BACKGROUND The current methodology for sample size calculations for stepped-wedge cluster randomised trials (SW-CRTs) is based on the assumption of equal cluster sizes. However, as is often the case in cluster randomised trials (CRTs), the clusters in SW-CRTs are likely to vary in size, which in other designs of CRT leads to a reduction in power. The effect of an imbalance in cluster size on th...

In anurans, fecundity (clutch size) is the most important determinant of female reproductive success. We investigated three possible causes responsible for fecundity variation in female Italian treefrogs, Hyla intermedia, during four breeding seasons: (i) variation in morphological (body size and condition) and life-history (age) traits; (ii) variation in the tradeoff between the number and the...

Optimal offspring size theory states that natural selection should balance reproductive output by optimizing between offspring size and offspring number. If a species has evolved an optimal offspring size, the fitness of larger females should be increased by simply producing more offspring of an optimum size. In contrast, when offspring size is not optimized, the morphological constraint hypoth...

OBJECTIVES To assess quality of reporting of sample size calculation, ascertain accuracy of calculations, and determine the relevance of assumptions made when calculating sample size in randomised controlled trials. DESIGN Review. DATA SOURCES We searched MEDLINE for all primary reports of two arm parallel group randomised controlled trials of superiority with a single primary outcome publi...

Empirical links between egg size and duration of parental care in fishes have generated a considerable amount of theory concerning life history evolution. However, to date, this link has not been investigated in relation to other important life-history traits such as clutch size and body size, or while controlling for shared ancestry between species. We provide the first phylogenetically based ...

Sample size estimation is an essential step in the design of clinical trials. For normal data, the calculation is based on estimates of the mean and variance of the treatment effect. These estimates are often unreliable because they are based on smaller studies, possibly looking at a different population than the one of interest. If the true treatment effect is overestimated and/or the variance...

Standard 2X2 and replicated 2X2m crossover designs are recommended in the regulatory guidelines to establish bioequivalence of generic drug with off patent brand-name drug. Estimation of sample size, in any clinical trial, targets to optimize the resource usage with assurance of having adequate probability (power) to get significant result. This paper discusses the statistical concept behind sa...

When I began my career in medical statistics, back in 1972, little was heard of power calculations. In major journals, sample size often appeared to be whatever came to hand. For example, in that month, September 1972, the Lancet contained 31 research reports which used individual subject data, excluding case reports and animal studies. The median sample size was 33 (quartiles 12 and 85). In th...

Divergent selection in mice was renewed in 3 independent replicates for high (MH) and low (ML) heat loss. An unselected control (MC) was maintained in all replicates. Heat loss was measured for individual male mice for 15 h, overnight in direct calorimeters. After 16 initial generations of selection followed by 26 generations of relaxed selection, divergent selection resumed for 9 generations. ...