Multiple Data Collectors Research Articles

The intra- and interrater reliability of isometric muscle contractions using a novel fixation system for a hand-held dynamometer.

A novel fixation system for a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) was designed to enable isometric muscle measurements on various muscle groups of strong, healthy individuals in a field setting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intra- and interrater reliability of the system and determine its suitability for use by multiple researchers within large-scale data collections during field activities. Four researchers tested eight healthy subjects, who each completed eight different maximal isometric muscle strength assessments using the HHD fixation system. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) results were evaluated with a 95% confidence interval. ICC results for interrater reliability demonstrated excellent agreement of all eight measurements tested. ICC results for intrarater reliability demonstrated excellent agreement for six out of eight measurements. This system provides a new opportunity for several different high-quality maximal muscle strength measurements to be collected by multiple data collectors on large numbers of strong, healthy individuals in a field setting.

INTRA AND INTER-RATER RELIABILITY IN DYNAMIC VALGUS IN SOCCER PLAYERS

ABSTRACT Introduction: The two-dimensional (2D) methods of dynamic assessment of knee valgus are popular because of their low cost and the fact that they are easy to implement. It is believed that dynamic valgus of the knee is one of the main disorders responsible for non-contact lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament. There are two categories of reliability with regard to data collectors: inter-rater (reliability among multiple data collectors) and intra-rater (reliability of a single data collector). Objectives: To assess intra and inter-rater reliability during the step-down test in professional soccer athletes, using initial and final angles for each test repetition. Methods: The sample consisted of 29 professional soccer players. All study participants were considered by club physiotherapists to be free of any musculoskeletal injury and were performing daily training tasks. Two male evaluators participated in the study. Results: For each data group, mean and standard deviation were determined. The intra- and inter-rater reliability of all data was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), with a confidence interval of 95% and alpha of p ≤ 0.05. Rater 1 was classified in the first intra-rater stage of the analysis for heel touch, with good to excellent reliability. For the inter-rater analysis, both for heel touch and for greater valgus angle, there was excellent reliability among the raters. Conclusion: It was concluded that there is high inter-rater and intra-rater reliability through two-dimensional analysis using the Step Down Test in professional soccer athletes. Level of evidence II; Development of diagnostic criteria in consecutive patients (with a “gold” reference standard applied).

Visualization of seismic vulnerability of buildings with the use of a mobile data transmission and an automated GIS-based tool

This paper aims to introduce a computer-aided rapid visual screening framework and establish a prioritization strategy for seismic vulnerability evaluation of reinforced concrete buildings. A methodology is developed to organize and visualize the results of visual screening method with a GIS-oriented database system. Throughout the study, the primary rationale behind conducting the field data collection via utilization of spatial processes is to achieve a standardized and efficient data flow in the presence of multiple data collectors on the field, working in coordination. Incorporated in the process are mobile data collection tools with cloud-support, open online spatial databases, and open-source GIS software. The utilization of these tools instead of paper forms would lead to readily available standardized responses via digital forms, avoiding loss and fragmentation of data and ambiguities in classification, where multiple users contribute to the same repository. In addition, the use of digital tools in field data collection eliminates the data transcription process, significantly reducing the time required for it. Hence, the proposed framework has the potential to represent a fast and reliable overview of structural seismic vulnerability as well as seismic priority for strengthening. As a result of this study, the mobile data transmission in the field and the visualization in GIS are highly recommended to be a standard part of the seismic evaluation procedure.

Unmanned aerial vehicle-assisted energy-efficient data collection scheme for sustainable wireless sensor networks

Recently, wireless sensor networks (WSNs), consisted of battery-powered sensor nodes, are widely adopted by various civilian/military applications for implementing real-time monitoring or long-term surveillance tasks. However, due to limited battery capacity, sensor lifetime is limited, which in turn affects the working time of the whole system. Therefore, solving the problem of improving energy efficiency is the premise for constructing a sustainable/energy-efficient WSN. To address this problem, by taking advantage of the emerging unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) techniques, we propose a novel UAV-assisted data collection scheme for improving the energy efficiency of the deployed WSN. To meet the performance requirements of systems with different scales, our algorithm has two working modes: single- and multiple-UAV scenarios. For the small-scale system, a single UAV considered data-collector is adopted to access and collect data from the deployed nodes. For the large-scale system, based on a newly designed clustering method, multiple data collectors are utilized to gathering sensed data from the deployed nodes for conserving their energy and reducing the data forwarding latency. To evaluate our proposed work, intensive simulation experiments are conducted. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieved better performance than the control group regarding system-wide energy efficiency and average end-to-end delay.

A Novel Approach of Energy Efficiency Based on Multiple Data Collector Placement for Wireless Seismic Sensor Network

Since the geological environments are highly unpredictable and the battery capacity of seismometer nodes in the wireless seismic sensor networks (WSSN) is constraint, the lifetime of the network that using conventional single data collector may be dramatically reduced. Even with the most energy-efficient algorithm that deploys multiple data collectors, it is still too difficult to satisfy the system requirement in terms of energy consumption. In this paper, we therefore propose an optimal solution that uses multiple data collectors to minimize the total energy consumption of data transmissions in WSSN. The aim of this work is not only to determine how many data collectors are required, but also to find out how to place them in an effective way, so that the energy efficiency of the system can be further enhanced. In so doing, an optimal solution that is based on the placement of multiple data collectors is proposed. A two-step approach is adopted, in which the number of required data collectors is firstly calculated based on a graph theoretic approach and then the placement of the data collectors are further optimized according to maximize the network lifetime. The simulation analysis shows that with a given number of seismometer nodes, using the proposed algorithm, an optimal value can always be found to extend the WSSN lifetime. As the number of seismometer nodes are selected to be 200, 500, 800 and 1000, the lifetime of the WSSN can be improved by 176%, 236.8%, 408.4% and 575%, respectively.

Exploring safety systems for dispensing in community pharmacies: focusing on how staff relate to organizational components.

BackgroundIdentifying risk is an important facet of a safety practice in an organization. To identify risk, all components within a system of operation should be considered. In clinical safety practice, a team of people, technologies, procedures and protocols, management structure and environment have been identified as key components in a system of operation.ObjectivesTo explore risks in relation to prescription dispensing in community pharmacies by taking into account relationships between key components that relate to the dispensing process.MethodsFifteen community pharmacies in England with varied characteristics were identified, and data were collected using non-participant observations, shadowing and interviews. Approximately 360 hours of observations and 38 interviews were conducted by the team. Observation field notes from each pharmacy were written into case studies. Overall, 52,500 words from 15 case studies and interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic and line-by-line analyses. Validation techniques included multiple data collectors co-authoring each case study for consensus, review of case studies by members of the wider team including academic and practicing community pharmacists, and patient safety experts and two presentations (internally and externally) to review and discuss findings.ResultsRisks identified were related to relationships between people and other key components in dispensing. This included how different levels of staff communicated internally and externally, followed procedures, interacted with technical systems, worked with management, and engaged with the environment. In a dispensing journey, the following categories were identified which show how risks are inextricably linked through relationships between human components and other key components: 1) dispensing with divided attention; 2) dispensing under pressure; 3) dispensing in a restricted space or environment; and, 4) managing external influences.ConclusionsTo identify and evaluate risks effectively, an approach that includes understanding relationships between key components in dispensing is required. Since teams of people in community pharmacies are a key dispensing component, and therefore part of the operational process, it is important to note how they relate to other components in the environment within which they operate. Pharmacies can take the opportunity to reflect on the organization of their systems and review in particular how they can improve on the four key categories identified.

IMPROVED QUALITY DATA SYSTEMS THROUGH THE USE OF STANDARD ELECTRONIC DATA DELIVERABLES (EDDS) AND ENVIRONMENTAL DATA ASSESSMENT SOFTWARE

One of the challenges facing professionals in the environmental arena today is the collection and assessment of large amounts of environmental analytical data. The assessment of the quality of that data is essential as multi-million dollar decisions for environmental site cleanups and/or long term monitoring efforts are made based on the analytical results. Also critical to environmental programs is the sharing and access of data across multiple data users. The ability to share data allows for better use of the limited resources available to clean up and monitor contaminated environmental sites. Standardization of electronic deliverables allows for collection of data from multiple data collectors into a single database for use by numerous data users and stakeholders on a project. This paper discusses the benefits of using a standard EDD deliverable format and use of environmental data assessment software tools to do project planning and data assessment throughout the duration of the environmental project.