scholarly journals Making room for the 3Rs principles of animal use in ecology: potential issues identified through a survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Zemanova
Keyword(s):  
Sample Size ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Animal Research ◽  
Minimum Sample Size ◽  
Ecological Research ◽  
Animal Use ◽  
Minimum Sample ◽  
Research And Education

Research on animals is one of the most controversial ethical issues in our society. It is imperative that animal welfare is being considered and the harm and distress to animals used in research is minimized. This could be achieved through implementation of the so-called 3Rs principles for animal research, which are now implemented in many legislations worldwide. These principles serve as a basis for research without the use of animals (Replacement), with as few animals as possible (Reduction), and in which the animal’s welfare is as good as possible (Refinement). While there has been a lot of focus on implementation of these principles, only a few studies have documented the knowledge and adoption of the 3Rs among researchers. One field that has been particularly neglected is ecological research, which can involve many practices that affect animal welfare. Moreover, the knowledge, experience, and attitudes about animal use in ecological research and education has never been examined before. In order to close this gap, I conducted a survey among European ecologists. Responses from 107 respondents from 23 countries revealed that lethal and invasive research methods are prevalent, and that more than half of the respondents have never heard of the 3Rs principles for animal research. Major concerns are also the lack of calculation of the minimum sample size and widespread of dissection classes as part of education. Additionally, most respondents experienced ethical doubts about their research, and did not receive any training in animal welfare or ethics. These findings revealed that it is necessary to implement rigorous standards for ecological research and enforce the implementation of the 3Rs principles. Furthermore, the evaluation of current educational practices in ecology is urgently needed.

scholarly journals Minimum sample size for external validation of a clinical prediction model with a binary outcome

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D. Riley ◽  
Thomas P. A. Debray ◽  
Gary S. Collins ◽  
Lucinda Archer ◽  
Joie Ensor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prediction Model ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
External Validation ◽  
Minimum Sample Size ◽  
Binary Outcome ◽  
Clinical Prediction ◽  
Clinical Prediction Model ◽  
Minimum Sample

Responsible Science and Research Animal Use

ILAR Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Patricia V Turner ◽  
R Wayne Barbee
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Research ◽  
Animal Science ◽  
Scientific Excellence ◽  
Experimental Planning ◽  
Animal Use ◽  
Animal Care ◽  
Science And Research ◽  
Ethical Oversight ◽  
Animal Handlers

Abstract This issue of the ILAR Journal focuses on the topic of responsible science as it relates to animal research. We start with the concept of the scientist as a responsible citizen and then move through multiple phases of research including careful experimental planning, reporting, and incorporation of laboratory animal science. The work of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or animal ethical/oversight body in reviewing both animal use and contributing to scientific excellence is explored. Additional topics include protection of animal handlers from multiple experimental hazards, use of agricultural animals and wildlife studies, regulatory ambiguities, and harmonization of animal research. Rounding out the issue is a discussion of how animal care and use programs can enhance animal welfare while mitigating regulatory burden, and our responsibility to clearly communicate the ethical use of animals in advancing biomedical research. A deeper understanding of these topics can assist scientists in simultaneously advancing their research and animal welfare.

Minimum Sample Size of Kidney Biopsies for Semiquantitative and Quantitative Evaluation

Nephron ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Oberholzer ◽  
J. Torhorst ◽  
E. Perret ◽  
M.J. Mihatsch
Keyword(s):  
Sample Size ◽  
Quantitative Evaluation ◽  
Minimum Sample Size ◽  
Minimum Sample

scholarly journals Methods and Rule-of-Thumbs in The Determination of Minimum Sample Size When Appling Structural Equation Modelling: A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 102-107
Author(s):  
Hunuwala Malawarage Suranjan Priyanath ◽  
Ranatunga RVSPK ◽  
Megama RGN
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Sample Size Determination ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Minimum Sample Size ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Rules Of Thumb ◽  
Minimum Sample

Basic methods and techniques involved in the determination of minimum sample size at the use of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in a research project, is one of the crucial problems faced by researchers since there were some controversy among scholars regarding methods and rule-of-thumbs involved in the determination of minimum sample size when applying Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Therefore, this paper attempts to make a review of the methods and rule-of-thumbs involved in the determination of sample size at the use of SEM in order to identify more suitable methods. The paper collected research articles related to the sample size determination for SEM and review the methods and rules-of-thumb employed by different scholars. The study found that a large number of methods and rules-of-thumb have been employed by different scholars. The paper evaluated the surface mechanism and rules-of-thumb of more than twelve previous methods that contained their own advantages and limitations. Finally, the study identified two methods that are more suitable in methodologically and technically which have identified by non-robust scholars who deeply addressed all the aspects of the techniques in the determination of minimum sample size for SEM analysis and thus, the prepare recommends these two methods to rectify the issue of the determination of minimum sample size when using SEM in a research project.

scholarly journals Animal welfare in experimental orthopedic surgery of dogs: an analysis of the Brazilian view

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosângela Rumi Sugauara ◽  
Elisângela Yumi Sugauara ◽  
Luciana Kazue Otutumi ◽  
Ricardo de Melo Germano ◽  
Elaine Yae Yamashita Sugauara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sample Size ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Orthopedic Surgery ◽  
Ethics Committee ◽  
Animal Research ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Experimental Animals ◽  
Final Destination

ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper was to conduct a bibliometry search about Brazilian scientific publications that describe experimental orthopedic surgeries in dogs. It was analyzed 14 publications, and there was wide variation in the number of experimental animals, showing that there is no consensus on the appropriate number for science experiment with dogs. Most articles had been reviewed by an ethics committee (13/14, 92.85%) and only two articles (2/14; 14.28%) did not report the use of analgesic protocol. Among analgesics, morphine was the most widely used, noted in seven studies (7/14; 42.85%). In six of the articles (6/14; 42.85%), the final destination of animals was not informed, but in four experiments (4/14; 28.57%) the dogs were euthanized. In four studies (4/14; 28.57%) the animals were sent for adoption. In conclusion, the ethics in animal research in Brazil has advanced, but is necessary proper planning in sample size.

Minimum Sampling Size of Floating Cars for Urban Link Travel Time Distribution Estimation

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiping Yun ◽  
Wenwen Qin
Keyword(s):  
Sample Size ◽  
Travel Time ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Time Distribution ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Sample Size Determination ◽  
Minimum Sample Size ◽  
Travel Time Distribution ◽  
Minimum Sample ◽  
Link Travel Time

Despite the wide application of floating car data (FCD) in urban link travel time estimation, limited efforts have been made to determine the minimum sample size of floating cars appropriate to the requirements for travel time distribution (TTD) estimation. This study develops a framework for seeking the required minimum number of travel time observations generated from FCD for urban link TTD estimation. The basic idea is to test how, with a decreasing the number of observations, the similarities between the distribution of estimated travel time from observations and those from the ground-truth vary. These are measured by employing the Hellinger Distance (HD) and Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) tests. Finally, the minimum sample size is determined by the HD value, ensuring that corresponding distribution passes the KS test. The proposed method is validated with the sources of FCD and Radio Frequency Identification Data (RFID) collected from an urban arterial in Nanjing, China. The results indicate that: (1) the average travel times derived from FCD give good estimation accuracy for real-time application; (2) the minimum required sample size range changes with the extent of time-varying fluctuations in traffic flows; (3) the minimum sample size determination is sensitive to whether observations are aggregated near each peak in the multistate distribution; (4) sparse and incomplete observations from FCD in most time periods cannot be used to achieve the minimum sample size. Moreover, this would produce a significant deviation from the ground-truth distributions. Finally, FCD is strongly recommended for better TTD estimation incorporating both historical trends and real-time observations.

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