Descriptive statistics are an important part of biomedical research which is used to describe the basic features of the data in the study. They provide simple summaries about the sample and the measures. Measures of the central tendency and dispersion are used to describe the quantitative data. For the continuous data, test of the normality is an important step for deciding the measures of central tendency and statistical methods for data analysis. When our data follow normal distribution, parametric tests otherwise nonparametric methods are used to compare the groups. There are different methods used to test the normality of data, including numerical and visual methods, and each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. In the present study, we have discussed the summary measures and methods used to test the normality of the data.

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International audienceNanostructured silicon-based materials are good candidates for thermoelectric (TE) devices due to their low thermal conductivity, customizable electrical conductivity, and reduced cost. Generally, nanostructured TE bulk materials are obtained through compaction and sintering at high temperature (>1000 °C) of silicon nanoparticles (NPs). In order to introduce TE generators in flexible electronic devices, development of thin film TE is needed. Inkjet-printing of silicon NPs-based ink is an interesting technology for this targeted application due to its low cost and additive process. This paper presents the implementation of inkjet-printing of a silicon NPs-based ink toward the fabrication of TE material on flexible substrate and the development of a characterization method for this material. After printing, recovering of electrical properties through sintering is mandatory. Nevertheless, special care must be taken in order to keep thermal conductivity low and reduce the annealing temperature to allow the use of flexible substrates. The functional properties: electrical and thermal (measured by Raman spectroscopy), are studied as a function of the annealing process. Two types of annealing: rapid thermal annealing and microwave annealing, are investigated as well as two atmospheres: inert (N2) and reducing (N2-H2 5%)

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