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Frequentism dominates scientific practice although Bayesianism may provide an alternative, especially when analysing data from complex, high-dimensional models. The key differences between Bayesianism and Frequentism are highlighted in the introduction. Next, I review the different stages of Bayesian statistical reasoning in a research setting, explain the key concepts and illustrate them with toy examples taken in equine veterinary medicine. An extension to more complex models (Bayes network) is introduced and guidelines are offered as a conclusion.

BACKGROUND Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is a surrogate measure of skin barrier dysfunction. Historically, devices that measure TEWL are expensive, complex, and require connection to a computer and energy source. Consequently, measurement of skin's TEWL has been limited to the research setting. OBJECTIVES Evaluate the accuracy of the handheld device gpskin Barrier Light® in comparison with a standardly used device, AquaFlux AF200® , for measuring TEWL. METHODS Transepidermal water loss measurements by gpskin Barrier Light® and AquaFlux AF200® in ichthyotic and healthy skin were compared. RESULTS AquaFlux AF200® TEWL readings were consistently higher than those from gpskin Barrier Light® . In the pooled cohort, TEWL values were strongly correlated and both devices had excellent reliability. When subjects and controls were examined separately, there was moderate correlation between devices, with stronger agreement at higher TEWL values. LIMITATIONS Transepidermal water loss was determined at one time point. There is no formally established industry standard TEWL-assessing device. CONCLUSION Although gpskin Barrier Light® and AquaFlux AF200® devices cannot be used interchangeably, correlation in measuring TEWL was strong in patients with skin disease. This finding suggests that the low-cost, handheld device can accurately capture change in TEWL to track disease improvement.

Behavioural studies investigating the preservation of semantic memory in healthy ageing have reported mixed findings. One suggested reason for this discrepancy is that the processes underpinning lexical access to semantic knowledge may be sensitive to ageing. It is therefore necessary to assess semantic memory utilising tasks that are not explicitly linguistic. In this study, a fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) paradigm coupled with EEG was used to assess the ability of younger and older adults to automatically distinguish between images by their semantic category. Participants were presented with a 6 Hz stream of images drawn from one semantic category except every fifth image (occurring at a rate of 1.2 Hz) which was drawn from an alternate semantic category. For both younger and older adults, results demonstrate successful and comparable semantic categorisation. This was detectable at the individual level for 71% and 72% of older and younger adults, respectively. Given the rapid presentation rate and absence of explicit instruction to categorise images, the task is unlikely to utilise linguistic strategies and suggests the maintenance of semantic memory in healthy ageing. Moreover, this study utilised mobile EEG equipment and short presentation times that would be suitable for practical application outside a research setting.

Spatial skills significantly predict educational and occupational achievements in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As early interventions for young children are usually more effective than interventions that come later in life, the present meta-analysis systematically included 20 spatial intervention studies (2009-2020) with children aged 0-8 years to provide an up-to-date account of the malleability of spatial skills in infancy and early childhood. Our results revealed that the average effect size (Hedges's g) for training relative to control was 0.96 (SE = 0.10) using random effects analysis. We analyzed the effects of several moderators, including the type of study design, sex, age, outcome category (i.e., type of spatial skills), research setting (e.g., lab vs. classroom), and type of training. Study design, sex, and outcome category were found to moderate the training effects. The results suggest that diverse training strategies or programs including hands-on exploration, visual prompts, and gestural spatial training significantly foster young children's spatial skills. Implications for research, policy, and practice are also discussed.

This chapter describes how the research was designed, and demonstrates the value of adopting complementary methodologies. It discusses the research designed to evaluate the response of families with a confirmed positive result, details of the other studies will be published elsewhere. In a research setting where it is possible to adopt complementary methodologies, such as the newborn screening programme for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the great advantage is that one gets the best of both worlds. The structure of the psychosocial evaluation was reflexively developed during its early years, with several quantitative measures being introduced as a result of feedback from the qualitative elements. There were strong arguments for adopting a purely qualitative design. A new, qualitative method of collecting secondary data which is called the 'Technique of Professional Accounting'. This technique involves including accounts of events in the case studies from health professionals who are working with the family.

Tarkastelen katsauksessani lukion historianopetukseen suunniteltujen virtuaalitodellisuus- (VR) ja geomedia-aineistoja ja niiden käytettävyyttä. Aineistona ovat toista maailmansotaa koskevat suurten tietokantojen datavisualisoinnit ja niihin liittyvät oppimistehtävät. Esittelen tekstissä virtuaaliympäristössä toteutetun vartiopaikkapelin, jatkosodassa kaatuneiden määrää mallittavan datavisualisoinnin ja kaatuneiden päivittäistä ja paikkakuntakohtaista määrää esittävän geomediasovelluksen. Lisäksi kuvaan testiryhmänä toimineiden lukiolaisen näkemyksiä niistä., This article examines the usability and reception of virtual reality- (VR) and geomedia-based learning materials in the teaching of history. The findings are from a user study of high school students in spring 2019 in Tampere, Finland. The study used these new learning materials together with traditional materials. VR is considered to be a growing area in learning technologies, but its use and usability has been studied rather little, whereas in the context of, for example, gaming and journalism, VR has been extensively studied. Thus, the theoretical and methodological framework of this study leans partly on findings in immersive journalism. The article shows that different kinds of VR content can reinforce each other’s influence. It is even possible that studying certain themes using materials that emphasize the dimension of empathy may help raise the reasoning to a higher level. Validating this hypothesis requires a more sophisticated research setting.

Background Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are being used to predict antimicrobial resistance. The field is evolving rapidly and transitioning out of the research setting into clinical use. Clinical laboratories are evaluating the accuracy and utility of genomic resistance prediction, including methods for NGS, downstream bioinformatic pipeline components, and the clinical settings in which this type of testing should be offered. Content We describe genomic sequencing as it pertains to predicting antimicrobial resistance in clinical isolates and samples. We elaborate on current methodologies and workflows to perform this testing and summarize the current state of genomic resistance prediction in clinical settings. To highlight this aspect, we include 3 medically relevant microorganism exemplars: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Last, we discuss the future of genomic-based resistance detection in clinical microbiology laboratories. Summary Antimicrobial resistance prediction by genomic approaches is in its infancy for routine patient care. Genomic approaches have already added value to the current diagnostic testing landscape in specific circumstances and will play an increasingly important role in diagnostic microbiology. Future advancements will shorten turnaround time, reduce costs, and improve our analysis and interpretation of clinically actionable results.

Vertebral heart scoring (VHS) is a semiquantitative method to assess the presence and severity of cardiomegaly by usingthoracic radiographs. VHS in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) has not been validated or used routinely in the clinical orresearch setting. We hypothesized that rhesus macaques with cardiac disease diagnosed by using echocardiography wouldhave higher VHS than animals without cardiac disease. A total of 150 rhesus macaques were enrolled in this study. All animalsunderwent echocardiography and thoracic radiography (right lateral [RL], dorsoventral [DV], and ventrodorsal [VD] views).According to echocardiography, 121 rhesus macaques had no cardiac disease and were used to establish reference intervalsfor VHS. The remaining 29 macaques had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (n = 20) or other cardiac disease (n = 9). Resultsshowed that VHS of RL and VD views were significantly higher in macaques with any of the identified cardiac diseases andin the cardiac disease group that excluded hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. VHS of animals with HCM was not significantlydifferent than that of control animals. In the RL view, VHS was moderately accurate for predicting the presence of cardiacdisease, with an AUC of 0.71 and an optimal cut-off value of 10.25 (sensitivity: 62%, specificity: 77%). In the VD view, VHSwas a mildly accurate test for cardiac disease, with an AUC of 0.654 and an optimal cut-off value of 10.65 (sensitivity, 66%;specificity, 63%). Study results indicated that VHS could be a useful screening tool for clinically identifying rhesus macaqueswith cardiac disease. However, VHS is unlikely to replace echocardiographic examination for determining the presence, type,and severity of cardiac disease in this species.

We explore the relationship between foresight and managerial cognition and the contribution of foresight to the long‐term performance of organizations facing major sources of uncertainty. Our research setting is the automotive industry, a compelling research setting for illustrating and reflecting upon the role of foresight in strategic decision making, as the industry is currently experiencing major drivers of change and technological discontinuities. We carefully examined the most recent empirical and theoretical works in the field of foresight, by conducting a thorough literature review. We found that scholars and practitioners increasingly emphasize the ability of foresight to change the mental models of senior managers and the role of such ability in the long‐term adaptation to external changes. Overall, our study contributes to the development of a programmatic stream of research in the domain of foresight and future studies.

In the last few decades, the ocular surface and the tear film have been noninvasively investigated in vivo, in a three-dimensional, high resolution, and real-time mode, by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Recently, OCT technology has made great strides in improving the acquisition speed and image resolution, thus increasing its impact in daily clinical practice and in the research setting. All these results have been achieved because of a transition from traditional time-domain (TD) to Fourier-domain (FD) technology. FD-OCT devices include a spectrometer in the receiver that analyzes the spectrum of reflected light on the retina or ocular surface and transforms it into information about the depth of the structures according to the Fourier principle. In this review, we summarize and provide the state-of-the-art in FD-OCT imaging of the ocular surface system, addressing specific aspects such as tear film dynamics and epithelial changes under physiologic and pathologic conditions. A theory on the dynamic nature of the tear film has been developed to explain the variations within the individual compartments. Moreover, an integrative model of tear film behavior during the inter-blink period and visual fixation is proposed.

Background and objective The number of studies in the area of self-care is growing and international researchers are increasingly developing self-care interventions to improve outcomes of individual patients and communities. However, growth of the evidence is still slow due to challenges with designing and testing self-care interventions. In this article we address major methodological challenges with regard to the definition of self-care, use of theory, and research design, intended to provide guidance to researchers in this field. Method During the inaugural conference of the International Center for Self-Care Research held in Rome, Italy in June 2019 we identified important issues in existing self-care research. Discussion and literature review lead to eight recommendation for future self-care research. Results In preparation, begin with a theoretically sound definition of self-care. In planning the intervention, build on and extend previous studies. Use theory to develop self-care interventions and consider translational models to guide development, evaluation and implementation of complex self-care interventions. Employ a study design that fits the current phase and objectives of the research and measure self-care and related factors carefully. In reporting, describe the sample and setting sufficiently so that others can draw conclusions about generalizability and applicability to their practice and patient population. In interpretation, describe how the intervention is assumed to work (causal assumptions) and its key components. Conclusion Our review of existing self-care research clearly illustrates that the recommendations we provide are needed if we are to substantially grow the evidence base supporting self-care. Embracing a core set of principles will allow us to build on each other's work. Tweetable abstract: A core set of methodological principles is needed to substantially grow the evidence base supporting self-care.

This chapter outlines the book’s overall research setting represented by the UK and the three Scandinavian countries and local park and road services, provides a comparative analysis of relatively stable characteristics of the country and service context(s) and discusses the likely importance for the evolution and diffusion of marketization. The comparison highlights the suitability of local park and road services for marketization, the characteristics of national reform trajectories, autonomy, size and territorial structure of local governments, and the supranational regulations’ context represented by the European Union. In comparison, the UK represents a context characterized by substantial larger but less autonomous local governments, early and substantial influx of neoliberal thoughts and status as reform leader. The Scandinavian countries are furthermore characterized by substantial differences in their economic situation and local government size and structure which can be expected to provide very different contexts for marketization.

An individual was once quoted as stating “It is harder to perform research in animals than it is in humans.” This is probably the same thought that many of us have also had at least at one time or another. What he was referring to were the multiple and varied requirements, rules, and regulations that had to be put in place and closely followed when setting up an animal care and use program. And these efforts all had to be completed prior to actually procuring and then using animals in research projects. Many countries have a specific doctrine on the use of animals in research, some of which involve a plethora of rules and regulations that require a great deal of administrative time and effort, while others have very basic requirements. The requirements for the use of animals in research range from laws that must be followed and are enforced. If these laws are not followed, there are serious repercussions ranging from significant monetary fines to incarceration. However, some guidelines are voluntary. These voluntary guidelines provide facilities with the standards and information necessary on how to attain what is considered to be the “gold standard of animal care and use.” This chapter will provide the reader with an overview of the laws, regulations, and guidelines for the care and use of animals in a research setting as well as resources that will provide more in-depth information to the reader.

This chapter is a survey of the most common anesthetic and analgesic drugs and techniques in the rat. While the methods and drugs used for anesthesia in the rat are similar to those used in human and veterinary clinical anesthesia, there are some important differences. Some venerable drugs, no longer used in clinical practice, persist in selected research disciplines because of their unique physiological properties. The need for efficient, brief anesthesia of large groups of animals is not unique to research, but the techniques used often are. For scientific reasons, anesthesia and analgesia of research animals require greater attention to short- and long-term anatomical and physiological consequences than is frequently the case in clinical practice. Despite considerable progress, the problems of pain recognition, and of identifying drugs and methods of administration that are effective and feasible in a research setting, are formidable and persistent. The laboratory rat has been both the subject and beneficiary of more than a century of human and veterinary anesthetic research and practice.

The current paper offers an extensive array of advice – framed around so-called “rules of engagement” – for budding researchers on how to optimize their experience in prospectively applying the “Pitching Research” [Faff (2015, 2021)] framework to their research setting. This guidance amounts to a comprehensive collection of “how to” tips, that land within one of 3 key segments within the pitching template. Specifically, the “rules” are organized in relation to: (a) the 4-dimensional “Big Picture Framing” part; (b) the 3-dimensional “Basic Building Blocks” part; or (c) the “Why this Study?” part (comprising the 2 “Key Questions”, 1 “Bottom-line and Other Considerations).

Animal models can provide insight into the pathophysiology of disease mechanisms, and provide important information for translational medicine and the testing and treatment of novel therapies. The laboratory rat is widely studied for its similarities to diseases in humans. An understanding of species-specific features is critical for the development of sound experimental design and reproducibility. This chapter gives an overview of the most important anatomical structures of the laboratory rat, and highlights those that are unique to the rat as a species. An additional goal is to describe the anatomical and physiologic features that make the rat of particular value as an animal model in research. The chapter is divided into subcategories by organ system. Each subsection presents a summary of gross anatomy and organ function, along with selected features of normal microscopic anatomy and physiology. The chapter information is not intended to be comprehensive, but is meant to provide a starting point for scientists and veterinarians who work with the rat in a research setting to learn and review basic information.

Using a sample of UK firms, we investigate whether external audit quality has an informational role for firms credit score. In our general research setting, we could not find any evidence on the association between firms’ credit score and external audit quality. However, when firms are suspected to be engaged in managerial misstatements, firms’ credit score seems to be associated with external audit quality. In particular, suspected firms get high credit score when they are audited by one of industry-specialised auditors. In addition, credit rating agencies penalise suspect firms when they pay high audit and non-audit fees.

The antecedents of entrepreneurial behaviours with an orientation toward the natural environment are attracting academic interest. At this point, however, little is known about the relationship between environmental passion, environmental identity and environmental entrepreneurial behaviours. This paper is aimed at understanding how unique emotions that feed environmental passion impact on the development of entrepreneurs’ identities and behaviours. With this goal in mind, a qualitative inductive study of 22 entrepreneurs was conducted using the Italian wine industry as a research setting, and their histories were analysed. The findings suggest that environmental passion does affect entrepreneurial behaviours and that different levels of passion lead to different identities and behaviours. Thus, the results prove that entrepreneurial behaviours with an environmental orientation are passion- and identity-relevant. The interviews revealed that they do not make decisions in a calculating manner, but rather apply criteria related to their passions and identities. The study results show that entrepreneurs that have an intense passion for the natural environment develop an environmental identity, which in turn leads to entrepreneurial behaviours with a stronger environmental orientation. These significant findings open interesting avenues for future research, such as the analysis of the studied relationships under a family business lens. The research also offers practical implications for helping managers develop an alternative perspective to that of traditional economy-oriented entrepreneurs.

Zebrafish are a burgeoning translational model for cancer research in humans due to their genetic tractability, known genome, and high cellular and genetic homology with humans. When dealing with fish in a research setting, it is important to be aware of “naturally occurring” neoplasms that can develop independent of experimental manipulations and may be detrimental to the health of the fish and the research itself. Seminomas are the most common neoplasm reported in zebrafish and may represent a physiologically proliferative, rather than a true neoplastic entity. Intestinal carcinomas are common and have been shown to be associated with inflammation, potentially due to nematodiasis or mycoplasma infection. These tumors show a pattern of transmission between fish, potentially due to infection by promoting bacteria. Ultimobranchial gland tumors are common and share a spectrum with hyperplastic lesions that are likely influenced by environmental mineral levels. Other, less common, but equally important neoplasms include lymphosarcoma and other hematopoietic tumors, soft tissue sarcomas, optic pathway tumors, melanomas, extraspinal chordomas, hepatocellular tumors, nephroblastomas, hemangiomas, and thyroid tumors, which have been shown to respond to changes in water nutrient levels, most likely iodine.

Este artículo se encuentra disponible en la siguiente URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230799 Objective The aim of the study was to develop a multifactorial tool for assessment of sedation in dogs. Methods Following a modified Delphi method, thirty-eight veterinary anaesthetists were contacted to describe the following levels of awareness: no-sedation, light, moderate, profound sedation and excitation. The answers were summarized in descriptors for each level. A questionnaire was created with all the variables obtained from the descriptors. The questionnaire was returned to the panel of anaesthetists to be used before and after real sedations in conjunction with the previous 5-point categorical scale. Data obtained were analysed using the classification-tree and random-forest methods. Results Twenty-three anaesthetists (60%) replied with descriptions. The descriptors and study variables were grouped in categories: state-of-mind, posture, movements, stimuli-response, behaviour, response-to-restraint, muscle tone, physiological data, facial-expression, eye position, eyelids, pupils, vocalization and feasibility-to-perform-intended-procedure. The anaesthetists returned 205 completed questionnaires. The levels of awareness reported by the anaesthetists were: no sedation in 92, mild (26), moderate (37) and profound in 50 cases. The classification-tree detected 6 main classifying variables: change in posture, response-to-restraint, head-elevation, response-to-toe-pinching, response-to-name, and movements. The random-forest found that the following variables: change in posture, response-to-restraint, head-elevation, response-to-name, movements, posture, response-to-toe-pinching, demeanour, righting-reflex and response-to-handclap, were classified correctly in 100% awake, 62% mild, 70% moderate and 86% of profound sedation cases. Discussion and conclusion The questionnaire and methods developed here classified correctly the level of sedation in most cases. Further studies are needed to evaluate the validity of this tool in the clinical and research setting.

ObjectivesTo investigate authors’ awareness and use of authorship guidelines, and to assess their perceptions of the fairness of authorship decisions.DesignA cross-sectional online survey.Setting and participantsCorresponding authors of research papers submitted in 2014 to 18 BMJ journals.Results3859/12 646 (31%) researchers responded. They worked in 93 countries and varied in research experience. Of these, 1326 (34%) reported their institution had an authorship policy providing criteria for authorship; 2871 (74%) were ‘very familiar’ with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ authorship criteria and 3358 (87%) reported that guidelines were beneficial when preparing manuscripts. Furthermore, 2609 (68%) reported that their use was ‘sometimes’ or ‘frequently’ encouraged in their research setting. However, 2859 respondents (74%) reported that they had been involved in a study at least once where someone was added as an author who had not contributed substantially (honorary authorship), and 1305 (34%) where someone was not listed as an author but had contributed substantially (ghost authorship). Only 740 (19%) reported that they had never experienced either honorary or ghost authorship; 1115 (29%) reported that they had experienced both at least once. There was no clear pattern in experience of authorship misappropriation by continent. For their last coauthored article, 2187 (57%) reported that explicit authorship criteria had been used to determine eligibility, and 3088 (80%) felt that the decision made was fair. When institutions frequently encouraged use of authorship guidelines, authorship eligibility was more likely to be discussed early (817 of 1410, 58%) and perceived as fairer (1273 of 1410, 90%) compared with infrequent encouragement (974 of 2449, 40%, and 1891 of 2449, 74%).ConclusionsDespite a high level of awareness of authorship guidelines and criteria, these are not so widely used; more explicit encouragement of their use by institutions may result in more favourable use of guidelines by authors.

This chapter examines potential opportunities and challenges associated with giving teachers the opportunity to edit the textbooks they use in class. It draws on a set of studies for which the M-TET (Mathematics Teachers Edit Textbooks) project served as research setting. The unique aspects that characterize the work environment offered to teachers include the following: producing a textbook by making changes in a textbook designed by expert curriculum developers, designing a textbook for a broad student population, collaborating with other teachers in order to produce an agreed-upon textbook, and consulting with professionals that are not part of the teachers’ usual milieu (textbook authors and mathematicians). This chapter demonstrates first the potential of the M-TET work environment to reveal teachers’ wishes and desires regarding textbooks, and it attends to possible implications of teachers’ editing of textbooks with respect to the ways in which mathematics is portrayed and offered. It then focuses on the potential of the M-TET work environment to transform the conventional connections of teachers with textbook authors and with mathematicians.

The automated analysis and quantification of retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) images have seen tremendous advances in recent years. While it was only possible to measure retinal thickness previously, developments in artificial intelligence and particularly in deep learning have resulted in the availability of a large array of image analysis methods in a research setting today. It has become possible to quantify virtually every change seen in OCT images in a reproducible and automated manner, and it is only a matter of time until these advanced tools will be integrated into the every-day OCT analysis software. In addition, artificial intelligence also allows prognostic evaluation of images with regards to a patient’s individual future disease course or therapeutic outcome, introducing personalized healthcare into the field of retina.

In research, contextualization is a way of approaching our research project, or linking it to the relevant research and to the setting of the study. Contextualization gives credibility and support to our research project as a whole. Research contextualizing takes various shapes and forms. The two main ways in which research is contextualized will be illustrated and discussed in this chapter. First, we contextualize our research in relation to the established literature and prior studies. Second, we contextualize our research by linking it to (a) the specific context in which it was conducted like institution and workplace (micro-level); and (b) the location or general setting of the study like geographic territory and location (macro-level). Based on these two main ways of contextualizing research, a further two-fold wider contextualization of our research project will be identified too, namely, linking our research to other disciplines (domains of study) and other contexts (locations). In all cases, our research must be contextualized and grounded in theory and/or practice. This chapter, consolidated by abundant illustrative examples, takes the reader along these paths of contextualizing research.

We investigate whether referral-based hiring exacerbates or mitigates control problems. Incentive contracts can be used to attract employees with certain traits. However, whether the outcomes are positive for the firm or not depends on the quality of incentive contracts. Our research setting enables us to distinguish between referred and non-referred employees. It also features an incentive contract that rewards two performance dimensions, production efficiency and quality. First, we document that compensation is more sensitive to production efficiency than to production quality. We also show that distorted efficiency-quality tradeoffs (i.e., achieving production efficiency at the expense of production quality) occur under this incentive design. We find that these tradeoffs are exacerbated for referred employees compared with non-referred employees. Our evidence suggests that when incentive contracts do not fully align the interests of employees and the firm, referral-based hiring can exacerbate rather than mitigate the misalignment.

This chapter is mainly about the nature and design of the study. It starts with the justification for using a qualitative multi-case study approach in this study. It then introduces the selection of the research setting, target curriculum materials and teacher and student participants. Data collection procedures and the methods of data analysis are presented. In the end, the strategies for trustworthiness and the ethical concerns of the study are illustrated.

Photoacoustic imaging, the fastest growing biomedical imaging modality of the decade holds strong potential in creating a significant impact in the field of medicine. This non-invasive technique with optical spectroscopic contrast and ultrasonic spatial resolution can be a potential tool for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of several devastating diseases like cancer. Even though the growth of this imaging modality in a research setting is exemplary, clinical translation is not happening at an expected pace. In this chapter, after briefly discussing about the technology and its market, we will discuss about important components in a photoacoustic imaging system (light source, ultrasound probes, DAQ etc.) and conclude about the key strategies in this direction and the improvements that may potentially help for fast clinical translation. In the next part, we elaborate about the major steps in the clinical translation process—focusing on key opportunities and challenges to be solved.

This chapter introduces the research setting and reflects upon the research process and the fluid power relations between the researcher and the researched.

Over the last decades, many scar assessment scales have been developed, not only to evaluate the effectiveness of new and existing treatments in the research setting but also to monitor scars in individual patients. Clinician-reported scar scales allow for the evaluation of observable aspects of the scar, while patient-reported scar scales enable the evaluation of additional health domains that cannot be observed by clinicians, such as scar symptoms or sensations and quality of life. The quality of scar assessment scales is determined by several measurement properties (i.e., validity, reliability, and responsiveness). This chapter provides an overview of the content and development of the most frequently used scar assessment scales.

Background Lack of available reference values in a research setting under local conditions can be a drawback for beginners, as the accuracy of data from control samples cannot be checked at the beginning of a research project. This affects comparisons with data from test samples. To avoid these complications in their research projects, beginners tend to have a greater number of animals in the control group compared to test groups in order to have control group measurements within 2 SDs of the mean. Methods As non‐availability of reference values was a long‐felt need, the described project was conducted in order to establish a reference database for selected haematological, biochemical and physiological parameters using apparently healthy Sprague‐Dawley rats bred in the Animal House of Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo (UCFM). Results Differences in mean values of packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), serum creatinine and blood glucose levels between the two genders were statistically significant. Lipid profile measurements did not differ significantly between genders, but mean and median values of triglycerides (TG) between male and female rats showed a difference of more than 10 mg/dL. The liver enzymes alkaline phosphatase (AP) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were also statistically significantly different between sexes. Despite wide variation in mean alanine aminotransferase (ALT) between sexes, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion The findings of this project should support to a certain extent the “Reduction” aspect of the 3Rs concept of Russell and Burch by reducing the number of Sprague‐Dawley rats used in future research projects at UCFM.

Lactase is the enzyme responsible for the digestion of the disaccharide lactose, and deficiency in this enzyme causes the prevalent medical condition lactose intolerance. Management of lactose intolerance can be achieved through the administration of lactase supplements. Lactase is an appropriate platform for advanced enzymatic study because its medical application is a motivator for student learning. The following is an upper-level biochemistry laboratory sequence that integrates student inquiry and exposure to advanced laboratory techniques. Students investigate three different lactase supplements through experimentation that includes the Bradford assay, SDS-PAGE, continuous and discontinuous kinetic assays, and zymography. Upon completion of this project, students compile their results and conclusions in a scientifically formatted paper comparing supplement protein content and activity. This safe and inexpensive laboratory project enriches student understanding of key biochemical concepts while mirroring work performed in a realistic research setting. © 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(6):652-662, 2018.

We tested the hypothesis that exposure to the natural environment is associated with improved academic performance. Specifically, we examined the association between individual-level standardized math and reading test scores and exposure to the natural environment using data from Portland Public Schools (17,918 students attending 83 schools for the math model and 19,459 students attending 90 schools for the reading model). We found that a 1- SD increase in tree cover within 200 m of a child’s home was associated with moving from the 50th percentile to the 51st percentile on math tests. A 1- SD increase in tree cover within 100 m of a child’s school was associated with moving from the 50th percentile to the 56th percentile on reading tests. Finally, a 1- SD increase in road density within 100 m of a child’s home was associated with moving from the 50th percentile to the 47th percentile on reading tests.

Summary Objectives Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are particularly affected by handwriting disorders, which remain poorly understood and are not clearly defined. The aim of our study is to provide a better understanding of handwriting disorders, and specifically of dysgraphia in children with DCD. Methods Sixty-five children with DCD (5–15 years), enrolled according to DSM-5, were assessed with handwriting testing and standardized assessments of neuropsychological, neurovisual, MRI and neuropsychomotor functions, with special attention paid to muscular tone examination. Results While handwriting disorders were strongly represented in our sample of children with DCD (89%), dysgraphia appeared uncommon (17%) and was closely related to several specific dysfunctions of laterality establishment; mild pyramidal tract dysfunction with distal phasic stretch reflex (PSR) in lower limbs; digital praxis slowness (both P Discussion In our sample, dysgraphia was closely related to minor neurological dysfunction (MND) suggesting a disturbance of motor control at the level of the corticospinal motor pathway. This highlights the uncommon character of dysgraphia in children with DCD for which diagnosis should be made through a particular attention to evaluation of MND with muscular tone examination. This consideration, both in the research setting and in clinical practice, appears necessary to avoid inaccurate clinical diagnosis and to optimize appropriate therapeutic management.

Background Feedback about potentially serious incidental findings (PSIFs) on research imaging leads to clinical assessment in almost all cases. Previous studies have been small, or focused on patients, or non-UK settings. We used a novel four-way comparison to assess the economic impact on UK hospital services of feeding back PSIFs to research volunteers within the UK Biobank Imaging Study. Methods We matched (by age, sex, imaging date and prior morbidity [Elixhauser index]) 179 cases, who received feedback about a PSIF identified following either magnetic resonance imaging or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, to controls without a PSIF. We calculated the hospital costs of cases and controls by applying National Reference Costs to linked Hospital Episode Statistics inpatient, outpatient, accident and emergency and critical care datasets from 2013–2016. We conducted four-way comparisons of data from cases and controls during the year before and after feedback of a PSIF (cases before versus after, controls before versus after, cases versus controls before and after). We compared mean differences in hospital contacts and costs (with 95% confidence intervals [CI] calculated using bootstrapping techniques) and differences in proportions with ≥ 1 hospital contact using McNemar’s tests between groups, and calculated cumulative costs. We performed sensitivity analyses using only those case-control pairs with no prior morbidity. Results There were no differences in mean numbers of hospital contacts or costs between cases and controls before feedback, or between controls before and after feedback of a PSIF. Following feedback, 144 (80.5%) cases, and 94 (52.5%) controls used hospital services. Mean numbers of hospital contacts and mean costs were higher in cases compared to controls after feedback, and compared to cases before feedback (hospital contacts: 5.4 [standard deviation 6.2] versus 3.2 [5.7] and versus 2.7 [4.7]; costs: £2,409 [£4,781] versus £935 [£2,439] and versus £826 [£2,179]). Cases’ cumulative costs began to increase approximately 30–60 days following feedback of a PSIF. A year after feedback of a PSIF, total hospital costs for cases (£431,114) were almost three times higher than for controls (£147,817) and for cases the year before (£167,434). Compared to the year before, after feedback of a PSIF total costs had increased 10 times in serious cases, and two times in non-serious cases. Most PSIFs were non-serious (158/179 [88%]). Although serious cases generated higher mean costs after feedback than non-serious cases (£9,147 [£10,234] versus £1,513 [£2,386]), the 7.5-fold greater number of non-serious cases generated higher total absolute costs than serious cases (£239,021 versus £192,093). These patterns of costs persisted over longer follow-up, and in sensitivity analyses. After feedback of a PSIF, most costs related to inpatient services (68.3%). Conclusions After feedback of a PSIF, research volunteers used substantially more hospital services compared with controls or with the year before. Total cost and service impacts were higher among cases with non-serious, rather than serious final diagnoses, as most PSIFs represented non-serious disease. Avoidance of unnecessary feedback through ensuring non-serious PSIFs feedback policies are appropriate to the research setting would enable researchers and policymakers to minimise unwarranted impacts on publicly-funded healthcare services.

Although waste prevention was promoted as the first priority for all EU member states in 2008, the actual implementation of activities has thus far been hesitant. Empirical evidence indicates that the reasons for this neglect include the limited measurability of waste prevention effects and the consequential lack of awareness, motivation, and incentive systems. Our research aims to quantify waste prevention and its environmental impacts and, ultimately, to motivate the efficient implementation of waste prevention concepts by a target‐group‐specific communication of the results. Embedded in a transdisciplinary research setting in close cooperation with practitioners, we develop a life cycle–based approach to calculate the effects of waste prevention in local authorities. This approach features an activity‐based analysis that facilitates the assessment of both reduction of waste generated and the related environmental effects. The methodology of life cycle assessment, used to calculate environmental impacts, is adapted to the specific requirements and constitutes an essential step in our measurement approach. Finally, we demonstrate the application of this approach. Five activities deriving from real‐world case studies are assessed. These case studies simulate the implementation of waste prevention in a mid‐sized German city. We are able to reveal potential waste reduction of 74% and potential reduction of other environmental impacts ranging from 28% to 62% of the targeted material streams.

This study examines the extent to which people with different past thermal experience and "climatocultural" history systematically report different outdoor thermal sensations and thermal comfort patterns. After constructing two distinct climatocultural groups co-inhabiting the research setting (native Israelis vs. representatives of colder regions), and comparing their relative thermal preferences in both short-term and long-term observational experiments, we confirmed the existence of a strong correlation between affiliation to a certain climatocultural group and outdoor thermal sensation. It was shown that the degree of this correlation was not a constant value, and the strength of the difference in thermal sensation between different groups might change subject to different environmental conditions and possibly expectations. Under some environmental conditions, i.e., stressful but not extreme, the differences may be accentuated, while under others, i.e., either comfortable or extremely stressful, the scope of difference may diminish. Short-term acclimation may to some extent offset the differences between separate climatocultural groups. The study also showed that the meaning of the thermal comfort scale itself may be perceived unevenly between representatives of different groups.

This case study report covers our experiences in using Cultural Probes during the first phase of our European and interdisciplinary research project TOPIC (The Online Platform for Informal Caregivers). In that stage of our research, we focused on two major issues: first, describing and analyzing the characteristics of the care and coordination work of elderly informal caregivers, and second, on first implications for design for the field of informal care. Although our general methodological approach was qualitative (ethnographic) with participant observation and interviewing, we included Cultural Probes as an additional method to ethnography for gaining insight information about the care practices by the means of self-observation of and reflection by the informal caregivers. The paper describes our adaptation of the Cultural Probes approach, the similarities and differences to Gaver et al. [1999. Interactions. 6(1): 21–29], the items of our TOPIC Cultural Probes Kit in detail, and re-constructs the design process of one of the items (the actimoClock). Based on the experiences of our participants with the probes kit and our analyses of that use, we also present lessons learned, pros and cons for including that method in the sensitive setting of informal caregiving.

This study investigates how the nineth graders of SMP in Lombok Utara apply exemplum teks in writing expressions. Two SMPN in Gangga and Bayan in Lombok Utara city were assigned as the research setting. An amount of 30 students and one teacer in each school was selected as participants. Of three states SMP in Lombok Utara, both schools have applied The 2013 Curriculum, so that both schools were seected as the research setting. Data were collected through written test the students made in exemplum, interviews with teachers to know strategies to express the exemplum. The study reveals that the nineth graders of SMP in Lombok Utara perform succesfully to use figurative language for comparison. The mastery is colored as: of 58 students, 48 (79%) are succesful to use figurative language for comparison, 28% use incomplete text structure of exemplum emphasizing on orietnation and incidents. The students have produced conjunctions, that include: conjunction intersentences, conjunction intra-sentences, and appropriate adverbs. However, conjunctions to link paragraphs after another are short. Exemplum that refers to example, story, or annecdote is not well developed by students.

Medical laboratory technology major was set up to meet rapid development of science and medical research technology in 2013. Students majoring in medical laboratory had learnt a lot of techniques distributed among different specialized courses. But, they did not understand why they had to learn these techniques and how they were applied in a real-world research setting. In a one-month innovation experimental practice described herein, students had learnt to induce, purify and identify an unknown glycoprotein from whole cell lysate using conA-based affinity chromatography and mass spectrometry. Unlike in a traditional cookbook-style experiment, students chose a research subject on their own and did experiment using their selected variables. Over the one-month laboratory periods, students used sterile technique to cultivate cells, induced glycoprotein expression using LPS and IFN-γ, purified glycoprotein from cell lysate using agarose-conA beads, identified a glycoprotein via mass spectrometry, and confirmed the result using western blotting. At end of the practice, students were asked to evaluate their experiences via an anonymous survey. All students declared that this experimental practice was interesting and meaningful to them. The process of completing the project was to apply the learnt techniques to real-world biochemistry research, so they became aware of the importance and significance of techniques. © 2018 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46:373-381, 2018.

Purpose The study aims to underscore the initiatives taken by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in spearheading their drive towards creating “smart” cities. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a qualitative approach by invoking documentary analysis supplemented by responses provided by 13 interviewees from public and private sector. Findings All the six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) are keen on building upon their infrastructure to push their “smart city” agenda which would go a long way in furthering the economic diversification objective of their region besides improving the quality of public services. Originality/value Hitherto, research has been focused on appreciating the “smart city” initiatives of developed countries; this study seeks to build upon the literature on “smart cities” by contextualizing the research setting in the developing countries. Second, the study shows that with the ongoing oil prices crisis in the GCC, the “smart city” initiatives of the countries are conceived as possible avenues of economic diversification and competitiveness.

Sound pressure waves surround individuals in everyday life and are perceived by animals and humans primarily through sound or vibration. When sound pressure waves traverse through a solid medium, vibration will result. Vibration has long been considered an unwanted variable in animal research and may confound scientific endeavors using animals. Understanding the characteristics of vibration is required to determine whether effects in animals are likely to be therapeutic or result in adverse biological effects. The eighth edition of the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” highlights the importance of considering vibration and its effects on animals in the research setting, but knowledge of the level of vibration for eliciting these effects was unknown. The literature provides information regarding therapeutic use of vibration in humans, but the range of conditions to be of therapeutic benefit is varied and without clarity. Understanding the characteristics of vibration (eg, frequency and magnitude) necessary to cause various effects will ultimately assist in the evaluation of this environmental factor and its role on a number of potential therapeutic regimens for use in humans. This paper will review the principles of vibration, sources within a research setting, comparative physiological effects in various species, and the relative potential use of vibration in the mouse as a translational research model.

Background Given the size and mass of the thoracic segment, understanding its neuromotor control demand during over ground running at different speeds is important in the rehabilitation and research setting. This study describes key kinematics characteristics as proxy measures for thoracic neuromotor control. We hypothesized that thoracic kinematics would differ significantly when running at different running speeds and that speed related thoracic kinematic changes would not differ between gender. Methods Three-dimensional thoracic kinematics of 19 healthy runners were recorded using an optical 3D motion capture system. We compared peak kinematic angles and range of motion of the thorax in each anatomical plane, in three running speeds during the stance phase. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to analyse thoracic kinematics differences across different speeds. Results There was increased group peak kinematic angles and total range of motion during slower and faster than self-selected pace compared to self-selected pace in all three planes. There were gender differences in the changes in kinematic measures at different running speeds. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the differences in thoracic kinematics as a result of non-self-selected running speed may be due either to the increased neuromotor demands inherent to that running speed or due to the individual's adjustment to running at an unfamiliar speed. Further investigation is required to determine whether protocols that require participants to run at speeds other than self-selected pace confound the results. We therefore recommend normative data set protocols that avoid potential confounding by employing only self-selected pace. Our findings further suggest kinematic changes due to speed differed across gender, most notably in the transverse plane. Thus, we propose that gender specific normative data sets may be required.

Background For individuals with spinal cord injury the long term benefits of physical activity are well documented, however the majority of this population report inactivity secondary to participatory barriers. Research investigating physically intensive exercise programs for people with spinal cord injury is limited, with even less attention paid to the experience of the participants. Objective To explore the experiences of persons with spinal cord injury of their participation in the New Zealand arm of the Spinal Cord Injury and Physical Activity (SCIPA) ‘Full-On’ randomized controlled trial. Method Eight participants recruited to SCIPA Full-On completed individual virtual video diary interviews three times across the duration of their twelve week Full-On trial. Expectations and highs and lows of the program were recorded via a webcam. The video diary data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed inductively for themes. Results Three independent themes were identified from the data: the participants' excitement of opportunity to participate in SCIPA Full-On’ randomized controlled trial, personal rewards from participation and also the frustrations to participation they experienced. Conclusion This study provides valuable information on factors that motivate participation in physical activity for individuals with spinal cord injury, within a research setting. The findings highlighted the importance of accessibility and a supportive network which may be a way to provide individuals with spinal cord injury the means to become self-efficacious to participate in community physical activity outside of the research environment.

This study examines whether the required disclosure of directors’ and officers’ (D&O) insurance premiums leads to nonmeritorious securities litigation. Our research setting uses a proprietary D&O insurance database that includes New York and non-New York firms, combined with the fact that New York firms must disclose D&O insurance premiums. We thus can exploit a natural experiment based on inter-state variation in disclosure regulation. Disclosed premiums may influence case selection in two ways. First, higher premiums signal higher limits, which plaintiffs’ lawyers likely believe enable higher settlements. Second, higher premiums indicate higher risk assessments from insurers and thus a higher likelihood that stock price drops signal misconduct rather than bad luck. We find that D&O insurance premiums for New York firms are associated with a higher dismissal rate. Offsetting this higher dismissal rate, plaintiffs’ lawyers can achieve higher settlements in the relatively few successful cases.

The laboratory diagnostics of (inherited) platelet function disorders mainly comprises aggregation and secretion assays, which may be suitable for diagnosing some specific severe platelet function disorders, but are not reliable enough for diagnosing mild platelet function disorders or disorders associated with low platelet count. Flow cytometric assessment of platelet reactivity will expectedly provide additional value during the diagnostic work-up of platelet function disorders because it only requires a small volume of whole blood and allows the measurement of platelet function in thrombocytopenic samples. Flow cytometry has frequently been used to evaluate platelet function in the research setting, and therefore, these assays will require clinical validation before they can be used as routine diagnostic tools. The main challenge in the validation of innovative platelet function diagnostic tests is the lack of a gold standard test for mild platelet function disorders. This review aims to address the many applications of flow cytometry in the current diagnostic work-up of platelet function testing and to discuss the challenges in introducing new tools for diagnosing platelet function disorders.

In the field of Alzheimer's disease research, the use of biomarkers such as amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) has become widespread over a relatively brief period of time. There is an increasing tendency in research studies and trials to switch from no disclosure under any condition toward a qualified disclosure of individual research results, such as amyloid PET scan results. This perspective article aims to evaluate the possible need for a modification of the available recommendations on amyloid PET scan disclosure, based on recent empirical evidence obtained within the field of amyloid PET. This article also applies the International Guideline for Good Clinical Practice to the field of amyloid PET disclosure. Hence, we propose several recommendations to facilitate amyloid PET disclosure while minimizing possible risks of amyloid disclosure in a research context. ispartof: Alzheimers Dement (N Y) vol:4 pages:243-251 ispartof: location:United States status: Published online

Purpose The purpose of these experiments was to compare 2 commercially available skin protectants with different chemical compositions. Design Two materially different skin protectants were applied to ex vivo pig skin, subjected to stresses, and the resulting skin was observed and analyzed. Methods Using ex vivo pig skin, we sought to better understand the physical differences between a cyanoacrylate-based and a mixed cyanoacrylate/acrylic polymer-based skin protectant. A combination of imaging techniques and microscopic analyses was used to observe and quantify differences in layer thickness and the degree of steadfastness of the layers to liquid stresses. Results The experiments revealed that the solely cyanoacrylate-based protectant created a layer that was, on average, 5.1 times thicker than the mixed polymer product (p= 1.8 × 10). Observation via electron microscopy also revealed that the extent of coverage varied between the 2 products. In a final experiment, we observed that the mixed polymer product maintained a high degree of adhesiveness, which led to the removal of sheets of epithelium upon gentle blotting. Conclusions The experiments revealed that while the 2 skin protectants share a common ingredient, both the quantity of that ingredient and the inclusion of other materials in one of them lead to substantially different properties when tested in the research setting.

Background Conventional outcome measures (COMs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) refer to rating scales, questionnaires, patient diaries and clinically-based tests that do not require specialized equipment. Methods It is timely at this juncture - as clinicians and researchers begin to grapple with the “invasion” of digital technologies - to review the strengths and weaknesses of these outcome measures. Results This paper discusses advances (including an enhanced understanding of PD itself, and the development of clinimetrics as a field) that have led to improvements in the COMs used in PD; their strengths and limitations; and factors to consider when selecting and using a measuring instrument. Conclusions It is envisaged that in the future, a combination of COMs and technology-based objective measures will be utilized, with different methods having their own strengths and weaknesses. Judgement is required on the part of the clinician and researcher in terms of which instrument(s) are appropriate to use, depending on the particular clinical or research setting or question.

This paper focuses on the much-neglected contribution of weather to research encounters. Affective atmospheres and elemental geographies are used as a platform to examine the vibrant materialities of the troposphere. The weather encapsulates human and non-human bodies, moods and actions in an enveloping space and I trace how these materialities and immaterialities are transmitted between bodies in the research setting. In a (post)phenomenological sense, certain atmospheric and meteorological events figure as lively participants. Through three research moments with farmers, I discuss how various weather conditions such as a warm balmy spring, wet muddy winter and the suffocating heat of summer enables thinking on the relational weight of atmospheres. By following participants throughout the circadian rhythms of farming over a year, seasonal fluctuations were recorded. Thus, researcher effort to comprehend how bodies become attuned and sensitive to the causal powers of the troposphere is foregrounde...