screening system also possesses an adequate selectivity, as the major interferent, epinephrine, is tolerated at concentrations higher than those that could be found in the positive urine samples. The reproducibility, expressed as relative standard deviation, was 3.0% and the sample frequency 20 h-1. The reliability of the method was established at five concentrations (between 0.5 and 4 times the detection limit). Finally, it was applied to the screening of several human urine samples. The results obtained were compared with those provided by batch acid hydrolysis, and were similar in all instances.

Resumen • Se analiza la alfabetización científica promovida por la regulación de enseñanzas mínimas para la etapa 3-6 años en España. Para ello, se diseñó y aplicó un cuestionario combinando procesos de análisis inter-e intra-jueces como estrategia de validación y fiabilidad. Se valoró cómo el documento atiende a las siguientes dimensiones, relativas a la ciencia escolar: construcción de la ciencia escolar; axiología y psicología del aprendizaje de la ciencia; objetivos y competencias; contenidos; actividades, diseño y estrategias de enseñanza; recursos didácticos, y evaluación. Los resultados indican que la ciencia escolar sugerida en el documento no sintoniza, en una parte importante, con las tendencias actuales de la Didáctica de las Ciencias. A consecuencia de las carencias detectadas, se hacen algunas recomendaciones que mejorarían la propuesta oficial. Palabras clave: alfabetización científica; ciencia escolar; enseñanza de la ciencia; educación infantil; regulación de enseñanzas mínimas.