How consumer physical activity monitors could transform human physiology research.

A sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity are well-established risk factors for chronic disease and adverse health outcomes. Thus, there is enormous interest in measuring physical activity in biomedical research. Many consumer physical activity monitors, including Basis Health Tracker, BodyMedia Fit, DirectLife, Fitbit Flex, Fitbit One, Fitbit Zip, Garmin Vivofit, Jawbone UP, MisFit Shine, Nike FuelBand, Polar Loop, Withings Pulse O2, and others have accuracies similar to that of research-grade physical activity monitors for measuring steps. This review focuses on the unprecedented opportunities that consumer physical activity monitors offer for human physiology and pathophysiology research because of their ability to measure activity continuously under real-life conditions and because they are already widely used by consumers. We examine current and potential uses of consumer physical activity monitors as a measuring or monitoring device, or as an intervention in strategies to change behavior and predict health outcomes. The accuracy, reliability, reproducibility, and validity of consumer physical activity monitors are reviewed, as are limitations and challenges associated with using these devices in research. Other topics covered include how smartphone apps and platforms, such as the Apple ResearchKit, can be used in conjunction with consumer physical activity monitors for research. Lastly, the future of consumer physical activity monitors and related technology is considered: pattern recognition, integration of sleep monitors, and other biosensors in combination with new forms of information processing.

Um olhar sobre o compartilhamento de equipamentos, em instituições de pesquisa, nas cidades do Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo: principais diferenças, semelhanças e desafios observados / A look at equipment sharing in research institutions in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo: main differences, similarities and challenges observed / Una mirada en el compartir de equipos en las instituciones de investigación en las ciudades de Río de Janeiro y Sao Paulo: principales diferencias, similitudes y desafíos observados

As últimas décadas foram marcadas por mudanças no cenário da pesquisa evidenciadas pela formação de redes de colaboração e, também, maior interação da área acadêmica e o setor produtivo. Nesse contexto, emergiram novos arranjos estruturais, como por exemplo, o compartilhamento de equipamentos em laboratórios de pesquisa e desenvolvimento tecnológico, identificados como multiusuários, core facilities, central analítica ou plataformas tecnológicas. O objetivo deste trabalho é conhecer o compartilhamento de equipamentos existentes em uma instituição de pesquisa nacional no Rio de Janeiro, comparativamente a outras instituições com perfil e grau semelhante de reconhecimento, em São Paulo. Foram avaliadas unidades de instituições públicas. Apesar das semelhanças dos processos característicos à vinculação institucional e das dificuldades enfrentadas, advindas dos mecanismos da administração pública, existem diferenças no gerenciamento encontrado...

The last few decades have been marked by changes in the research scenario evidenced by the formation of collaborative networks and also more interaction in academia and industry. In this context emerged new structural arrangements such as sharing equipment in technological research and development laboratories identified as multi-user, core facilities and technology platforms. The aim of this study was to know about the sharing of equipment within those structures at an institution of national research in Rio de Janeiro and compare it to other institutions with similar degree of recognition in São Paulo by checking similarities, problems, challenges, operations and management. Units of public institutions were evaluated and it was observed that despite the similarities of the characteristic main processes and the institutional difficulties faced by the public administration mechanisms it was found differences in the facilities management...

Las últimas décadas han estado marcadas por los cambios en el panorama de la investigación evidenciadas por la formación de redes de colaboración, así como una mayor interacción entre la academia y el sector productivo. En este contexto, surgieron nuevos arreglos estructurales, tales como el uso compartido de equipos en laboratorios de investigación y desarrollo tecnológico identificado como multiusuario, instalaciones básicas, o las plataformas centrales de tecnología de análisis. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer la distribución de los equipos existentes en una institución nacional de investigación en Río de Janeiro en comparación con otras instituciones con el perfil y el grado de reconocimiento similar. Unidades de instituciones públicas fueron evaluadas y se observó que a pesar de las similitudes de los procesos característicos de la afiliación institucional y las dificultades que surjan de los mecanismos de la administración pública existen diferencias encontradas en la gestión...

Open-Source 3-D Platform for Low-Cost Scientific Instrument Ecosystem.

The combination of open-source software and hardware provides technically feasible methods to create low-cost, highly customized scientific research equipment. Open-source 3-D printers have proven useful for fabricating scientific tools. Here the capabilities of an open-source 3-D printer are expanded to become a highly flexible scientific platform. An automated low-cost 3-D motion control platform is presented that has the capacity to perform scientific applications, including (1) 3-D printing of scientific hardware; (2) laboratory auto-stirring, measuring, and probing; (3) automated fluid handling; and (4) shaking and mixing. The open-source 3-D platform not only facilities routine research while radically reducing the cost, but also inspires the creation of a diverse array of custom instruments that can be shared and replicated digitally throughout the world to drive down the cost of research and education further.

Use of cloud computing in biomedicine.

Nowadays, biomedicine is characterised by a growing need for processing of large amounts of data in real time. This leads to new requirements for information and communication technologies (ICT). Cloud computing offers a solution to these requirements and provides many advantages, such as cost savings, elasticity and scalability of using ICT. The aim of this paper is to explore the concept of cloud computing and the related use of this concept in the area of biomedicine. Authors offer a comprehensive analysis of the implementation of the cloud computing approach in biomedical research, decomposed into infrastructure, platform and service layer, and a recommendation for processing large amounts of data in biomedicine. Firstly, the paper describes the appropriate forms and technological solutions of cloud computing. Secondly, the high-end computing paradigm of cloud computing aspects is analysed. Finally, the potential and current use of applications in scientific research of this technology in biomedicine is discussed.

Needs Assessment for Research Use of High-Throughput Sequencing at a Large Academic Medical Center.

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) methods are driving profound changes in biomedical research, with a growing impact on patient care. Many academic medical centers are evaluating potential models to prepare for the rapid increase in NGS information needs. This study sought to investigate (1) how and where sequencing data is generated and analyzed, (2) research objectives and goals for NGS, (3) workforce capacity and unmet needs, (4) storage capacity and unmet needs, (5) available and anticipated funding resources, and (6) future challenges. As a precursor to informed decision making at our institution, we undertook a systematic needs assessment of investigators using survey methods. We recruited 331 investigators from over 60 departments and divisions at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Health Sciences and had 140 respondents, or a 42% response rate. Results suggest that both sequencing and analysis bottlenecks currently exist. Significant educational needs were identified, including both investigator-focused needs, such as selection of NGS methods suitable for specific research objectives, and program-focused needs, such as support for training an analytic workforce. The absence of centralized infrastructure was identified as an important institutional gap. Key principles for organizations managing this change were formulated based on the survey responses. This needs assessment provides an in-depth case study which may be useful to other academic medical centers as they identify and plan for future needs.

The evolution of guidelines for the validation of flow cytometric methods.

The recent advances in the field of flow cytometry have resulted in instrumentation with increased capacity which is actually more user-friendly. Thus, the technology has become more valuable to research scientists, the pharmaceutical industry and clinical laboratories. The use of flow cytometry in regulated labs has been hampered by the challenges associated method validation and the lack of official guidance documents on the topic. Thus key stakeholders have published recommendation papers with the hope that these will be incorporated as official guidance documents. This review will focus on the achievements of the stakeholders and a high-level overview their recommendations.

Inkjet printing for pharmaceutics - A review of research and manufacturing.

Global regulatory, manufacturing and consumer trends are driving a need for change in current pharmaceutical sector business models, with a specific focus on the inherently expensive research costs, high-risk capital-intensive scale-up and the traditional centralised batch manufacturing paradigm. New technologies, such as inkjet printing, are being explored to radically transform pharmaceutical production processing and the end-to-end supply chain. This review provides a brief summary of inkjet printing technologies and their current applications in manufacturing before examining the business context driving the exploration of inkjet printing in the pharmaceutical sector. We then examine the trends reported in the literature for pharmaceutical printing, followed by the scientific considerations and challenges facing the adoption of this technology. We demonstrate that research activities are highly diverse, targeting a broad range of pharmaceutical types and printing systems. To mitigate this complexity we show that by categorising findings in terms of targeted business models and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) chemistry we have a more coherent approach to comparing research findings and can drive efficient translation of a chosen drug to inkjet manufacturing.

Enabling consistency in pluripotent stem cell-derived products for research and development and clinical applications through material standards.

There is a need for physical standards (reference materials) to ensure both reproducibility and consistency in the production of somatic cell types from human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) sources. We have outlined the need for reference materials (RMs) in relation to the unique properties and concerns surrounding hPSC-derived products and suggest in-house approaches to RM generation relevant to basic research, drug screening, and therapeutic applications. hPSCs have an unparalleled potential as a source of somatic cells for drug screening, disease modeling, and therapeutic application. Undefined variation and product variability after differentiation to the lineage or cell type of interest impede efficient translation and can obscure the evaluation of clinical safety and efficacy. Moreover, in the absence of a consistent population, data generated from in vitro studies could be unreliable and irreproducible. Efforts to devise approaches and tools that facilitate improved consistency of hPSC-derived products, both as development tools and therapeutic products, will aid translation. Standards exist in both written and physical form; however, because many unknown factors persist in the field, premature written standards could inhibit rather than promote innovation and translation. We focused on the derivation of physical standard RMs. We outline the need for RMs and assess the approaches to in-house RM generation for hPSC-derived products, a critical tool for the analysis and control of product variation that can be applied by researchers and developers. We then explore potential routes for the generation of RMs, including both cellular and noncellular materials and novel methods that might provide valuable tools to measure and account for variation. Multiparametric techniques to identify "signatures" for therapeutically relevant cell types, such as neurons and cardiomyocytes that can be derived from hPSCs, would be of significant utility, although physical RMs will be required for clinical purposes.

A flexible and inexpensive high-performance auditory evoked response recording system appropriate for research purposes.

Recording auditory evoked responses (AER) is done not only in hospitals and clinics worldwide to detect hearing impairments and estimate hearing thresholds, but also in research centers to understand and model the mechanisms involved in the process of hearing. This paper describes a high-performance, flexible, and inexpensive AER recording system. A full description of the hardware and software modules that compose the AER recording system is provided. The performance of this system was evaluated by conducting five experiments with both real and artificially synthesized auditory brainstem response and middle latency response signals at different intensity levels and stimulation rates. The results indicate that the flexibility of the described system is appropriate to record AER signals under several recording conditions. The AER recording system described in this article is a flexible and inexpensive high-performance AER recording system. This recording system also incorporates a platform through which users are allowed to implement advanced signal processing methods. Moreover, its manufacturing cost is significantly lower than that of other commercially available alternatives. These advantages may prove useful in many research applications in audiology.

Multicriteria decision analysis methods with 1000Minds for developing systemic sclerosis classification criteria.

OBJECTIVES: Classification criteria for systemic sclerosis (SSc) are being developed. The objectives were to develop an instrument for collating case data and evaluate its sensibility; use forced-choice methods to reduce and weight criteria; and explore agreement among experts on the probability that cases were classified as SSc. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A standardized instrument was tested for sensibility. The instrument was applied to 20 cases covering a range of probabilities that each had SSc. Experts rank ordered cases from highest to lowest probability; reduced and weighted the criteria using forced-choice methods; and reranked the cases. Consistency in rankings was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). RESULTS: Experts endorsed clarity (83%), comprehensibility (100%), face and content validity (100%). Criteria were weighted (points): finger skin thickening (14-22), fingertip lesions (9-21), friction rubs (21), finger flexion contractures (16), pulmonary fibrosis (14), SSc-related antibodies (15), Raynaud phenomenon (13), calcinosis (12), pulmonary hypertension (11), renal crisis (11), telangiectasia (10), abnormal nailfold capillaries (10), esophageal dilation (7), and puffy fingers (5). The ICC across experts was 0.73 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.58, 0.86] and improved to 0.80 (95% CI: 0.68, 0.90). CONCLUSIONS: Using a sensible instrument and forced-choice methods, the number of criteria were reduced by 39% (range, 23-14) and weighted. Our methods reflect the rigors of measurement science and serve as a template for developing classification criteria.

Measures of experience and scientometrics to evaluate the impact of scientific production.

"Experiencimetrics" is proposed as a measure of researchers' academic experience, to complement the existing measure, scientometrics, when evaluating expertise in research. The article is partly based on the author's scientific output, and explores the possibilities of analyzing impact from a qualitative perspective. A synthesis is produced, with possible implications for this analysis, highlighting some options for evaluating the impact of research and articles which are not limited to counting author's citations in order to calculate the impact factor.