Sheep (Ovis aries) are stoic, prey animals that have evolved to mask signs of pain and vulnerability, making behavioural indicators of poor welfare difficult to detect. Body condition scoring (BCS) remains one of the most practical, animal-based indicators of chronic undernutrition and compromised welfare in grazing ruminants. Disruption of the incisor apparatus due to dental disorders or tooth loss can impair grazing efficiency, resulting in reduced nutritional intake and contributing to poor body condition. Despite this, there has been little research into the prevalence or welfare impact of dental disorders in sheep. This preliminary study aimed to assess the prevalence of incisor wear in extensively grazed Dohne Merino ewes, examine its distribution across age groups, and evaluate associations with bodyweight and BCS. A total of 818 ewes aged 2 to 10 years were evaluated during routine husbandry. Incisor wear was scored based on dentine exposure using a 0–3 ordinal scale. BCS was determined through hands-on palpation, and liveweight was recorded. Wear affecting more than one-third of tooth enamel was present in at least one incisor in 99% of ewes over five years of age. Greater incisor wear was significantly associated with lower bodyweight and BCS in ewes over two years, irrespective of age. These findings underscore the potential role of incisor wear as a contributing factor to nutritional compromise and welfare risk in older sheep. Monitoring incisor health may facilitate more accurate welfare assessments and enhance management strategies in extensive systems.

The transition from conventional cage systems to cage-free egg production in China remains limited despite apparently increasing consumer demand for cage-free eggs. This study interviewed 15 large-scale Chinese egg producers using cages and/or cage-free systems (i.e. single-, multi-tier and free-range) to investigate the perceived challenges and opportunities during the transition. The cage farms’ scales range from 110,000 to 30 million, while the cage-free farms keep between 12,000 and 300,000 laying hens. Drawing upon the COM-B model of the Behaviour Change Wheel, this study explored how producers’ Capabilities, Opportunities, and Motivations impact decision-making processes. Key findings reveal that cage and cage-free producers considered consumer demand and profitability as primary drivers for adopting cage-free systems. While free-range producers were more confident in the market, barn system producers faced greater uncertainty due to limited engagement from corporate buyers. Moreover, these cage-free producers believed reliable certification and labelling schemes to be critical for building consumer trust and ensuring the success of cage-free operations. All the participants perceived access to sufficient land and financial resources to be essential for a successful transition. While most studies propose education as a long-term strategy to promote the growth of the cage-free egg sector, our findings are the first to highlight that engaging corporate buyers and establishing trustworthy certification schemes are the most crucial short-term interventions required to drive the development of large-scale cage-free farms and support sustained improvements in animal welfare in China.

Exploring and using remote segments of complex karst systems represents the incorporation of one of the wildest and most demanding natural environments into the cultural fabric of Neolithic-Chalcolithic village-based communities in the Levant. The unique preservation of an early fifth-millennium bce activity phase in Har Sifsof Cave in northern Israel allows for a detailed investigation of an early case of human interaction with the deep underground in this region. The study of archaeological assemblages, environmental and speleological data and spatial distribution of cultural remains form the basis for interpreting the activity inside the cave in the context of fertility cults. The rituals conducted in Har Sifsof Cave revolve around the agricultural cycle of cereal grains and include the interment of multiple individuals, some of whom were buried in remote cul-de-sac passages. The emergence of complex caves as favourable off-settlement arenas dedicated to ritual activity during the later stages of Neolithization marks a conscious effort of ‘domestication’ of these unique wildscapes, while sowing the seeds for the enduring connection observed in later Levantine societies between mortuary rituals, fertility and the underground.

Rodriguez-Nava et al. present a proof-of-concept study evaluating the use of a secure large language model (LLM) approved for healthcare data for retrospective identification of a specific healthcare-associated infection (HAI)—central line-associated bloodstream infections—from real patient data for the purposes of surveillance.1 This study illustrates a promising direction for how LLMs can, at a minimum, semi-automate or streamline HAI surveillance activities.

Subject-Sensitive Invariantism (SSI) and Epistemic Contextualism (EC) are rival theories in epistemology. Both involve shifting epistemic standards, but they differ in how they explain this shiftiness. SSI is primarily a metaphysical thesis about the knowledge relation, whereas EC is primarily a semantic thesis about knowledge attributions. This paper revisits some of the central problems faced by SSI, especially those concerning Dutch books and third-person knowledge ascriptions. The main aim is to show that existing responses that stay true to SSI do not succeed, leaving SSI in serious jeopardy. Some strategies put forward by, or on behalf of, SSI-friendly philosophers fare better. But these involve forsaking central features of SSI, ceding ground to EC, and falling back on a defense of impurism. I sketch what such an impurist fallback position might look like and argue that the more ground it cedes to EC, the more attractive it will be. It is shown that such an impurist, contextualist position can handle all the difficulties I discuss in relation to SSI. The paper concludes by briefly considering what new challenges this kind of position faces instead.

In mammals, DNA methylation (DNAme) erasure and reinstatement during embryo development and germline establishment are sensitive to the intrauterine environment. Maternal intake of a high-fat diet (HFD), associated with excessive gestational weight gain, has transgenerational effects on offspring health, which may be mediated by changes in DNAme in the germline. Here, we tested the impact of a maternal HFD on embryonic germline DNAme erasure using a rat strain that expresses green fluorescent protein specifically in germ cells. DNAme was analysed by methyl-seq capture in germ cells collected from male and female F1 gonads at gestational day 16. Our data show that although HFD induced global hypomethylation in both sexes, DNAme erasure in female germ cells was more advanced compared to male germ cells. The delay in DNAme erasure in males and the greater impact of HFD suggest that male germ cells are more vulnerable to alterations by exogenous factors.

The escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) necessitates impactful, reproducible, and scalable antimicrobial stewardship strategies. This review addresses the critical need to enhance the quality of antimicrobial stewardship intervention research. We propose five considerations for authors planning and evaluating antimicrobial stewardship initiatives. Antimicrobial stewards should consider the following mnemonic ABCDE: (A) plan Ahead using implementation science; (B) Be clear and thoroughly describe the intervention by using the TidIER checklist; (C) Use a Checklist to comprehensively report study components; (D) Select a study Design carefully; and (E) Assess Effectiveness and implementation by selecting meaningful outcomes. Incorporating these recommendations will help strengthen the evidence base of antimicrobial stewardship literature and support optimal implementation of strategies to mitigate AMR.

Although sheep are commonly transported long distances, and sheep welfare during transport is a topic of research and policy discussion, the subject of their fatigue during transport has been under-researched. The current qualitative study, focused on the EU and UK, aimed to critically analyse stakeholder views on issues relating to sheep fatigue, including behavioural indications of fatigue, the interplay between fatigue and other factors, and the practicalities of identifying fatigue in commercial transport conditions. Insight into stakeholder perceptions of these issues could contribute to the body of knowledge regarding sheep fatigue during transport, potentially playing a part in future efforts to improve fatigue understanding and detection. Eighteen experts from different stakeholder groups were interviewed. Reflexive thematic analysis of interview data yielded four themes and three sub-themes. The first theme, “Let’s anthropomorphise it a little bit”, underscores the pervasiveness of anthropomorphism and suggests using it in a conscious and deliberate way to drive stakeholder engagement and policy change. The second theme, “We think that they’re like we are and they’re not”, cautions against wholesale transfer of human experiences to animals. The third theme, ‘See the whole animal’, advocates using Qualitative Behaviour Analysis (QBA), proven reliable in other contexts, to deepen and enrich our current understanding of fatigue. The fourth theme, ‘Fatigue “never comes up”’, highlights the fact that fatigue is rarely if ever discussed in the context of sheep transport. These themes suggest several avenues for future research, including developing QBA-based assessments for fatigue to improve welfare during transport.

Many veterinary practices around the world do not meet basic post-operative cat care, thereby compromising cat welfare. Understanding why the appropriate care is not always given is important. The current study used a mixed methods approach of two phases, to investigate the barriers Malaysian veterinarians face in seeking to provide good cat care in practice. Phase 1 involved a survey consisting of 14 questions which were divided into three sections (demographic details, basic management and barriers experienced by practices) and emailed to 143 Malaysian veterinarians. While for phase 2, 20 interviews were undertaken (recruited from the survey sample) to further elaborate on the results. A Thematic Analysis was conducted to extract the main barriers experienced by participants. A total of 49 veterinarians completed the survey. Over half of the respondents were senior veterinarians (i.e. those with two or more years in practice) (53.1%; n = 26) who were aware of the basic environmental provisions that cats need post-surgery such as bedding and toileting facilities (57.1%; n = 28). Cost (47%; n = 23) was the biggest restriction to good care provision. Interview findings showed that participants were aware of comfortable post-surgery environments helping recovery, but barriers were highlighted: workload factors and a lack of understanding of cat pain behaviours and associated stress. This suggested that participants had the knowledge required to provide good cat care but experienced difficulties putting this into practice. Therefore, to improve cat welfare in veterinary practice, instead of focusing purely on education, interventions to increase good cat care could include targeted elements that support behaviour change to overcome the barriers.