Using InVivoStat to perform the statistical analysis of experiments

The need to improve reproducibility and reliability of animal experiments has led some journals to increase the stringency of the criteria that must be satisfied before manuscripts can be considered suitable for publication. In this article we give advice on experimental design, including minimum group sizes, calculating statistical power and avoiding pseudo-replication, which can improve reproducibility. We also give advice on normalisation, transformations, the gateway analysis of variance strategy and the use of p-values and confidence intervals. Applying all these statistical procedures correctly will strengthen the validity of the conclusions. We discuss how InVivoStat, a free-to-use statistical software package, which was designed for life scientists, especially animal researchers, can be used to help with these principles

The 2016 U.S. Trust ® Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy

The 2016 U.S. Trust® Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy reveals consistent trends in the giving and volunteering behaviors of high net worth individuals and households from previous years, as well as departures from past trends. Most (91.0 percent) high net worth households gave to charity in 2015, and nearly half (49.7 percent) of high net worth individuals volunteered their time. On average, high net worth households gave $25,509 to charity in 2015. By comparison, households in the general population gave$2,124 in 2015

Sailing the Seven Seas, a Blue Ocean of the Internet of Things

Over the past decade, the world has been swimming in an ocean of technology, opening the doors for many opportunities as industrial boundaries continue to change. Blue Oceans have opened their waters for new industries such as social networking, smart technology, mobility, and big data. Looking forward, new trends such as Internet of Things and technology advancements towards 5G mobile technology are paving the way for new markets and industries along with further advancements in Big Data. The invited panelists will discuss these emerging topics and the Blue Oceans that are changing the world

Sustainable regeneration : everyday landscapes of food acquisition, Pendleton

The report is structured as follows. Chapter two provides the context to the research, outlining why a study of food acquisition and digital inclusion is necessary in Pendleton at this time, and why both issues are linked to the current regeneration programme. Chapter three sets out the methodology employed along with details of the recruitment of participants. Chapter four provides a detailed analysis of the findings from the digital skills side of the research including: digital usage, confidence and competence, and digital skills and shopping, and chapter five focuses on findings related to the food landscape. Chapter six summarises the key findings by identifying what is going well, making recommendations for changes at a variety of scale, as well as specific recommendations for the on-going regeneration programme, and recommendations for further research

Book Reviews

Reviews of the following books: The Fathers of the Towns: Leadership and Community Structure in Eighteenth-century New England by Edward M. Cook, Jr.; Voyages by Alfred T. Hill; The Indians of Maine and the Atlantic Provinces: A Bibliographical Guide by Roger B. Ray; Sunday River Sketches: A New England Chronicle by Martha Fifield Wilkin

Sexuality and Affection among Elderly German Men and Women in Long-Term Relationships: Results of a Prospective Population-Based Study

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.The study was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Families, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (AZ 314-1722-102/16; AZ 301-1720-295/2), the Ministry for Science, Research and Art Baden-Württemberg, and the University of Rostock (FORUN 989020; 889048)

Experiences of challenges and support among family members of people with acquired brain injury: a qualitative study in the UK

Primary objective: Family members (FM) are affected by the impact of an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) upon their relatives and play an important role in rehabilitation and long-term support. This study explores how families are affected and integrates their views on the formal/informal support received as a consequence of ABI. Research design: A qualitative research design was employed to capture the lived experience of FM of people with ABI. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 FM of people with severe ABI. Participants were chosen from respondents to a UK national online survey of affected individuals. Interview data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Family members’ experiences are complex, enduring and are affected by the context in which the ABI occurs as well as by formal/informal support. The grief experienced by FM is ambiguous, develops over time and FM perceive little option but to remain involved. Experience of formal and informal support is noted to vary significantly in availability and quality, poor support exacerbates difficulties and isolates family members. Conclusion: Greater understanding of the lived experience of FM is needed to support more effective responses to both them and the individual with ABI, integrating services and families to improve quality-of-life

Immunohistochemical localization of fibronectin as a tool for the age determination of human skin wounds

We analyzed the distribution of fibronectin in routinely embedded tissue specimens from 53 skin wounds and 6 postmortem wounds. In postmortem wounds a faint but focal positive staining was exclusively found at the margin of the specimens which dit not extend into the adjacent stroma. Vital wounds were classified into 3 groups. The first comprising lesions with wound ages ranging from a few seconds to 30 min, the second comprising those with wound ages upt to 3 weeks, and the third group with lesions more than 3 weeks old. Ten out of 17 lesions with a wound age up to 30 min showed a clear positive reaction within the wound area. Three specimens in this group were completely negative, while in 4 additional cases the result was not significantly different from postmortem lesions. These 7 cases were characterized by acute death with extremely short survival times (only seconds). In wounds up to 3 weeks old fibronectin formed a distinct network containing an increasing number of inflammatory cells corresponding to the wound age. In 2 cases with a survival time of 17 days and in all wounds older than 3 weeks fibronectin was restricted to the surface of fibroblasts and to parallel arranged fibers in the granulation tissue without any network structures. We present evidence that fibronectin is a useful marker for vital wounds with a survival time of more than a few minutes. Fibronectin appears before neutrophilic granulocytes migrate into the wound area. Since a faint positive fibronectin staining is seen in postmortem lesions and bleedings, we propose that only those wounds which show strong positive fibronectin staining also extending into the adjacent stroma should be regarded as vital

Assessing planning decisions by activity type during the scheduling process

Existing activity-based models still make assumptions about scheduling decision processes that are not well-informed by empirical evidence. In this article, a step forward is taken to better understand the activity-scheduling process and to improve activity-based models. In particular, different planning decision mechanisms depending on several activity type classifications are explored. First, models describing the planning of several aggregate activity types are considered. For these activities, three planning decisions are studied: location, planning time horizon and rescheduling. The 'with whom' planning decision is also studied when subtypes of recreational/entertainment activities are investigated in depth. Significant differences are found in modelling results for each activity type and subtype and each planning decision. These results confirm the existence of different mechanisms underlying the activity-travel decision process when activity types and subtypes are considered. Important conclusions related to the improvement of microsimulation models are highlighted.Ruiz Sánchez, T.; Roorda, MJ. (2011). Assessing planning decisions by activity type during the scheduling process. Transportmetrica. 7(6):417-442. doi:10.1080/18128602.2010.520276S4174427

Patient-Specific 3D Scanned and 3D Printed Antimicrobial Polycaprolactone Wound Dressings

The increasing prevalence of wound infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria is an urgent challenge facing modern medicine. To address this issue the expedient use of antimicrobial metals such as zinc, copper and silver were incorporated into an FDA-approved polymer (polycaprolactone - PCL) to produce filaments for 3D printing. These metals have broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties, and moreover, copper and zinc can enhance the wound healing process. 3D scanning was used to construct 3D models of a nose and ear to provide the opportunity to customize shape and size of a wound dressing to an individual patient. Hot melt extrusion was used to extrude pellets obtained by vacuum-drying of solutions of PCL and the different metals in order to manufacture metal-homogeneously-loaded filaments. Wound dressings with different shapes were produced with the filaments containing different concentrations of metals. Release of the metals from the dressings was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. All the different metal dressings show fast release (up to 24h) followed by slow release (up to 72h). The antibacterial efficacy of the wound dressings was tested using a thermal activity monitor system, revealing that silver and copper wound dressings had the most potent bactericidal properties. This study shows that 3D scanning and 3D printing, which are becoming simpler and more affordable, have the potential to offer solutions to produce personalised wound dressings