Reliability Of Quantitative Data Research Articles

Designing a Novel Setup for High-Throughput Investigations of Electrochemical Reactions in Real Time

With the great interest in new electrochemical processes, fast screening of various reaction parameters is highly desirable. For this purpose, differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) and membrane-inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) have been established to enable real-time monitoring of volatile compounds. However, the analysis of non-volatile compounds is commonly limited by the temporal resolution of traditional quantification methods such as NMR, GC-MS, or LC-MS. While ambient ionization mass spectrometry (AIMS) generally enables time-resolved monitoring of non-volatile compounds, electrolyte salts can lead to ionization suppression. The latter can decrease the sensitivity of product detection and the reliability of quantitative data. Therefore, a suitable reaction setup and thorough investigations are needed when utilizing AIMS. Nonetheless, in recent efforts, an electrochemical flow cell was coupled with such a technique to provide a method for on-line monitoring of non-voltile reaction products in aqueous electrolytes. To keep up with the increasing interest in electrosynthesis in organic media, we now present a new setup that is also applicable to non-aqueous media. It pairs a novel and versatile electrochemical cell with an AIMS and DEMS for highly sensitive detection of reaction products. Moreover, various reaction parameters such as electrode material, electrolyte, and temperature can be investigated in high-throughput.Key words: Electrocatalysis, Electrosynthesis, Real-time, On-line monitoring, High-throughput

Heads of Schools’ Motivational Strategies Used to Improve Students’ Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Korogwe Town Council, Tanzania

The main aim of this study was to research the motivational strategies employed by heads of schools to improve students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Korogwe Town Council. The study was guided by the ARCS Model of Motivational created by Keller (1990), which presumes that people are motivated to learn if there is value in the knowledge presented and if there is an optimistic expectation for success. The study used a convergent parallel research design under a mixed approach. A study used simple random sampling and automatic techniques to get participants of the study who were students, teachers, heads of Schools, and Ward Educational Officers. The sample for the study was 3 Ward educational officers, 3 heads of schools, fifty-four (54) teachers, making a total of 60 participants. The total population was 9 schools, 9 heads of schools, and 344 teachers in public secondary schools, and 5907 made a total population of 6269 in Korogwe Town Council. The instruments for data collection were questionnaires and an interview guide. A questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data, while an interview guide was used to collect qualitative data. The instruments were validated by two experts from the faculty of education in educational planning and administration (MWECAU). The reliability of quantitative data was established through Cronbach Alpha (r=0.82 for teachers' questionnaire), while the reliability of the qualitative data was established through Persistent Engagement and Triangulation of data. The quantitative data were coded and analyzed into percentages and frequencies using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 25. Qualitative data were analyzed by coding contents into themes and presented in narrative form. The quantitative data were presented in figures and tables. The research findings revealed that HoS motivational strategies were inadequate and, therefore, affected students' academic performance. The study concluded that heads of public secondary schools should insist on intrinsic motivational strategies as they cost less than extrinsic motivational strategies. The study recommended that HoS should insist on the use of intrinsic motivational strategies and adjustment of strategies according to needs and time.

The Contribution of Ward Education Officers Supervisory Roles on Teachers’ School Attendance in Longido District, Tanzania

The study aimed at investigating the contribution of Ward Education Officers supervisory roles on teachers’ school attendance in public secondary schools in Longido District, Tanzania. The study was guided by one research question aimed to find out the extent to which WEOs supervisory roles influence teacher’s school attendance in public secondary schools in Longido District, Tanzania. Administrative Theory of Management developed by Henri Fayol in 19th Century was used to guide this study. The study employed Convergent design under mixed method approach. The targeted population of this study include 9 heads of schools, 1 DEO, 9 ward education officers’ and 283 teachers from the 09 public secondary schools in Longido District, Tanzania that make a total number of 302 populations. The sample size of this study included 4 heads of schools, 4 ward education officers, 48 teachers from 4 public secondary schools and 1 DEO in Longido District to make the total number of 57 respondents. Questionnaires, interview guide and document analysis guide were used to collect data from the respondents. The reliability of quantitative data was established through Cronbach-Alpha where by (r=0.86 for teachers’ questionnaire) while qualitative data through triangulation and member checking methods. Quantitative data was analyzed by using descriptive analysis to generate frequency, means and percentages. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented in words by verbatim quotations. Research ethics such as anonymity, confidentiality and acknowledgement were adhered across the entire research process. The study found out that good communication between WEOs and heads of schools, inspection of teachers' attendance register books, frequently schools’ visits and provide advice to teachers who are not attending to schools contribute good attendance to teachers. The researcher concluded that WEOs supervisory roles contribute teachers school attendance positively whereby teachers adhered to code of conduct by coming and departure to school on time. The study recommends that; WEOs should encourage teachers attending to school daily and solve the conflicts and management to enhance their attendance at schools. The researcher concluded that Ward supervisory roles influence teachers school attendance positively

Effectiveness of the Preventive Strategy Used by Heads of Schools in Improving Students Discipline in Public Secondary Schools in Moshi Municipality, Tanzania

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the preventive strategy used by heads of schools in improving students discipline in public secondary schools in Moshi Municipality, Tanzania. Assertive Discipline Theory developed by Canter and Canter in 1979 guided the study. The study was guided by one research question aiming to find out the extent to which preventive strategy was effectively used to improve students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Moshi Municipality. The study employed a convergent research design under mixed method research. The target population of the study included 14 public secondary schools, 14 heads of public secondary schools, 28 discipline teachers, 12300 students and 168 class teachers in Moshi Municipality. Stratified sampling and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 5 schools, 40 class teachers and 200 students who were involved in the study while 5 heads of sampled schools and 10 discipline teachers of sampled schools were not sampled but directly included in the study to make total number of 255 respondents. Questionnaires, interview guide and document analysis guide were used to collect data from the respondents. The reliability of quantitative data was established through Cronbach Alpha; (r=0.76 for discipline teachers’ questionnaire, r=0.86 for class teachers and r=0.66 for students’ questionnaire) while the reliability for the qualitative data was established through member checking and triangulation of data. The Quantitative data was analyzed by using questionnaires and presented by using frequencies, percentages, means and tables. Qualitative data was analyzed in words and developing themes from the research questions and presented in narrative form and direct quotations. The study found out that school rules and regulations, good communication between teachers, parents, students, and rollcalls were effectively used in improving students’ discipline. The study recommended that heads of secondary schools to provide school rules and regulations to students every year and improve communication between students, teachers and parents and encourage teachers to use effectively attendance registers to track indiscipline students in order to improve students’ discipline.

Intentional Sedation as a Means to Ease Suffering: A Systematically Constructed Terminology for Sedation in Palliative Care.

Background:Terminology concerning sedation in palliative care is heterogeneous, vague, and difficult to apply with negative impact on the reliability of quantitative data, practice, and ethical discourse.Design:To clarify the concept, we systematically developed definitions of core terms in an interdisciplinary research group comprising palliative care, ethics, law, and philosophy, integrating feedback from external experts.Results:We define terms stepwise, separating matters of terminology (What is the practice?) from matters of good practice (How to use it?). We start with an operational definition of “reduced level of consciousness” (score < 0 on the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale modified for palliative care inpatients (RASS-PAL), followed by defining “sedating,” “sedation,” and “intentional sedation” as the result or process of sedating a patient as a means of achieving a previously defined treatment goal and the terms “light,” “deep,” “temporary,” and “sedation until death.”Conclusion:The terminology facilitates the precise phrasing of aims, indications, and rules for good practice. Empirical research on acceptance and feasibility is needed.

Matrix effect in F₂-isoprostanes quantification by HPLC-MS/MS: a validated method for analysis of iPF₂α-III and iPF₂α-VI in human urine.

Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) has become the method of choice for analysis in biological matrices, because of its high specificity and sensitivity. However, it should be taken into account that the presence of matrix components coeluting with analytes might interfere with the ionization process and affect the accuracy and precision of the assay. For this reason, the presence of a "matrix effect" should always be evaluated during method development, above all in complex matrix such as urine. In the present work, a HPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the quantification of urinary iPF2α-III and iPF2α-VI. A careful assessment of matrix effect and an accurate validation were carried out, in order to verify the reliability of quantitative data obtained. Ion suppression, due to the matrix components, was reduced through optimization of both chromatographic method and sample extraction procedure. Urine samples were purified by solid phase extraction (SPE) and the extracts injected into the HPLC-MS/MS system, equipped with a TurboIonSpray ionization source operated in negative ion mode (ESI(-)). Stable isotope-labeled analogues (iPF2α-III-d4 and iPF2α-VI-d4) were used as internal standards, and quantification was performed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode by monitoring the following mass transitions: m/z 353.4→193.2 for iPF2α-III, m/z 357.2→197.0 for iPF2α-III-d4, m/z 353.4→115.1 for iPF2α-VI, and m/z 357.4→115.1 for iPF2α-VI-d4. The validated assay, applied to the analysis of urinary samples coming from healthy and overweight subjects, resulted suitable for an accurate quantification of iPF2α-III and iPF2α-VI in human urine.

Urban ethnography and research integrity

■ Problems of data reliability and validity continue to plague the social and behavioral sciences. Enhanced reliability of quantitative data has been achieved by such means as greater attention to instrument construction and testing, improvements in survey technology and sampling of targeted populations, and careful operationalization of theoretical ideas. The integrity of much quantitative research is compromised, however, when quantitative measures lack validity, especially when properties of groups and other collectivities are measured by responses obtained from individuals. Ethnographic and other forms of observational data offer important correctives to this problem. We illustrate the interplay of quantitative and qualitative research methods by examining studies extending ideas from Elijah Anderson’s Code of the Street to ‘neighborhood codes of violence’, the violence-avoiding function of street codes, and special problems of evaluation research as they apply to programs designed to control street gangs.

MO‐D‐AUD A‐01: Summarizing Our Knowledge of Normal Tissue Tolerances: The Progress and Future Directions of QUANTEC

AAPM and ASTRO are jointly funding an effort, called QUANTEC (QUAntitative Normal TissuE models in the Clinic), which aims to summarize our knowledge of dose volume dependencies of the normal tissue complications of external beam radiotherapy, and where possible, give quantitative guidance for clinical treatment planning and optimization. Following the initial QUANTEC meeting in Madison in October 2007, attended by approximately 75 physicists, MDs and bio‐statisticians, an upcoming special issue of the Red Journal is in preparation, which will include articles on complications in some 18 normal organs. For each of these organs, extensive literature reviews were undertaken, and clinically significant endpoints identified. Where possible, results were synthesized and compared, guided by the quality and levels of evidence of the studies. Criteria included prospective or retrospective nature, statistical power, presence and reliability of quantitative data on dose‐volume effects. Other clinical factors influencing complications were assessed, such as the influence of chemotherapy, fraction size and pre‐existing medical conditions. Special emphasis was placed on attempting to provide quantitative guidelines for clinical treatment planning. This talk will convey the mission, and give selected examples of the achievements of QUANTEC. It will outline the current state of our knowledge, and highlight areas where opportunities exist to improve our understanding.Educational Objectives:1. To understand the current state of knowledge of dose volume dependencies of complication probabilities.2. To understand the criteria and methods used by QUANTEC in selecting and summarizing this knowledge.3. To understand the shortcomings of the clinical data as it currently exists.4. To understand the possible strategies for overcoming these shortcomings.

Statistical methods for assessing agreement

In a previous column 1 we discussed the reliability of a measurement instrument and some of the potential consequences of unreliable measurement. Reliability was broadly defined as the extent to which repeated measurements, taken under the same conditions, are similar to one another. Our previous discussion of reliability focused on the reliability of quantitative data. In many applications, however, the variable of interest is a dichotomous rating (e.g., a diagnosis of the presence or absence of a disorder, a positive or negative test result) where the true classification is either unknown or difficult to ascertain. In that case it is of interest to determine the degree to which there is agreement when more than a single rater classifies subjects. Because the degree of agreement can be considered an upper limit on the reliability of the ratings, poor agreement among raters should prompt concern about the accuracy of the ratings and the quality of the resulting classification. In this column we focus on the seemingly straightforward task of quantifying the degree of agreement between two raters when their ratings produce dichotomous classifications (e.g., presence or absence of a disorder). The generic term raters is used here to refer to clinicians, observers, informants, judges, experts, diagnostic tests, and so on; the term ratings denotes the resulting classifications (e.g., positive or negative, present or absent). For example, consider the case where a sample of N subjects is classified for the presence or absence of an eating disorder by two clinicians. The two raters assess each of the N subjects and make diagnoses independently of each other. That is, the diagnosis of any particular subject made by the first clinician is completely unknown to the second clinician, and vice versa. The overall results of the clinician diagnoses can then be summarized in terms of a two-by-two contingency table. This two-by-two table has rows corresponding to the two possible diagnostic categories (presence or absence of an eating disorder) when the diagnosis is made by the first clinician and columns corresponding to the same two diagnostic categories when the diagnosis is made by the second clinician. The four internal cells of the contingency table contain frequency counts of the number of subjects occurring in the diagnostic categories. Figure 1 shows such a table. Note that the upper left-hand corner cell of the table contains the number of subjects who are diagnosed with an eating disorder by both clinicians (i.e., a number of subjects for whom the two clinicians concur regarding the presence of an eating disorder). Given that the rows and columns of the two-by-two contingency table correspond to diagnoses made by two clinicians, how can we quantify the degree of agreement among the clinicians? In this article we consider some of the more commonly used measures of agreement.

Measurement error and reliability

Measurement plays a fundamental role in virtually all scientific endeavors. However, despite all their best efforts, most investigators recognize that their measurement instruments are fallible and subject to at least some degree of measurement error. Some of the problems inherent in measurement become evident when we consider the seemingly straightforward task of measuring an individual’s height. The actual measurement of height obtained on any individual will in fact depend on a wide variety of conditions of measurement, e.g., the measuring tape or ruler that is used, the person who is recording the measurement, and so on. Given that all measurements are fallible to at least some extent, it is important to be able to quantify the relative magnitude of the errors associated with a given instrument. Typically, the amount of measurement error is expressed in terms of a coefficient of reliability. The term reliability as used in this particular context has a very precise statistical definition and we will discuss the meaning of this term later in the column. Measurement error is a pervasive problem in every scientific discipline. Although problems associated with measurement are well known, less widely recognized are some of the consequences of measurement error. Consider, for example, a study designed to examine the nutrition factors associated with the development of colon cancer. In such a study, there are a wide variety of measurement instruments that could be used for assessing nutrient intake: foodfrequency questionnaires, food diaries, 24-h recall, and various biomarkers. These instruments are known to be unreliable measures of nutrient intake, albeit with different degrees of measurement error. However, what may be less well known is the impact that the unreliability of the chosen measure can have on, e.g., the ability to detect nutrition factors leading to disease. In this column I discuss the concept of reliability and describe what is commonly meant by this term. I also consider some of the potential consequences of using a measurement instrument with less than perfect reliability. In particular, I discuss the impact that measurement error can have on the design and analysis of studies. In this column, I focus on the reliability of quantitative data. I will consider the reliability of discrete or categorical data in a future column.

Reliability of quantitative data on fossil assemblages: a model, a simulation, and an example

Reliability of quantitative data on fossil assemblages: a model, a simulation, and an example

An evaluation of burn wound quantitative microbiology. I. Quantitative eschar cultures.

The reliability of quantitative data from burn wound biopsy cultures was investigated. This was done by comparing the recovery of microorganisms from a series of burn wound eschar biopsy specimens that were each divided into two approximately equal portions and cultured in parallel. The results indicate that a microorganism present in the burn wound site in any quantity has at least a 25% chance of being missed by a single quantitative eschar culture. For recovery levels corresponding to quantitative breakpoints that have been proposed to be predictive of burn wound sepsis, only 38% of paired quantitative results agreed within the same log10 unit, and 44% differed by +/- 2 log10 units or more. These findings indicate that quantitative results derived from burn wound biopsy cultures are unreliable and may be significantly misleading when used for decision-making relative to patient care.