The reproducibility debate is an opportunity, not a crisis

There are many factors that contribute to the reproducibility and replicability of scientific research. There is a need to understand the research ecosystem, and improvements will require combined efforts across all parts of this ecosystem. National structures can play an important role in coordinating these efforts, working collaboratively with researchers, institutions, funders, publishers, learned societies and other sectoral organisations, and providing a monitoring and reporting function. Whilst many new ways of working and emerging innovations hold a great deal of promise, it will be important to invest in meta-research activity to ensure that these approaches are evidence based, work as intended, and do not have unintended consequences. Addressing reproducibility will require working collaboratively across the research ecosystem to share best practice and to make the most effective use of resources. The UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) brings together Local Networks of researchers, Institutions, and External Stakeholders (funders, publishers, learned societies and other sectoral organisations), to coordinate action on reproducibility and work to ensure the UK retains its place as a centre for world-leading research. This activity is coordinated by the UKRN Steering Group. We consider this structure as valuable, bringing together a range of voices at a range of levels to support the combined efforts required to enact change

Early breastfeeding practices: Descriptive analysis of recent Demographic and Health Surveys.

The aim of this study was to describe early breastfeeding practices (initiation within 1 hr of birth, no prelacteal feeding, and a combination of both-"optimal" early breastfeeding) according to childbirth location in low- and middle-income countries. Using data from the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (2000-2013) for 57 countries, we extracted information on the most recent birth for women aged 15-49 with a live birth in the preceding 24 months. Childbirth setting was self-reported by location (home or facility) and subtype (home delivery with or without a skilled birth attendant; public or private facility). We produced overall world and four region-level summary statistics by applying national population adjusted survey weights. Overall, 39% of children were breastfed within 1 hr of birth (region range 31-60%), 49% received no prelacteal feeding (41-65%), and 28% benefited from optimal early breastfeeding (21-46%). In South/Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, early breastfeeding outcomes were more favourable for facility births compared to home births; trends were less consistent in Latin America and Middle East/Europe. Among home deliveries, there was a higher prevalence of positive breastfeeding practices for births with a skilled birth attendant across all regions other than Latin America. For facility births, breastfeeding practices were more favourable among those taking place in the public sector. This study is the most comprehensive assessment to date of early breastfeeding practices by childbirth location. Our results suggest that skilled delivery care-particularly care delivered in public sector facilities-appears positively correlated with favourable breastfeeding practices

Designing, conducting, and reporting reproducible animal experiments

In biomedicine and many other fields, there are growing concerns around the reproducibility of research findings, with many researchers being unable to replicate their own or others' results. This raises important questions as to the validity and usefulness of much published research. In this review, we aim to engage researchers in the issue of research reproducibility and equip them with the necessary tools to increase the reproducibility of their research. We first highlight the causes and potential impact of non-reproducible research and emphasise the benefits of working reproducibly for the researcher and broader research community. We address specific targets for improvement and steps that individual researchers can take to increase the reproducibility of their work. We next provide recommendations for improving the design and conduct of experiments, focusing on in vivo animal experiments. We describe common sources of poor internal validity of experiments and offer practical guidance for limiting these potential sources of bias at different experimental stages, as well as discussing other important considerations during experimental design. We provide a list of key resources available to researchers to improve experimental design, conduct, and reporting. We then discuss the importance of open research practices such as study preregistration and the use of preprints and describe recommendations around data management and sharing. Our review emphasises the importance of reproducible work and aims to empower every individual researcher to contribute to the reproducibility of research in their field.</p

The atypical chemokine receptor Ackr2 constrains NK cell migratory activity and promotes metastasis

Chemokines have been shown to be essential players in a range of cancer contexts. In this study, we demonstrate that mice deficient in the atypical chemokine receptor Ackr2 display impaired development of metastasis in vivo in both cell line and spontaneous models. Further analysis reveals that this relates to increased expression of the chemokine receptor CCR2, specifically by KLRG1+ NK cells from the Ackr2−/− mice. This leads to increased recruitment of KLRG1+ NK cells to CCL2-expressing tumors and enhanced tumor killing. Together, these data indicate that Ackr2 limits the expression of CCR2 on NK cells and restricts their tumoricidal activity. Our data have important implications for our understanding of the roles for chemokines in the metastatic process and highlight Ackr2 and CCR2 as potentially manipulable therapeutic targets in metastasis

The Impact of Torso Signal Processing on Noninvasive Electrocardiographic Imaging Reconstructions

Goal: To evaluate state-of-the-art signal processing methods for epicardial potential-based noninvasive electrocardiographic imaging reconstructions of single-site pacing data. Methods: Experimental data were obtained from two torso-tank setups in which Langendorff-perfused hearts (n = 4) were suspended and potentials recorded simultaneously from torso and epicardial surfaces. 49 different signal processing methods were applied to torso potentials, grouped as i) high-frequency noise removal (HFR) methods ii) baseline drift removal (BDR) methods and iii) combined HFR+BDR. The inverse problem was solved and reconstructed electrograms and activation maps compared to those directly recorded. Results: HFR showed no difference compared to not filtering in terms of absolute differences in reconstructed electrogram amplitudes nor median correlation in QRS waveforms (p > 0.05). However, correlation and mean absolute error of activation times and pacing site localization were improved with all methods except a notch filter. HFR applied post-reconstruction produced no differences compared to pre-reconstruction. BDR and BDR+HFR significantly improved absolute and relative difference, and correlation in electrograms (p < 0.05). While BDR+HFR combined improved activation time and pacing site detection, BDR alone produced significantly lower correlation and higher localization errors (p < 0.05). Conclusion: BDR improves reconstructed electrogram morphologies and amplitudes due to a reduction in lambda value selected for the inverse problem. The simplest method (resetting the isoelectric point) is sufficient to see these improvements. HFR does not impact electrogram accuracy, but does impact post-processing to extract features such as activation times. Removal of line noise is insufficient to see these changes. HFR should be applied post-reconstruction to ensure over-filtering does not occur

Time is not enough : promoting strategic engagement with writing for publication

Research, scholarship and publication are central to the work of higher education. However, even academics with the necessary research and writing skills can struggle to publish as often as they would like. Research suggests that a writing retreat is one solution; there is a process going on there that addresses the problem, but how it does so has not been fully explained. We used a novel approach, containment theory, to explain why the functions of a structured retreat work. We argue that a retreat does more than simply provide time to write; it is a model for academics to meet the demands of research assessment. Finally, we conceptualise this as strategic engagement - a model for producing regular writing for publication while continuing to meet other professional demands

From grassroots to global: A blueprint for building a reproducibility network

Researchers, institutions, funders, and publishers are considering how to improve research culture and quality, but no single part of the research ecosystem can effect change on its own. The UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) was established to facilitate the necessary coordination. Its experience can inform the establishment of like-minded networks around the world to drive positive change