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Plagiarism and other transgressions of the norms of academic integrity appear to be a persistent problem among upper secondary students. Numerous surveys have revealed high levels of infringement of what appear to be clearly stated rules. Less attention has been given to students' understanding of academic integrity, and to the potential misconceptions and false beliefs that may make it difficult for them to comply with existing rules and handle complex real-life situations. In this paper we report findings from a survey of European upper secondary students' views on issues relating to academic integrity. We relate these findings to the students' training about academic integrity, self-reported level of questionable behavior and country of study. A total of 1654 students at 51 institutions located in 6 European countries participated in the study. The participants generally believed they had a good understanding of the rules applying to them and knew how to behave in compliance with norms of academic integrity. The results indicate, however, that often, in practice, this belief was mistaken. Many students had an inadequate understanding of core elements of academic integrity. They were uncertain about how to act, and they struggled in the handling of complex situations that require context-sensitive judgment. While some differences between countries were identified, they were modest and exhibited no clear pattern. Our results also suggest that reducing students' level of uncertainty and, to a lesser degree, improving their level of knowledge could lead them to engage less in certain types of questionable behaviours. Surprisingly, the effect of academic training is modest and ambiguous. The study also confirms that perception of peer behaviour has the strongest association with student engagement in questionable behaviours. Thus, academic integrity at the upper secondary level cannot be explained simply in terms of individual ethics or knowledge.

This study investigates changes in the management of owned domestic cats (Felis catus) in a rural area of Denmark, at two points in time separated by 24 years. Households in a 47 km2 area, and on 23 farms near this area, were presented with the same questionnaire in 1998 and in 2022. Additional data about the number of cats earmarked/microchipped and registered in 1998 were provided by two cat registers. The study population was compared to other rural areas in Denmark using data collected in 2021 from a nationwide probability survey of cat owners. The study area was found to represent rural areas in Denmark well. From 1998 to 2022, our study found a slight drop in the total number of owned cats. There was a major shift away from cats living on farms; this was true both of full-scale farms (that is, farms from which the farmer makes a living) where the number of cats decreased by two-thirds between 1998 and 2022 compared to 1998; and on hobby farms, where the number halved over the period. However, the number of cats living in residential homes nearly doubled, and, correspondingly, there was also a significant increase in the proportion of cats with indoor access. Cat owners have increasingly adopted measures to manage their cats, including much higher proportions of cats being spayed and castrated (there was an increase from 61% to 98% among male cats with indoor access and from 13% to 70% among male cats without indoor access). There was, also, a major increase in cats that have been earmarked/microchipped and registered, rising from 8% to 64%. This change in owner behaviour has led to many fewer unwanted kittens being born and subsequently killed. The findings therefore provide evidence of changing rural human-cat relationships, with rural cat owners increasingly managing their cats in the same way as urban cat owners. Our findings also help to explain recent evidence that the number of unowned cats in Denmark is much lower than previously assumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Chronic disease is generally known to affect dogs' quality of life (QoL) as well as being associated with increased strain on their owners. Gastrointestinal (GI) disease is a common problem in companion animal practice, yet little is known about the QoL of dogs with chronic enteropathy (CE) and how their owners and veterinarians assess it. Methods: The aim of this study was to explore: (i) how dog owners and veterinarians observed and evaluated QoL for dogs with chronic GI disease, (ii) how having a dog with CE affected the owner's QoL, and (iii) characteristics of the communication and relationship between the dog owner and veterinarian. Twenty owners of dogs with CE and 20 companion animal veterinarians were included in this qualitative, interview-based, exploratory study. Results: Owners evaluated QoL based on their dog's apparent emotional state, the presence of clinical signs, or restrictions in their daily life. In their assessments, veterinarians looked at the presence or absence of normal behavior, but also at disease severity and the emotional state of the dog. The majority of owners experienced many concerns and burdens that impacted their own QoL, including daily logistical challenges, implementing therapeutic regimens such as diet restriction, administering multiple daily medications, and the strain of nursing responsibilities on the owner-dog relationship. Dog owners generally felt that communication with their veterinarians was good, while veterinarians found the communication laborious and time-consuming. Discussion: In general, owners and veterinarians were aligned in their QoL assessments, and the majority of veterinarians relied heavily on the owners' input and observations. However, assessments were not done in a standardized fashion among either group. Logistical challenges of having a dog with a chronic GI disease often lead to lifestyle changes for the owners, including altering working hours and cancelling holidays or other social arrangements. Having a dog with CE therefore affected the owners' QoL even when the dogs were clinically stable. Providing owners with written material about the condition in addition to medical and feeding regimen instructions may help the owner, improve compliance, and decrease the non-billable hours the veterinarian must spend communicating with the owner about their dog's CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connections between dog ownership and socioeconomic position (SEP) are not well understood. This study examined associations between family and neighborhood levels of SEP and dog ownership, dog acquisition factors (purchase price and breed characteristics), and the purposes of owning a dog based on data from a survey carried out in Denmark in 2021. Participants (aged 18–89 years) were recruited using probability sampling (n = 2,112). Stepwise multivariable logistic or multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to identify significant associations with SEP. Approximately 20% of families in Denmark have a dog. Dog ownership was not found to be linked with income, education, or occupation when life course and lifestyle factors were taken into account. Neighborhood SEP was associated with dog ownership, but the association was not ordered. Payment of a high price for the dog was more prevalent both in high-SEP neighborhoods and in high-income families. Dog owners with low income and limited involvement in the labor market were more likely to have mixed-breed dogs. Those with a higher income and the self-employed were more likely to have a pedigree dog. Acquiring a dog to get physical exercise was more common among dog owners living in high-SEP neighborhoods. Owners with higher levels of education were more likely to have a dog because they liked the company of animals, and those with lower levels tended to keep a dog for instrumental reasons and for social support. The reason for keeping a dog for social support was mainly observed among those with lower levels of education who were also frequently (often/sometimes) involuntarily alone. As in many other areas of consumption, the results demonstrate that acquisition of, and reasons for keeping, a dog are linked to socioeconomic status. They also suggest that dogs play different roles in emotional and mental health at different educational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]