Quality Scientific Data Research Articles

Ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil: a ‘midway’ strategy for increasing ethanol production while maximizing environmental benefits

AbstractThis article reviews the history and current state of ethanol production from sugarcane in Brazil and presents a strategy for improving ecosystem services and production. We propose that it is possible to produce ethanol from sugarcane while maintaining or even recovering some of Brazil's unique neotropical biodiversity and ecosystem climate services. This approach to the future of sustainable and responsible ethanol production is termed the ‘midway’ strategy. The ‘midway’ strategy involves producing the necessary biotechnology to increase productivity while synergistically protecting and regenerating rainforest. Three main areas of scientific and technological advance that are key to realizing the ‘midway’ strategy are: (i) improving the quality of scientific data on sugarcane biology as pertains to its use as a bioenergy crop; (ii) developing technologies for the use of bagasse for cellulosic ethanol; and (iii) developing policies to improve the ecosystem services associated with sugarcane landscapes. This article discusses these three issues in the general context of biofuels production and highlights examples of scientific achievements that are already leading towards the ‘midway’ strategy.

Scientific Evidence Underlying the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Practice Bulletins

Clinical guidelines are an important source of guidance for clinicians. Few studies have examined the quality of scientific data underlying evidence-based guidelines. We examined the quality of evidence that underlies the recommendations made by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (the College). The current practice bulletins of the College were examined. Each bulletin makes multiple recommendations. Each recommendation is categorized based on the quality and quantity of evidence that underlies the recommendation into one of three levels of evidence: A (good and consistent evidence), B (limited or inconsistent evidence), or C (consensus and opinion). We analyzed the distribution of levels of evidence for obstetrics and gynecology recommendations. A total of 84 practice bulletins that offered 717 individual recommendations were identified. Forty-eight (57.1%) of the guidelines were obstetric and 36 (42.9%) were gynecologic. When all recommendations were considered, 215 (30.0%) provided level A evidence, 270 (37.7%) level B, and 232 (32.3%) level C. Among obstetric recommendations, 93 (25.5%) were level A, 145 (39.7%) level B, and 117 (34.8%) level C. For the gynecologic recommendations, 122 (34.7%) were level A, 125 (35.5%) level B, and 105 (29.8%) level C. The gynecology recommendations were more likely to be of level A evidence than the obstetrics recommendations (P=.049). One third of the recommendations put forth by the College in its practice bulletins are based on good and consistent scientific evidence.

Assessing citizen science data quality: an invasive species case study

An increase in the number of citizen science programs has prompted an examination of their ability to provide data of sufficient quality. We tested the ability of volunteers relative to professionals in identifying invasive plant species, mapping their distributions, and estimating their abundance within plots. We generally found that volunteers perform almost as well as professionals in some areas, but that we should be cautious about data quality in both groups. We analyzed predictors of volunteer success (age, education, experience, science literacy, attitudes) in training-related skills, but these proved to be poor predictors of performance and could not be used as effective eligibility criteria. However, volunteer success with species identification increased with their self-identified comfort level. Based on our case study results, we offer lessons learned and their application to other programs and provide recommendations for future research in this area.

The Effelsberg Bonn H I Survey (EBHIS)

AbstractThe Effelsberg‐Bonn H I survey (EBHIS) comprises an all‐sky survey north of Dec = –5° of the Milky Way and the local volume out to a red‐shift of z ≃ 0.07. Using state of the art Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) spectrometers it is feasible to cover the 100 MHz bandwidth with 16.384 spectral channels. High speed storage of H I spectra allows us to minimize the degradation by Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) signals. Regular EBHIS survey observations started during the winter season 2008/2009 after extensive system evaluation and verification tests. Until today, we surveyed about 8000 square degrees, focusing during the first all‐sky coverage of the Sloan‐Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) area and the northern extension of the Magellanic stream. The first whole sky coverage will be finished in 2011. Already this first coverage will reach the same sensitivity level as the Parkes Milky Way (GASS) and extragalactic surveys (HIPASS). EBHIS data will be calibrated, stray‐radiation corrected and freely accessible for the scientific community via a webinterface. In this paper we demonstrate the scientific data quality and explore the expected harvest of this new all‐sky survey (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The Need for Evidence in an Anecdotal World

The Need for Evidence in an Anecdotal World

Introduction

Today we are living in an era of challenging space missions. They will improve our knowledge and understanding of our planet, our solar system, our galaxy and the universe enormously. A very challenging class of missions is aiming at the understanding of the universe and its underlying fundamental principles of physics thus combining astronomy, astrophysics and fundamental physics. But for all these missions the same conditions arise: (a) They are scientifically and technically a new generation of scientific satellites because of an expected improvement of measurement accuracy by several orders of magnitude. (b) The dynamics of the satellite is very closely linked to the scientific measurement instrument. (c) The processing of the measurements needs a long time. Keeping that in mind it becomes clear how challenging these missions are, and the questions arise: How can one make sure that the measurements that are taken today are not affected by undetectable errors which may disturb or even falsify the final result? and How can we prove that spacecraft and instrument which have been developed for these missions will really provide the expected performance? The workshop “Satellite Dynamics: Modelling, In-Orbit Calibration and Data Processing” held from May 21st to May 23rd 2008 in Bremen is one element of the EU-project “First Look”. It showed current developments and methodologies for monitoring scientific data quality, allowed discussions about approaches for scientific quality monitoring, processing techniques and lessons learned.

Level 1 on-ground telemetry handling in Planck-LFI

The Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) will observe the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) by covering the frequency range 30-70 GHz in three bands. The primary instrument data source are the temperature samples acquired by the 22 radiometers mounted on the Planck focal plane. Such samples represent the scientific data of LFI. In addition, the LFI instrument generates the so called housekeeping data by sampling regularly the on-board sensors and registers. The housekeeping data provides information on the overall health status of the instrument and on the scientific data quality. The scientific and housekeeping data are collected on-board into telemetry packets compliant with the ESA Packet Telemetry standards. They represent the primary input to the first processing level of the LFI Data Processing Centre. In this work we show the software systems which build the LFI Level 1. A real-time assessment system, based on the ESA SCOS 2000 generic mission control system, has the main purpose of monitoring the housekeeping parameters of LFI and detect possible anomalies. A telemetry handler system processes the housekeeping and scientific telemetry of LFI, generating timelines for each acquisition chain and each housekeeping parameter. Such timelines represent the main input to the subsequent processing levels of the LFI DPC. A telemetry quick-look system allows the real-time visualization of the LFI scientific and housekeeping data, by also calculating quick statistical functions and fast Fourier transforms. The LFI Level 1 has been designed to support all the mission phases, from the instrument ground tests and calibration to the flight operations, and developed according to the ESA engineering standards.

The impact of light, noise, cage cleaning and in-house transport on welfare and stress of laboratory rats

Human interaction and physical environmental factors are part of the stimuli presented to laboratory animals everyday, influencing their behaviour and physiology and contributing to their welfare. Certain environmental conditions and routine procedures in the animal facility might induce stress responses and when the animal is unable to maintain its homeostasis in the presence of a particular stressor, the animal's wellbeing is threatened. This review article summarizes several published studies on the impact of environmental factors such as light, noise, cage cleaning and in-house transport on welfare and stress of laboratory rats. The behaviour and physiological responses of laboratory rats to different environmental housing conditions and routine procedures are reviewed. Recommendations on the welfare of laboratory rats and refinements in experimental design are discussed and how these can influence and improve the quality of scientific data.

The LAEX and NASA portals for CoRoT public data

* Aims. We describe here the main functionalities of the LAEX (Laboratorio de Astrofisica Estelar y Exoplanetas/Laboratory for Stellar Astrophysics and Exoplanets) and NASA portals for CoRoT Public Data. The CoRoT archive at LAEX was opened to the community in January 2009 and is managed in the framework of the Spanish Virtual Observatory. NStED (NASA Star and Exoplanet Database) serves as the CoRoT portal for the US astronomical community. NStED is a general purpose stellar and exoplanet archive with the aim of providing support for NASA planet finding and characterisation goals, and the planning and support of NASA and other space missions. CoRoT data at LAEX and NStED can be accessed at http://sdc.laeff.inta.es/corotfa/ and http://nsted.ipac.caltech.edu,respectively. * Methods. Based on considerable experience with astronomical archives, the aforementioned archives are designed with the aim of delivering science-quality data in a simple and efficient way. * Results. LAEX and NStED not only provide access to CoRoT Public Data but furthermore serve a variety of observed and calculated astrophysical data. In particular, NStED provides scientifically validated information on stellar and planetary data related to the search for and characterization of extrasolar planets, and LAEX makes any information from Virtual Observatory services available to the astronomical community.

Overview of NASA Earth Observing Systems Terra and Aqua moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer instrument calibration algorithms and on-orbit performance

Since launch, the Terra and Aqua moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments have successfully operated on-orbit for more than 9 and 6.5 years, respectively. Iv1ODIS, a key instrument for the NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) missions, was designed to make continuous observations for studies of Earth's land, ocean, and atmospheric properties and to extend existing data records from heritage earth-observing sensors. In addition to frequent global coverage, MODIS observations are made in 36 spectral bands, covering both solar reflective and thermal emissive spectral regions. Nearly 40 data products are routinely generated from MODIS' observations and publicly distributed for a broad range of applications. Both instruments have produced an unprecedented amount of data in support of the science community. As a general reference for understanding sensor operation and calibration, and thus science data quality, we ;provide an overview of the MODIS instruments and their pre-launch calibration and characterization, and describe their on-orbit calibration algorithms and performance. On-orbit results from both Terra and Aqua MODIS radiometric, spectral, and spatial calibration are discussed. Currently, both instruments, including their on-board calibration devices, are healthy and are expected to continue operation for several }rears to come.

Acute cough: a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge

BackgroundAcute cough is one of the most common complaints prompting patient visits to healthcare professionals. Despite the broad repercussions of acute cough on patient quality of life, school and work productivity, and public health resources, research on this condition is minimal, as are the available treatment options. Many patients use over-the-counter medicines, which are often ineffective for symptom relief. Some therapies may achieve antitussive activity, but at the expense of unpleasant or intolerable side effects.Unmet needsWhen considering the treatments currently available for the management of acute cough, the multiple limitations of such treatments are quite apparent. Most of these treatments lack clinically proven efficacy and reliability to support their use. This reinforces the need for the generation of quality scientific data from well-performed clinical trials. Hopefully, the result will be the development of safer, more effective and more reliable therapeutic options in the management of acute cough.Cough assessment and managementAcute cough can be due to a variety of causes, and it is worthwhile to consider these pathogenic factors in some detail. It is also important to be familiar with the effects that acute cough has on patients' quality of life, work productivity, and the healthcare system; proper awareness of these effects may contribute to better understanding of the social impact of cough. In reference to the available treatments for the management of acute cough, adequate knowledge of the type of over-the-counter and prescription products in the market, as well as their mode of action and advantages/disadvantages, may provide expanded pharmacotherapeutic opportunities and facilitate better clinical decisions. However, due to the drawbacks of current treatment options, ideas for future cough management and newer products need to be considered and tested.ConclusionIn view of the socio-economic impact of acute cough and the limitations of available treatments, a renewed interest in the management of acute cough needs to be encouraged. The current strategies for acute cough management need to be reassessed, with a focus on developing new, reliable products and formulations with proven efficacy and safety.

Development of the DORADO mapping vehicle for multibeam, subbottom, and sidescan science missions

AbstractOceanographic science is frequently hindered by a lack of spatial and temporal resolution for most parameters oceanographic science desires to measure. This paper discusses our effort to advance the current state of bathymetric mapping as part of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) charter. MBARI scientists and engineers, in consultation with the external community, have produced a new multibeam mapping autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) system. The system is intended to reduce some of the impediments encountered by science trying to resolve specific portions of the oceans bottom. Starting with the established and in‐house developed Dorado AUV technology, MBARI engineering refined the AUV into a full ocean depth capable and now operational multibeam mapping system (MBAUV). The MBAUV system conducts regular multibeam bathymetry, subbottom, and sidescan surveys for oceanographic science. MBAUV is a torpedo‐shaped, 6000 m rated vehicle operating the aforementioned sonars simultaneously. The endurance of the MBAUV is approximately 8 h at 3 kn and is designed to support 16 h operations at 3 kn by adding an additional battery section. This paper describes the basics of the MBAUV and our design trades and modifications to the Dorado AUV in support of multibeam mapping missions. The paper also reviews a sampling of the results from a series of missions that demonstrate the performance of various subsystems and the science quality data available from the MBAUV. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Courts Ruled No Forum for Data-Quality Fights

A federal appeals court ruled last week that the public can't sue federal agencies over their compliance with a controversial law on the quality of scientific data. The decision is a victory for environmentalists and government watchdog groups, which have accused industry of using the so-called Data Quality Act (DQA) to delay new regulations.

Foundations for Quality Management of Scientific Data Products

The costs of making incorrect scientific inferences based on faulty data can be substantial and far-reaching: errors can be subtle, inappropriate conclusions can go unchallenged for years in the literature, and follow-on research may be critically jeopardized. Because most scientific research in the United States is federally funded, the propagation of errors through research studies imbues high costs to taxpayers over time; errors in scientific conclusions, and any technologies based on them, will require rework at some point in the future. Better scientific data quality means more accurate conclusions can be made more quickly, and benefits can be realized by society more readily. To improve scientific data quality, and provide continuous quality assessment and management, the nature of scientific data and the processes that produce it must be articulated.The purpose of this research is to provide a conceptual foundation for the management of data quality as it applies to scientific data products, specifically those generated by the large-scale instrumentation and facilities that will populate the data centers of the future. Definitions for data product and data quality tailored to the context of scientific decision making are proposed, given two typical scenarios: 1) collecting observational data, and 2) performing archive-based research. Two relevant extensions to the total quality management (TQM) philosophy, total information quality management (TIQM), and total data quality management (TDQM) are then examined to determine if the management of scientific data quality differs from the management of other data or information. Recommendations for planning, assessment/assurance, control, and continuous improvement are proposed, focusing on designing quality into the production process rather than relying on mass inspection.

The Special Case of Scientific Data Sharing with Education

AbstractThe seemingly simple task of reusing data for science education relies on the presence of scientific data, scientists willing to share, infrastructure to provide access, and mechanisms to share between the two disparate communities of scientists and science students. What makes sharing between scientists and science students a special case of data sharing, is that all of the implicit knowledge attending the data must pass along this same vector. Our work at the Center for Embedded Networked Sensing studying aspects of this data reuse problem has shown us a rough outline of how the future of this data sharing will look. Our approach is to start from the prospective of the scientists, looking for opportunities to support scientific research, and then leveraging the data for reuse by education. The investment needed to capture high quality scientific data necessitates the consideration of reuse by the general population as well as other interested scientific parties.

Double Star project - master science operations plan

Abstract. For Double Star Project (DSP) exploration, the scientific operations are very important and essential for achieving its scientific objectives. Two years before the launch of the DSP satellites (TC-1 and TC-2) and during the mission operating phase, the long-term and short-term master science operations plans (MSOP) were produced. MSOP is composed of the operation schedules of all the scientific instruments, the modes and timelines of the Payload Service System on TC-1 and TC-2, and the data receiving schedules of the three ground stations. The MSOP of TC-1 and TC-2 have been generated according to the scientific objectives of DSP, the orbits of DSP, the near-Earth space environments and the coordination with Cluster, etc., so as to make full use of the exploration resources provided by DSP and to acquire as much quality scientific data as possible for the scientific communities. This paper has summarized the observation resources of DSP, the states of DSP and its evolution since the launch, the strategies and rules followed for operating the payload and utilizing the ground stations, and the production of MSOP. Until now, the generation and execution of MSOP is smooth and successful, the operating of DSP is satisfactory, and most of the scientific objectives of DSP have been fulfilled.

Intrinsa fails to impress FDA advisory panel

Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) as a discipline of medicine is not fully recognized by many authorities. Definitions are controversial and data are lacking, yet the public clamors for treatment. The lay press has capitalized on this provocative women's issue, seizing on the public's insatiable desire for new, potentially 'sexy' therapeutic options in this area. Thus, the time was ripe for a potential FSD drug. The sexual medicine community watched with interest as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considered the Proctor & Gamble new drug application for Intrinsa (a testosterone patch for hypoactive sexual desire disorder for women who had undergone surgical castration via bilateral oophorectomy). In spite of quality scientific data, Intrinsa was not approved. With this issue of IJIR, a new column, entitled, 'perspective' is provided to the readership. Perspective is an invited opinion or viewpoint that aims to advise and update the medical community on a pertinent or current topic in sexual medicine. Dr Richard Spark, a noted endocrinologist, presents the first of three invited 'perspectives' on Intrinsa and the FDA decision. Dr Spark has authored several manuscripts on the topic of FSD.

An overview of the SeaWiFS project and strategies for producing a climate research quality global ocean bio-optical time series

Abstract The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) Project Office was formally initiated at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 1990. Seven years later, the sensor was launched by Orbital Sciences Corporation under a data-buy contract to provide 5 years of science quality data for global ocean biogeochemistry research. To date, the SeaWiFS program has greatly exceeded the mission goals established over a decade ago in terms of data quality, data accessibility and usability, ocean community infrastructure development, cost efficiency, and community service. The SeaWiFS Project Office and its collaborators in the scientific community have made substantial contributions in the areas of satellite calibration, product validation, near-real time data access, field data collection, protocol development, in situ instrumentation technology, operational data system development, and desktop level-0 to level-3 processing software. One important aspect of the SeaWiFS program is the high level of science community cooperation and participation. This article summarizes the key activities and approaches the SeaWiFS Project Office pursued to define, achieve, and maintain the mission objectives. These achievements have enabled the user community to publish a large and growing volume of research such as those contributed to this special volume of Deep-Sea Research. Finally, some examples of major geophysical events (oceanic, atmospheric, and terrestrial) captured by SeaWiFS are presented to demonstrate the versatility of the sensor.

Incorporating the Patient's Perspective into Drug Development and Communication: An Ad Hoc Task Force Report of the Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO) Harmonization Group Meeting at the Food and Drug Administration, February 16, 2001

Background The extent to which patient-based outcomes can be used to evaluate and communicate the effect of new drugs and devices is a subject of much debate. Criteria for evaluating the scientific quality of data to support health-related quality of life (HRQL) and other patient-based labeling and promotional claims in the United States and Europe have been proposed by various scientists and organizations. Since March 2000, a working group composed of members of the International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL), the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), the Pharmaceutical Manufacturer's Association Health Outcomes Committee (PhRMA-HOC), and the European Regulatory Issues on Quality of Life Assessment (ERIQA) met to discuss and coordinate the various recommendations by their respective groups and address the need to harmonize outcomes review criteria within and across United States and European regulatory agencies. Over time, the discussion expanded from HRQL outcomes to include any outcome based on data provided by the patient or patient proxy, that is, patient-reported outcomes (PROs). The working group therefore became known as the PRO Harmonization Group. Methods Working with a member of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), four key issues requiring clarification were identified: how PROs are defined and put into operation for research purposes; the added value of PROs in the drug review and evaluation process; selected questions related to the PRO measurement and research methodology; and the interest and demand for PRO information by decision makers. On February 15, 2001, all members of the PRO Harmonization Group attended a meeting in Rockville, Maryland, to discuss these four issues further, and on February 16, 2001, a formal presentation was made to representatives from various departments and reviewing divisions of the FDA. These presentations are summarized in this report. Results All participants agreed that PROs are important for understanding the impact of treatment on patient functioning and well-being. They also stressed the need to communicate PRO information to key decision makers, including regulatory agencies, clinicians, patients and their families, and payers. Finally, the meeting resulted in plans for continuing the dialogue on PRO measurement and interpretation. Summary The February 16, 2001, meeting represented an important step in harmonizing efforts across various organizations and in opening a dialogue with the FDA around major issues related to methodologic standards for measuring and interpreting PROs in the drug evaluation process.

NEW GUIDELINES SPUR UNCERTAINTY

NEW BENCHMARKS FOR THE quality of scientific data may turn out to be a two-edged sword for the U.S. government. Last month, the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) issued guidelines on ...