Eleven strategies for making reproducible research and open science training the norm at research institutions.

Reproducible research and open science practices have the potential to accelerate scientific progress by allowing others to reuse research outputs, and by promoting rigorous research that is more likely to yield trustworthy results. However, these practices are uncommon in many fields, so there is a clear need for training that helps and encourages researchers to integrate reproducible research and open science practices into their daily work. Here, we outline eleven strategies for making training in these practices the norm at research institutions.

Non-linearity and dynamics of low-voltage electrowetting and dewetting.

As an electrically controllable wetting effect, electrowetting on dielectrics (EWOD) is applied in diverse fields including optics, display technology and lab-on-a-chip systems. For the further development of EWOD applications, the reduction of the operation voltage is an essential issue. Recently, a low-voltage EWOD system with a threshold of 2 V was developed.

Frequency Dependence of Low-Voltage Electrowetting Investigated by Impedance Spectroscopy.

An electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) electrode was developed that facilitates the use of low alternating voltages (≤5 V). This allows online investigation of the frequency dependence of electrowetting by means of impedance spectroscopy. The EWOD electrode is based on a dielectric bilayer consisting of an anodic tantalum pentoxide (TaO) thin film (d = 59.

Improvements in design of spectra of multisine and binary excitation signals for multi-frequency bioimpedance measurement.

The paper discusses the usability of multi-frequency binary waveforms for broadband excitation in fast measurements of impedance spectrum of biological objects. It is shown that up to 70% of the energy of the amplitude spectrum of such two-level binary signals can be concentrated into the selected separate frequencies. The levels of selected frequency components are controllable in tens and hundreds of times.

Improving the Emergency Whole Blood Program.

The military has used the Emergency Whole Blood Program (EWBP) to treat combat casualties since World War I and it remains important in modern military campaigns. Despite frequent use, military medical providers receive little to no training on EWBP operations. The authors sought to improve the efficiency of the EWBP at a Forward Operating Base in southern Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom 10-11 through the development of a prescreening program.

Adsorption of poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers on silica: importance of electrostatic three-body attraction.

Adsorption of poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers to silicon oxide surfaces was studied as a function of pH, ionic strength, and dendrimer generation. By combining optical reflectometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM), the adsorbed layers can be fully characterized and an unequivocal determination of the adsorbed mass becomes possible. For early stages, the adsorption process is transport limited and of first order with respect to the dendrimer solution concentration.

Thin adsorbed films of a strong cationic polyelectrolyte on silica substrates.

The adsorption of poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (DADMAC) on planar silica substrates was examined as a function of ionic strength and pH. The study was carried out with reflectometry in an impinging-jet cell and complemented by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ellipsometry investigations. The adsorption process is initially transport limited, whereby the adsorption rate increases somewhat with increasing ionic strength.

Nano-patterning of solid substrates by adsorbed dendrimers.

Weakly charged solid substrates can be nano-patterned in liquid-like order with large and well-defined spacing by adsorbing poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers; highly charged substrates lead to lower spacing due to electrostatic three-body attractions between the dendrimers and the substrate.

Electro-osmotic streaming on application of traveling-wave electric fields.

We describe ac electro-osmotic flow of an aqueous electrolyte on application of a traveling-wave electric field. Depending on the frequency of the applied traveling wave, the interaction of the electric double layer charge and the tangential electric field leads to fluid flow in the direction of the traveling wave. We have derived two theoretical models that describe this flow as a function of the amplitude of the applied electric potential, the signal frequency, and the material properties of the system.