Common Dimensions Research Articles

Assessment of Oral Health-related Quality of Life among Expatriate Working Population, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study.

ABSTRACTBackground:The expatriate workers (foreign workers) come from various countries having different languages, cultures, and tradition to work in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA); here they adopt to local customs, traditions, and work ethics in this new environment. How they perceive their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is important for health-care provider for understanding and planning in patient management. The data of expat workers and their OHRQoL in KSA are meager; hence, assessment of OHRQoL among expatriate working population in Al Zulfi, Saudi Arabia was planned.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted on adult expat working population of various nationalities who were working in Al Zulfi, KSA. The study sample comprised 600 adult expats. OHRQoL was analyzed by using 14-Item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire as instrument. Clinical examination for oral health status was carried out using decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index and Oral Hygiene Index simplified (OHI-S). Student’s t test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare data using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software program, version 20.0 with significance at P ≤ 0.05.Results:The age of the sample population ranged from 19 to 60 years. No significant difference was observed in oral health status among expats of different nationalities. Age and education were significantly related to OHRQoL as well as oral health status. The mean cumulative scores of OHIP-14 showed that expats from different nationalities had statistically significant differences.Conclusion:Overall the impact of OHRQoL was less among working expat population in Al Zulfi. Physical pain was the common dimension seen among all nationalities. Psychological discomfort and handicap dimensions of OHIP-14 were significant among the study sample.

Deep-Learning-Enabled Security Issues in the Internet of Things

In order to explore the application value of deep learning denoising autoencoder (DAE) in Internet-of-Things (IoT) fusion security, in this study, a hierarchical intrusion security detection model stacked DAE supporting vector machine (SDAE-SVM) is constructed based on the three-layer neural network of self-encoder. The sample data after dimension reduction are obtained by layer by layer pretraining and fine-tuning. The traditional deep learning algorithms [stacked noise autoencoder (SNAE), stacked autoencoder (SAE), stacked contractive autoencoder (SCAE), stacked sparse autoencoder (SSAE), deep belief network (DBN)] are introduced to carry out the comparative simulation with the model in this study. The results show that when the encoder in the model is a 4-layer network structure, the accuracy rate (Ac) of the model is the highest (97.83%), the false-negative rate (Fn) (1.27%) and the false-positive rate (Fp) (3.21%) are the lowest. When the number of nodes in the first hidden layer is about 110, the model accuracy is about 98%. When comparing the model designed in this study with the common feature dimension reduction methods, the Ac, Fn, and Fp of this model are the best, which are 98.12%, 3.21%, and 1.27%, respectively. When compared with other deep learning algorithms of the same type, the recognition rate, Ac, error rate, and rejection rate show good results. In multiple data sets, the recognition rate, Ac, error rate, and rejection rate of the model in this study are always better than the traditional deep learning algorithms. In conclusion, when deep learning SDAE is applied to IoT convergence-based intrusion security detection, the detection load can be reduced, the detection effect can be improved, and the operation is more secure and stable.

E-learning During COVID-19 Pandemic: Obstacles Faced Nursing Students and Its Effect on Their Attitudes While Applying It

<i>Background:</i> E-learning is the use of the internet and its related devices for educational purposes without geographical restrictions, especially after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a disruption of education in the classrooms in Egypt and around the world. Teaching and learning via the internet is a novel experience for most teachers and students. <i>Aim:</i> to investigate the effect of obstacles faced nursing students on their attitudes towards e-learning while applying it during COVID-19 pandemic. <i>Design:</i> A descriptive correlational research design. <i>Setting:</i> The study was conducted at Faculty of Nursing, Menoufia University, Egypt. <i>Subjects:</i> A stratified random sample technique was employed for the selection of 30% from the students in each of the four academic years enrolled in Faculty of Nursing, Menoufia University during the academic year 2019/2020. <i>Tools:</i> Interviewing questionnaire, attitude towards e-learning scale, and obstacles of e-learning questionnaires. <i>Results:</i> The results revealed that overall, 61.6% of students had negative attitudes towards e-learning. There was the highest level of total obstacles present among academic students in the first year were (67.6%) and the lowest level of total obstacles present among academic students in the fourth year was (55.7%) that faced nursing students during using e-learning. the most common dimensions of obstacles to e-learning were infrastructure and technology, technical and management support, and instructors' characteristics (87.1%, 85.2%, and 82.9%, respectively). <i>Conclusions:</i> There was a high statistically significant negative correlation between obstacles facing nursing students, and their attitudes toward e-learning. <i>Recommendations:</i> The Board Directors of the Faculty of Nursing must take the necessary measures to improve electronic learning and teaching during the closure. Also, a systematic strategy should be followed to implement e-learning since it is a new experience for Menoufia University.

The moral condemnation of corruption

The definition of corruption, as well as the set of problems that corruption raises, are fundamentally changing due to the different angle from which we perceive it. Usually we cite sociological, legal, economic, political, psychological, ethical as the most common dimensions of this general social problem. This phenomenon is represented by the elementary definition of corruption as an abuse of public office for personal interest. At the heart of this phenomenon is a conflict between the general interest and the self-interest, in circumstances where the priority of self-interest is illegitimate. In this paper, we have provided the background of the most significant causes and consequences of corruption, emphasizing the possible problems with legal mechanisms. Corruption is a criminal offense and thus subject to legal regulation. This regulation is not sufficient to eradicate corruption. Corruption today is devastating and threatens the functioning of the society as a regulated system. We provided an analysis of this process and pointed out its ethical dimensions. The aim of the paper is to highlight the importance of the anti-corruption standpoint as an absolute duty. If every individual adopted Do Not Bribe!, on a personal level, as a perfect duty, corruption would stand no chance. Therefore, we should decentralize attention from the legal and other dimensions to the ethical dimension of the problem of corruption. We have shown in the paper that a clear decision not to participate in corruption due to its moral wrong is a necessary condition if it aims at weakening entrenched bribery practices. That decision is the matter of moral integrity. The conclusion is that any social anti-corruption strategy must start from the analysis of corruption as an action which is subject to ethical analysis.

Счастье и субъективное благополучие: к конструированию понятийного поля

Статья содержит аналитический обзор пересекающихся конструктов, описывающих максимально позитивные переживания или высшее благо: счастье, субъективное благополучие, психологическое благополучие, качество жизни, гедония, эвдемония. Подробно рассмотрены дискуссионные вопросы соотношения этих конструктов и их операционализации в эмпирических исследованиях. В качестве основания для разведения близких конструктов предложено качество мотивации, то есть уровневая и содержательная характеристика тех потребностей, об удовлетворении которых сигнализируют положительные эмоции; показано, что наряду с общим параметром переживания близости фактического и желаемого, адекватно описываемым понятием субъективного благополучия, важно учитывать индивидуальную специфичность и уровневую характеристику самих потребностей, описываемую, в частности, в различении дефицитарной и бытийной мотивации (А. Маслоу). На этой основе предложена авторская двухуровневая модель счастья, различающая дефицитарное счастье, характеризующее меру удовлетворенности универсальных базовых потребностей, обусловленную материальными и другими ресурсами, и бытийное — или самодетерминированное — счастье за пределами простого благополучия, характеризующее успешность в реализации индивидуального экзистенциального проекта, или осмысленных жизненных целей. Намечена также авторская многомерная модель «эвдемонии 3D», учитывающая дополнительные критерии позитивности, помимо эмоционального баланса, а именно успешность и осмысленность.&#x0D; Благодарность. Статья подготовлена в ходе/в результате проведения исследования/работы в рамках Программы фундаментальных исследований Национального исследовательского университета «Высшая школа экономики» (НИУ ВШЭ) и с использованием средств субсидии в рамках государственной поддержки ведущих университетов Российской Федерации «5-100».

Modelling and simulation of three-roll bending process of bimetal Circular Billet

Bending process is an important metal forming technique which is used on industrial scale. An asymmetric three-roll bending is sub-type bending process and has a simple configuration. The present study has focused on the investigation of the bonded bimetal billet. The two material consist of copper alloy rod inside an aluminium alloy (AA 6061-T6) tube with one common dimension between the rod and the tube which is the radius of rod and the inner radius of tube. The effect of varying the radius has considered on this study. The results shown that the increasing of copper alloy radius increased the reaction load and the mass of the bimetal billet with exponential increment.

Sensory characterization of gluten‐free bread enriched with teff ( Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) and yacon ( Smallanthus sonchifolius ) using flash profile and common dimension analysis

This research described sensory characteristics of gluten-free bread (GFB) enriched with teff and yacon flour (YF) using flash profile (FP) and common dimension analysis (ComDim). The addition of TF and YF (up to 35%) maintained the sensory attributes. GFB enriched with YF was described by white color, aroma, and taste of white flour, softness and sour aroma. GFB enriched with YF and TF was described by brown color, rougher and aerated texture, wholemeal flour aroma and bitter taste. ComDim explained 96.9% of the total variance with the first three common dimensions (CD). CD1 and CD3 were able to correctly discriminate the products. FP allowed a quick description of the set of products and ComDim proving to be a good alternative to statistical analysis of the data. This study highlights the potential use of TF and YF for the production of gluten-free products with adequate sensory quality. Practical applications Considering that the development of gluten-free products with adequate technological, nutritional, and sensorial properties represents the main challenge for food technology, this study evaluated the descriptive sensory characteristics of gluten-free bread enriched with teff (TF) and yacon flour (YF) using flash profile (FP) technique. FP is a descriptive sensory method that has the main advantage of the elimination of the training phase of the assessors, which makes it faster and more advantageous. Usually, the results from this method are analyzed by generalized procrustes analysis. In this research, the results of the sensory description were analyzed using common dimension analysis (ComDim). The addition of TF and YF to the product is viable as it improves its nutritional composition. Furthermore, ComDim assigns different weights (saliences) to the evaluator in each dimension, allowing a differentiated analysis of its importance, proving to be a good alternative to the statistical analysis for FP.

Associations évoquées par le changement climatique chez des citoyens français et norvégiens

Communication related to climate change as well as to its consequences constitutes a major challenge; all the more so since climate is a non-observable phenomenon, in stark contrast to the weather. In this perspective, language plays a crucial role in the conceptualisation and the framing of climate change discourse.&#x0D; In this paper, French and Norwegian data stemming from representative surveys in the two countries are compared. The participants are asked to answer an open-ended question concerning their conceptions of the expression “climate change”. The French data are collected from a survey undertaken in 2016 by ELIPSS at the Sciences Po (Institut d'études politiques de Paris). The Norwegian data are generated from a survey undertaken in 2013 by the Norwegian Citizen Panel/DIGSSCORE, at the University of Bergen. The answers are first analysed through a semi-automated structural topic modeling (STM) and then assessed through an in-depth manual evaluation. Further linguistic and enunciative analyses are undertaken of a selection of the respondents’ answer provided by the surveys.&#x0D; Given the difference in the energy mix of the two countries, different associations are expected to appear from the French and the Norwegian participants. At the same time, with the common global dimension of climate change, it seems reasonable to expect some similar associations concerning the reality of the changes, the consequences and the measures of adaptation or mitigation proposed or undertaken by the two countries. These issues are discussed within the theoretical frame of enunciation, including perspectives related to concession in a polyphonic perspective and to deontic modality.&#x0D;

A visualization approach to performing task analysis of time series event log data from a microworld simulation

This paper presents a novel visualization technique to perform a task analysis using only information from data logs collected from users interacting with the system. Traditional task analysis includes data acquired from system specifications, observations of the user interacting with the system, and interviews with the user. There are however situations, in which this information is not available such as forensic investigations. In situations in which these other data sources are available, the visualization approach provides an additional tool the analysist can use to further their understanding of the system and begin qualitatively and quantitatively describing a user’s behavior. As a demonstration of this technique, data logs from a microworld simulator, the Grid Game, were analyzed using a custom designed python based graphing tool. The Grid Game is a gamified and simplified simulation of an electric microgrid. Teams of players compete by maintaining and optimizing their grid configuration in the presence of cyber-attacks. Several different visualization graphing techniques were examined to identify their suitability for representing the grid event data in a format capable to support an analyst performing a task analysis. The most suitable graphing technique for this particular use case was a discrete event graphing technique including a common time dimension to provide performance based context to the graphical depiction of logged simulation events.

Spirituality, Yoga, Morality, and Religion —A Perspective from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother

There exists a distinction between a conventional life, the religious life and the spiritual life. Morality is a piece of a standard life. The religious life is an adventure of the equivalent insensible human consciousness attempting towards the divine, celestial yet at the same time without understanding the learning and driven by the obstinate fundamentals of some order or statement of faith. Though the spiritual life is conveyed straight route by a change from the common dimension of consciousness, obliviousness and void from its actual self and from the God to an incredible upper, higher awareness which is over the physical, key and mental consciousness and which is detached with the sense and personality of a different I in which one at long last discovers one's own actual being and starts things out into immediate and living contact and after that association with the divine. Spiritual life comes to beyond the brain and goes into the more deeper dimension of awareness of the soul and acts dependent on a definitive truth of the soul.

The multi-speed energy transition in Europe: Opportunities and challenges for EU energy security

The transition towards renewable energy is progressing at different speeds among EU member states. This trend reflects their divergent national energy security interests and leads to different energy (foreign) policy strategies within the Energy Union context. This policy perspective highlights how a multi-speed energy transition among EU Member States affects European energy relations and energy security and explores what the European Commission (EC) can do to safeguard the Energy Union. We argue that divergent energy security perceptions and priorities among EU Member States essentially create two clusters of countries: those that focus on renewable energy, considering it an industrial opportunity and a way to lower import dependence, and those that prioritize reliable supplies and perceive renewables as too volatile and expensive to replace fossil fuels. We then contemplate the energy security implications of the two emerging Europes and discuss several ways these could shape their mutual interactions. Finally, we suggest incorporating an industrial component next to the internal market and common external voice dimensions of the Energy Union, in the form of a package deal, so that the EC might overcome political tensions between the two clusters.

Suicide and sudden death bereavement in Australia: A longitudinal study of family members over 2 years after death.

Grief reactions change over time. However, only a limited number of studies, and none in Australia, have analysed changes in individual grief reactions longitudinally. The aim is to examine changes in grief reactions, mental health and suicidality of close family members bereaved by suicide, 6, 12 and 24 months after their loss compared with those bereaved by other forms of sudden death, adjusting for confounding factors. Participants were 142 adult family members bereaved by suicide and 63 by other sudden death, followed up at 6, 12 and 24 months in Queensland, Australia. The Grief Experience Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation were used as main outcomes. Mixed-effects linear and logistic regressions were utilized for statistical analyses. There were significant differences in rejection, stigmatization, shame and responsibility between the suicide and sudden death bereaved over the 2-year period, after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Rejection, stigmatization, search for explanation, somatic reactions and symptoms of depression and anxiety (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale) declined significantly over time in both groups. Rejection and somatic reactions showed group-by-time interaction effects, with a decrease in the suicide bereaved and no change in the sudden death bereaved. Loss of social support and suicidal ideation did not show a group or time effect. Although our findings confirm that there are several common dimensions to experiencing a sudden death of a family member, several differences were found between the suicide and non-suicide sudden death bereaved including significantly higher levels of rejection, stigmatization, shame and responsibility remaining in the suicide compared to sudden death bereaved 2 years after their loss. These findings should be considered in clinical practice and when designing postvention services in Australia.

Investigating the Dimensionality and Stability of Union Commitment Profiles over a 10-Year Period: A Latent Transition Analysis

The authors adopt a person-centered approach to the investigation of the dimensionality of the union commitment construct by capitalizing on a 10-year longitudinal study (from 1992 to 2002) of 637 union members in their first year of employment measured again 1 and 10 years later. Results reveal four distinct profiles of union commitment, presenting a stable structure over time. These profiles demonstrate consistency in commitment level across the three most common union commitment dimensions, thus questioning the necessity of adopting a multidimensional approach. Results show that union members became more similar to other members of their profiles over time, and that their union commitment became slightly less extreme as union tenure increased. Finally, results show that union commitment profiles predict union participation, in accordance with our expectations, and suggest that endorsing positive attitudes toward unions and their instrumentality was a stronger predictor of profile membership than was satisfaction with the actions of one’s own union.

The cloud retrieval of combining sparse representation with subspace projection

Satellite cloud imagery can show the features and the evolution processes of all kinds of cloud systems from different aspects. Thus, adopting the content-based cloud image retrieval makes a big difference in supervising present weather conditions and studying the climate change. In order to optimize the combined features of the cloud picture and strengthen the generalization ability of its combined features, this paper presents an optimal method of combining the features of the sparse representation with the subspace projection. At first, we should extract its color, texture and shape, convert all the combined features, and divide them into different blocks. Then, we can make the sparse representation for each block's features, grouping them according to different atom variance and gaining both noticeable and unnoticeable features. Finally, we can count the power of the grouped features to get the subspace projection matrix, projecting the original combined features on it and achieving the optimal cloud picture features. The experiment turns out that the method of optimizing the cloud picture features in this paper is better than common descending dimension method and cloud retrieval technology in precision ratio and recall ratio. It indeed has a stronger optimization in the combined features as well as a lower time complexity in the process of the real-time retrieval, which indicates a brand new retrieval method.

Social readiness of adaptation technologies

AbstractDespite growing recognition that Europe must adapt to climate variability and change, there is still limited evidence of adaptation implementation. At the same time, despite knowing that successful adaptation will be contingent on societal factors just as much as on technical ones, there has been very little research into social perceptions of adaptation technologies. To address this gap, I undertake an interdisciplinary synthesis of stable beliefs and values about technology—those that are less susceptible to change across different situations—from five major but hitherto disconnected theoretical perspectives on perceptions of technology: the psychometric paradigm, the technology control dilemma, cultural theory, technology acceptance models, and responsible innovation. Four common dimensions of perception were identified: knowledge of technology, scope of technological projects, impacts of technology, and trust in the control of technology. These dimensions can be used to develop a concept of and framework for social readiness, whereby aspects of adaptation technologies that are likely to be perceived negatively or positively, and by whom, can be identified. This is by no means a panacea to the challenges of adaptation implementation, but one that contributes to and would join in constructive exchange with wider efforts to evaluate adaptation technologies. I end this review by discussing the need for bridging the gap between opposing epistemic cultures that favor different styles of knowledge production around adaptation technology perception.This article is categorized under:Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change &gt; Institutions for Adaptation

STUDYING BRAND TRAITS ELEMENTS IN CASUALWEAR: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Purpose of the study: Brand management is becoming increasingly a complex task in the present competitive world. Thus, in order to overcome such challenges, brand management is required which is personality-directed known as brand personality. Though this concept has gained importance, there is less number of studies conducted with respect to sportswear, where the threat of homogeneity strongly prevails. So, the first purpose in this study is to identify the brand personality dimensions of Sportswear using Aaker’s brand personality scale (1997) whereas the second purpose is to determine whether there are any significant differences in the perception of respondents with respect to these dimensions and finally the third purpose is to determine the extent to which these dimensions influence brand preference. Methodology: The data was collected from 700 college and university students from Indore, based on there popularity and students' strength and was analyzed using factor analysis, independent T-test, ANOVA and step-wise multiple regression techniques. The results indicated that seven brand personality dimensions were extracted for sportswear in Indore named Competence, Excitement, Sophistication, Sincerity, Small-town, Family oriented and Ruggedness. Ruggedness and Excitement dimensions are identified as the best predictors of brand preference for sportswear. Further, it is found that among the various socio-economic variables such as gender, age, and family income, only gender had significant differences with respect to five dimensions. Main Findings: The results also suggested that, among the socio-economic variables considered in the study, gender was the most influential variable than other variables, thereby suggesting the importance of this factor in formulating the promotional policies for the sportswear brands. Applications of this study: it would be helpful for brand managers to especially focus, apart from the common dimensions, on the dimensions specific to their brands to harness competitive advantage. The findings suggest that there is a significant role played by brand personality dimensions in influencing consumers’ preference for sportswear brands. Novelty/Originality of this study: The analysis in respect of the importance of brand personality dimensions in influencing consumers' brand preference shows that two dimensions namely Ruggedness and Excitement significantly influenced consumers’ brand preference of sportswear brands.

27.2 DISENTANGLING THE ROLES OF THREAT AND DEPRIVATION IN ASSOCIATIONS WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

The risk for psychopathology increases with the number of adverse childhood experiences. Summing a number of experiences, however, assumes that all adversity equitably confers risk and operates through complementary mechanisms. To disentangle neurobiological pathways between disparate events and mental health, we examined how threat and deprivation—2 common dimensions of adversity—relate to early childhood psychopathology. Threat or the presence of experiences involving harm or threat of harm affects emotional control.

The p factor: genetic analyses support a general dimension of psychopathology in childhood and adolescence.

BackgroundDiverse behaviour problems in childhood correlate phenotypically, suggesting a general dimension of psychopathology that has been called the p factor. The shared genetic architecture between childhood psychopathology traits also supports a genetic p. This study systematically investigates the manifestation of this common dimension across self‐, parent‐ and teacher‐rated measures in childhood and adolescence.MethodsThe sample included 7,026 twin pairs from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). First, we employed multivariate twin models to estimate common genetic and environmental influences on p based on diverse measures of behaviour problems rated by children, parents and teachers at ages 7, 9, 12 and 16 (depressive traits, emotional problems, peer problems, autism traits, hyperactivity, antisocial behaviour, conduct problems and psychopathic tendencies). Second, to assess the stability of genetic and environmental influences on p across time, we conducted longitudinal twin modelling of the first phenotypic principal components of childhood psychopathological measures across each of the four ages. Third, we created a genetic p factor in 7,026 unrelated genotyped individuals based on eight polygenic scores for psychiatric disorders to estimate how a general polygenic predisposition to mostly adult psychiatric disorders relates to childhood p.ResultsBehaviour problems were consistently correlated phenotypically and genetically across ages and raters. The p factor is substantially heritable (50%–60%) and manifests consistently across diverse ages and raters. However, residual variation in the common factor models indicates unique contributions as well. Genetic correlations of p components across childhood and adolescence suggest stability over time (49%–78%). A polygenic general psychopathology factor derived from studies of psychiatric disorders consistently predicted a general phenotypic p factor across development (0.3%–0.9%).ConclusionsDiverse forms of psychopathology generally load on a common p factor, which is highly heritable. There are substantial genetic influences on the stability of p across childhood. Our analyses indicate genetic overlap between general risk for psychiatric disorders in adulthood and p in childhood, even as young as age 7. The p factor has far‐reaching implications for genomic research and, eventually, for diagnosis and treatment of behaviour problems.

Bilateral relatedness: knowledge diffusion and the evolution of bilateral trade

During the last two decades, two important contributions have reshaped our understanding of international trade. First, countries trade more with those with whom they share history, language, and culture, suggesting that trade is limited by information frictions. Second, countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to their current exports, suggesting that shared capabilities and knowledge diffusion constrain export diversification. Here, we join both of these streams of literature by developing three measures of bilateral relatedness and using them to ask whether the destinations to which a country will increase its exports of a product are predicted by these forms of relatedness. The first form is product relatedness, and asks whether a country already exports many similar products to a destination. The second is importer relatedness, and asks whether the country exports the same product to the neighbors of the target destination. The third is exporter relatedness, and asks whether a country’s neighbors are already exporting the same product to the destination. We use bilateral trade data from 2000 to 2015, and a variety of controls in multiple gravity specifications, to show that countries are more likely to increase their exports of a product to a destination when they have more product relatedness, importer relatedness, and exporter relatedness. Then, we use several sample splits to explore whether the effects of these forms of relatedness are stronger for products of higher complexity, technological sophistication, and differentiation. We find that, in the case of product relatedness, the effects are stronger for differentiated, complex, and technologically sophisticated products. Also, we find the effects of common language and shared colonial past to increase with differentiation, complexity, and technological sophistication, while the effects of shared borders decrease with these three variables. These results suggest that product relatedness and common language capture dimensions of knowledge relatedness that are more important for the exchange of more sophisticated and differentiated products. These findings extend the ideas of relatedness to bilateral trade and show that the evolution of bilateral trade networks are shaped by relatedness among products, exporters, and importers.

Moving Towards an EHR Data Quality Framework: The MIRACUM Approach.

Data quality (DQ) is an important prerequisite for secondary use of electronic health record (EHR) data in clinical research, particularly with regards to progressing towards a learning health system, one of the MIRACUM consortium's goals. Following the successful integration of the i2b2 research data repository in MIRACUM, we present a standardized and generic DQ framework. Already established DQ evaluation methods do not cover all of MIRACUM's requirements. A data quality analysis plan was developed to assess common data quality dimensions for demographic-, condition-, procedure- and department-related variables of MIRACUM's research data repository. A data quality analysis (DQA) tool was developed using R scripts packaged in a Docker image with all the necessary dependencies and R libraries for easy distribution. It integrates with the i2b2 data repository at each MIRACUM site, executes an analysis on the data and generates a DQ report. Our DQA tool brings the analysis to the data and thus meets the MIRACUM data protection requirements. It evaluates established DQ dimensions of data repositories in a standardized and easily distributable way. This analysis allowed us to reveal and revise inconsistencies in earlier versions of the ETL jobs. The framework is portable, easy to deploy across different sites and even further adaptable to other database schemes. The presented framework provides the first step towards a unified, standardized and harmonized EHR DQ assessment in MIRACUM. DQ issues can now be systematically identified by individual hospitals to subsequently implement site- or consortium-wide feedback loops to increase data quality.