Quality Of Information Sources Research Articles

Breathing on the job: investigating predictors of air quality protective actions and information seeking among outdoor workers

ABSTRACT Background Air quality issues, exacerbated by wildfire smoke and excessive ozone that is worsened by climate change, pose significant health risks to outdoor workers, who are often overlooked in regulatory protection and communication efforts. This study examined how outdoor worker demographics, risk perceptions, and efficacy beliefs predict air quality protective actions and information seeking. Additionally, it investigates the sources of information that this population relies on for understanding air quality. Method A survey was conducted with 256 outdoor workers in Colorado, a state regularly affected by wildfire smoke and ozone. Measures included demographics, perceived risk, efficacy beliefs, air quality actions, and information seeking behavior. Results Both perceived risk and efficacy beliefs influenced health-protective actions during poor air quality events. Interestingly, efficacy beliefs were found to be a more reliable predictor of air quality information seeking than perceived risk. The top sources of air quality information among outdoor workers were local news media, The Weather Channel, mobile apps, state public health authorities, and the National Weather Service. Conclusions These findings enhance our understanding of how perceived risk and efficacy beliefs promote health-protective behaviors among outdoor workers. They lay the groundwork for future research and initiatives to improve air quality communication and promote health-protective actions for this population group. Promoting the efficacy of health-protective actions and seeking information are important components of air quality communication.

Libraries roles and practices to enhance information resilience: Academic librarians’ perspectives

COVID-19 has changed the information landscape. The results were the wide spread of information of all kinds and from all sources, leading to increased information disorder (i.e. disinformation, misinformation practices). This study aimed to explore the practices of academic libraries during times of crisis from the staff perception in four public universities in Jordan to correct the information disorder and hence create information resilience among community members. Exploring these practices helps shed light on the libraries’ contribution to creating information resilience practices and hence an information-resilient community. An interview was used to collect deep insights from 26 library staff working in the Information Division at the four academic libraries. The results were mainly directed towards the importance of increasing community awareness and providing access to quality information sources. It also affirmed the importance of information skills to help individuals locate the right and accurate information. It was affirmed that developing and promoting information literacy programmes was the main pillar to countering information disorder and establishing information resilience. The findings will provide insights for other academic libraries on the best practices to create a information resilient community.

Can youtube be trusted as a source of quality and reliable information on COVID-19 vaccination in Italy?

On March 2022, six different search queries were used to retrieve COVID-19 vaccination-related videos, resulting in the identification of 329 videos, and their characteristics were described. Two validated instruments, namely HoNCode and DISCERN, were used to assess the reliability and quality of the videos' content. Of the total number of videos, 72.0% were from non-medical or generalist channels. The most represented category was internet media (32.5%) while the less frequent was educational medical channel (7.0%). Videos from medical channels had higher reliability (p=0.002) and quality (p<0.001) than not medical channels, despite receiving fewer visualizations (p=0.004), likes (p=0.018) and comments (p<0.001). Media and news agencies sources consistently delivered lower quality content. These findings suggest that public health professionals and institutions should consider investing in social media representation to fill the gap with non-medical sources in terms of popularity, to provide reliable and interesting videos, and ultimately deliver health education to the general public.

Critical thinking as the ability to sort and qualify the information available, to form one's own judgement

AbstractIn an era marked by an excessive exposure to information and disinformation, this article explores how the public in France engages with critical thinking on the topics of scientific information and knowledge, as well as associated debates. First, a panel survey was carried out in 2022 by the science education centre Universcience in Paris in collaboration with the survey institute GECE. A total of 3,218 respondents participated in the survey in France. The survey questions focused on three themes: (1) the substantial relationship between respondents' scientific reasoning and critical thinking; (2) sources that respondents used for information, particularly on scientific subjects, to form an understanding of current events; (3) respondent relationships to discourses in the sciences and otherness in reasoning. In this study, critical thinking was defined as the ability to sort and make sense of available information and to question one's opinions. Also, the ability to discern trustworthy sources and information. In this approach, critical thinking is a condition for correctly assessing information on science topics. This is understood to include knowledge about science, its processes of knowledge production, and quality sources of information in the natural sciences. In this study, a Barometer of Critical Thinking was developed, and a survey was carried out. Survey results and the development of the barometer are described. Finally, we discuss how developing scientific literacy (knowledge about scientific facts, methods, practices and sources) is crucial in order to foster critical thinking on scientific information, knowledge, debates, and beyond.

A Decision Support Framework for Pollution Source Detection via Coupled Forward‐Inverse Optimization and Multi‐Information Fusion

AbstractDue to the uncertainty in sensor data, low model accuracy, and high parameter heterogeneity in water quality modeling, pollution source detection (PSD) typically results in a problem of multiple possible solutions, which is the so‐called non‐uniqueness effect. Identifying unique solution to PSD problems is fundamentally essential for water quality control in surface water and groundwater systems. This study proposes a decision support framework to reduce the impact of uncertainty and identify a unique solution using a consensus‐based multiple information fusion method. Multiple water quality information sources are fused in the framework via spatial clustering and temporal Bayesian updating. Considering the real‐world complexity, the recession‐curve displacement method is used to handle multi‐sources scenario to enhance the accuracy of the framework. Meanwhile, a coupled forward‐inverse model instead of random sampling is used to improve the solving efficiency of PSD. The framework is validated by a real water pollution event and a number of semi‐hypothetical case studies. The results show that the prediction accuracy of the single‐source and double‐source pollution problems are 88.40% and 82.69%, with an average relative error of 9.75% and 11.42%, respectively. In addition, the uncertainty contribution quantified by a variance decomposition approach suggests that the interaction between parameter and measurement uncertainties has the greatest impact on the PSD results. The results reveal the advantages of the proposed decision framework for government organizations and communities involved in water environment management.

Pelaksanaan Workshop Zotero Untuk Penulisan Karya Tulis Ilmiah Mahasiswa Fakultas Teknik Universitas Negeri Makassar

This community engagement initiative aims to conduct a workshop on Zotero for students in writing academic papers. The workshop intends to introduce the use of Zotero as a tool for managing references and compiling accurate bibliographies. The methodology employed involves an interactive workshop format consisting of presentations, practical demonstrations, and question-and-answer sessions. The expected outcome of this community engagement is to provide significant benefits to students in enhancing their skills in academic writing. By utilizing Zotero, it is anticipated that students will become more efficient in managing references, avoiding plagiarism, and creating comprehensive and accurate bibliographies. Furthermore, the workshop seeks to improve students' understanding of research ethics and the use of quality information sources. This workshop aims to cater to diverse needs in academic paper writing. Additionally, the workshop serves as a catalyst for promoting the adoption of modern technologies and tools in academic writing.

Susceptibility to COVID-19 Nutrition Misinformation and Eating Behavior Change during Lockdowns: An International Web-Based Survey

To understand the susceptibility to nutrition-health misinformation related to preventing, treating, or mitigating the risk of COVID-19 during the initial lockdowns around the world, the present international web-based survey study (15 April-15 May 2020) gauged participants' (n = 3707) level of nutrition-health misinformation discernment by presenting them with 25 statements (including unfounded or unproven claims circulated at the time), alongside the influence of information sources of varying quality on the frequency of changes in their eating behavior and the extent of misinformation held, depending on the source used for such changes. Results revealed widespread misinformation about food, eating, and health practices related to COVID-19, with the 25 statements put to participants receiving up to 43% misinformed answers (e.g., 'It is safe to eat fruits and vegetables that have been washed with soap or diluted bleach'). Whereas higher quality information sources (nutrition scientists, nutrition professionals) had the biggest influence on eating behavior change, we found greater misinformation susceptibility when relying on poor quality sources for changing diet. Appropriate discernment of misinformation was weakest amongst participants who more frequently changed their eating behavior because of information from poor quality sources, suggesting disparities in the health risks/safety of the changes performed.

Salton Sea Environmental Work and the Importance of Community Science

In the Southern California desert, the Salton Sea is the cause of a local socioenvironmental crisis reflective of various environmental injustices. Today’s Salton Sea is fed primarily through agricultural water run-off and effluent discharge. Over 23% of the Latinx and Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian identifying residents live below the poverty line in the two zip codes north of the sea (US Census Bureau, 2021). Persistent droughts and inequitable policies have accelerated the sea’s evaporation, exacerbating environmental health problems such as poor air quality and respiratory illnesses like asthma (Farzan et al., 2019). Since 2010, nonprofit organizations such as Alianza Coachella Valley (hereafter referred to as Alianza) have been addressing these issues and campaigning for economic and environmental justice in the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV). Prior to this work, no reliable and continuous source of water quality information was easily accessible to local communities. Most recently, Alianza championed a community science initiative with the goal of establishing ongoing environmental monitoring, research, and advocacy. Through this initiative, community members formed the Salton Sea Environmental Time Series (SSET) in 2021 with support from the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU’s) Thriving Earth Exchange program. This collaboration, along with a variety of other institutions, has fostered diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within scientific academia for underrepresented ECV scholars and can serve as a blueprint for future initiatives.

Increased utilization of electronic collections during the covid-19 pandemic

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has forced most of the people to live their personal and professional lives from home. In this condition, the use of electronic collections as a source of easy, fast, and quality information to support the learning, research, and entertainment process becomes important. Objectives: This study aims to review how the library's efforts in dealing with the increasing use of electronic resources during the Covid-19 pandemic and explore various obstacles and challenges faced by libraries in the future. Methods: The method used in this study is a literature study, namely reviewing and interpreting the latest studies that review the impact of the pandemic on increasing the use of electronic collections. From the results of a literature search, 26 scientific articles were found that were published between 2016-2021 and. Of these, 17 journal articles and 1 proceeding article were selected that were relevant to the research focus. Results: The results show that the library has empowered various electronic resources that can be accessed openly (open access). However, this increase also demands an accelerated digitization and ease of access to library services. The increase in the use of electronic resources occurs because there is a need and a major change in the behavior and attitudes of users in finding and using information. Conclusion: Increased utilization of electronic collections provides important lessons for librarians and stakeholders to become better prepared to complement and enhance new digital services, be more creative and collaborative in providing services, employ more people who are able to use new technologies to meet the needs for services and electronic collection that will continue to increase. In other words, there will be more assignments that will be requested and assigned to the library in the future.

Air Quality in Two Northern Greek Cities Revealed by Their Tropospheric NO2 Levels

In this article, we aim to show the capabilities, benefits, as well as restrictions, of three different air quality-related information sources, namely the Sentinel-5Precursor TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) space-born observations, the Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) ground-based measurements and the LOng Term Ozone Simulation-EURopean Operational Smog (LOTOS-EUROS) chemical transport modelling system simulations. The tropospheric NO2 concentrations between 2018 and 2021 are discussed as air quality indicators for the Greek cities of Thessaloniki and Ioannina. Each dataset was analysed in an autonomous manner and, without disregarding their differences, the common air quality picture that they provide is revealed. All three systems report a clear seasonal pattern, with high NO2 levels during wintertime and lower NO2 levels during summertime, reflecting the importance of photochemistry in the abatement of this air pollutant. The spatial patterns of the NO2 load, obtained by both space-born observations and model simulations, show the undeniable variability of the NO2 load within the urban agglomerations. Furthermore, a clear diurnal variability is clearly identified by the ground-based measurements, as well as a Sunday minimum NO2 load effect, alongside the rest of the sources of air quality information. Within their individual strengths and limitations, the space-borne observations, the ground-based measurements, and the chemical transport modelling simulations demonstrate unequivocally their ability to report on the air quality situation in urban locations.

Digital health literacy, online information-seeking behaviour, and satisfaction of Covid-19 information among the university students of East and South-East Asia.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing interest in online information about coronavirus worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the digital health literacy (DHL) level, information-seeking behaviour, and satisfaction of information on COVID-19 among East and South-East Asia university students. This cross-sectional web-based study was conducted between April to June 2020 by recruiting students from universities in China, Malaysia, and the Philippines. University students who have Internet access were invited to participate in the study. Items on sociodemographic variables, DHL, information-seeking behaviour, and information satisfaction were included in the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were conducted. A total of 5302 university students responded to the survey. The overall mean score across the four DHL subscales was 2.89 (SD: 0.42). Search engines (e.g., Google, Bing, Yahoo) (92.0%) and social media (88.4%) were highly utilized by the students, whereas Websites of doctors or health insurance companies were of lower utilization (64.7%). Across the domains (i.e., adding self-generated content, determining relevance, evaluating reliability, and protecting privacy) higher DHL was positively associated with higher usage of trustworthy resources. Providing online information on COVID-19 at official university websites and conducting health talks or web-based information dissemination about the strategies for mental health challenges during pandemic could be beneficial to the students. Strengthening DHL among university students will enhance their critical thinking and evaluation of online resources, which could direct them to the quality and trustworthy information sources on COVID-19.

Humpback whales in Banderas Bay, Mexico: relative abundance and temporal patterns between 2004 and 2017

Banderas Bay, Mexico is an important breeding and transit area for the North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) population. In this paper we estimated relative abundance (RA = number of whales/hours of navigation) as a proxy to assess population temporary patterns in the area. We analyzed data from 14 breeding seasons (2004-2017), collected between December and March each winter. A total of 8,013 whales were observed in 1,394.6 navigation hours. Average seasonal RA was 5.7 whales per hour with a maximum of 7.5 (2013) and a minimum of 4.0 (2016). Sea surface temperature (SST) averaged 25.1°C and remained within the range considered optimal for humpback whale reproduction areas. SST showed no significant correlation with RA (r = 0.183). Inter-seasonal RA values suggested an increase throughout the study period, although the increase was not statistically significant (R = 0.32; R2 = 0.10; t = 1.15, p &gt; 0.05). Intra-seasonal analyses showed that RA in December and January were significantly higher (U = 150, p &lt; 0.05) than in February and March; this pattern was consistent throughout the seasons of study. These results represent a shift in the intra-seasonal abundance peak relative to previous studies when most whales were observed between January and February. It is important to recognize changes in population parameters of humpback whales in breeding areas to improve management practices. This study also highlights the potential of opportunistic platforms, such as whale watching tour boats, as viable sources of quality information, particularly in contexts when funding is limited.

Creation and Analysis of Technological Intelligence Reports as Educative Tool in Biomedical Engineering.

Identifying and analyzing quality information sources of technical information is a fundamental skill to create and maintain a technological intelligence system. In the present work, we propose the intentional training of undergraduate biomedical engineering students to create a simple technological intelligence report by analyzing scientific publications and patents. Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) focused on the medical devices industry is proposed as the central topic, results suggest that the creation of technological intelligence report generates value to the undergraduate biomedical engineering students given them a tool to identify the impact of new technology in healthcare and medical devices.

CHONOS: Oceanographic information website for Chilean Patagonia

CHONOS is a web platform available at http://chonos.ifop.cl/. It is composed of a variety of products based on numerical oceanographic modelling of Chilean Patagonia. CHONOS emerged as a response to numerous uncertainties in oceanographic knowledge of the southern and inner seas of Chilean Patagonia, a region where diverse economic, sociocultural and environmental conservation interests overlap, requiring a source of quality information that at the time was not freely or operationally available. The products of CHONOS are designed to provide relevant information for environmentally sustainable decision-making of anthropic activities where information gaps are jointly identified by national authorities, and the scientific and local communities.

What is in a Price? Evidence on Quality Signaling for Experience Goods

Lack of quality information is an ubiquitous problem for consumers. Consumer associations in many countries address information asymmetry by conducting quality tests. We exploit the timing of product testing and information release in a RD-approach to estimate the effects on prices and product exit. Results show a price increase after quality disclosure for high quality durables, and a price decrease for high quality non-durables. Product exit is faster for products of low quality. Our results show a strong effect of consumer association testing, giving evidence on their role as a source of independent quality information that complements market-based and regulatory mechanisms.

Field Evaluation of Low-Cost Particulate Matter Sensors for Measuring Wildfire Smoke.

Until recently, air quality impacts from wildfires were predominantly determined based on data from permanent stationary regulatory air pollution monitors. However, low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors are now widely used by the public as a source of air quality information during wildfires, although their performance during smoke impacted conditions has not been thoroughly evaluated. We collocated three types of low-cost fine PM (PM2.5) sensors with reference instruments near multiple fires in the western and eastern United States (maximum hourly PM2.5 = 295 µg/m3). Sensors were moderately to strongly correlated with reference instruments (hourly averaged r2 = 0.52–0.95), but overpredicted PM2.5 concentrations (normalized root mean square errors, NRMSE = 80–167%). We developed a correction equation for wildfire smoke that reduced the NRMSE to less than 27%. Correction equations were specific to each sensor package, demonstrating the impact of the physical configuration and the algorithm used to translate the size and count information into PM2.5 concentrations. These results suggest the low-cost sensors can fill in the large spatial gaps in monitoring networks near wildfires with mean absolute errors of less than 10 µg/m3 in the hourly PM2.5 concentrations when using a sensor-specific smoke correction equation.

'What research was carried out on this vaginal mesh?' Health-related concerns in women following mesh-augmented prolapse surgery: a thematic analysis.

To understand health-related issues in women following mesh-augmented prolapse surgery. Inductive thematic analysis of free-text comments from participants in a cross-sectional study of laparoscopic mesh sacrohysteropexy. Tertiary urogynaecology centres, United Kingdom. Women who underwent laparoscopic mesh sacrohysteropexy by surgeons based at two tertiary urogynaecology centres between 2010 and 2018. A total of 1766 potential participants were contacted by post and invited to complete paper, online or telephone questionnaires containing a free-text comments section. Of 1121 participants (response proportion 63.5%), 752 (67.1%) provided such comments. These were analysed with a six-stage inductive thematic analysis, using NVivo 11® software. Themes developed from free-text comments. Following familiarisation, 29 codes and 189 sub-codes were identified. These defined six themes: pelvic floor symptoms, health status, treatment success, mesh, pain and care received. The majority of comments centred on the first of these six themes. There were concerns about mesh use and a desire for more information. A range of pain symptoms were mentioned, often associated with pelvic floor symptoms, prolapse surgery or mesh. Despite the mesh controversy, pelvic floor symptoms and their impact on quality of life remain the principle concern of women following mesh-augmented prolapse surgery. There is a need for quality, accessible and evidence-based information sources for those women with concerns, and for those considering such surgery in the future, particularly regarding mesh safety and postoperative recovery. The relationships between pain, prolapse, mesh and pelvic floor surgery require further study. Following mesh-augmented prolapse surgery, pelvic floor symptoms remain women's main focus; pain deserves further research.

Colonoscopy videos on YouTube: Are they a good source of patient education?

Background and study aims Colonoscopy is an effective tool to prevent colorectal cancer. Social media has emerged as a source of medical information for patients.YouTube (a video sharing website) is the most popular video informative source. Therefore, we aimed to assess the educational quality of colonoscopy videos available on YouTube. Methods We performed a YouTube search using the keyword “colonoscopy” yielded 429 videos, of which 255 met the inclusion criteria. Colonoscopy Data Quality Score (C-DQS) was created to rate the quality of the videos (–10 to +40 points) based on a colonoscopy education video available on the Ameican Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) website. Each video was scored by six blinded reviewers independently using C-DQS. The Global Quality Score (GQS) was used for score validation. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the similarity of the scores among reviewers. Results Professional societies had the highest number of videos (44.3 %). Videos from professional societies (6.94) and media (6.87) had significantly higher mean C-DQS compared to those from alternative medicine providers (1.19), companies (1.16), and patients (2.60) ( P < 0.05). Mean C-DQS score of videos from healthcare providers (4.40) was not statistically different than other sources. There was a high degree of agreement among reviewers for the videos from all sources (ICC = 0.934; P < 0.001). Discussion YouTube videos are a poor source of information on colonoscopy. Professional societies and media are better sources of quality information for patient education on colonoscopy. The medical community may need to engage actively in enriching the quality of educational material available on YouTube.

Abstract P1-16-02: Survey of Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance website users confirms value and identifies unmet information needs

Abstract Introduction The Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) was founded in 2017 by patient advocates attending the First International Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer Symposium sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh. The conference underscored that invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC) is an understudied unique subtype of breast cancer requiring refinements in treatments. ILC is the sixth most frequently diagnosed cancer of women and the second most common histological subtype of breast cancer with more than 39,000 patients diagnosed a year in the U.S. LBCA’s goals are to advance research and educate about ILC. Challenges An early goal of LBCA was to address the absence of a central source of quality information about lobular breast cancer. A website, lobularbreastcancer.org, launched December, 2017 with over 98,000 hits to-date. It is maintained by patient-advocate volunteers with content reviewed by LBCA’s Scientific Advisory Board. Methods A survey of users was conducted from May 1 to June 3, 2019 to determine value of the website to users and identify potential ways to improve it. Specific goals were: Understand who was visiting the site, identify the information sought, obtain feedback on the usefulness of content, and seek input on content and navigation. Results The online survey was taken by 950 participants. Current or former patients treated for lobular breast cancer comprised 94.7% of respondents. 75.8% were from U.S. Health professionals/researchers represented 3.04% of responders. Patients ranged in age from under 35 to over 75 years; 71.5% were 46-65 years. Most (66.5%) had Stage 1-2 disease at time of diagnosis; 7% reported de novo metastatic disease. An additional 9% reported a metastatic recurrence. LBCA (43.8%), other cancer organizations (43.2%),and Internet searches (38.3%) were the most frequently used sources for information about lobular breast cancer; doctor/health care provider ranked fourth (35.3%). The survey confirmed that LBCA goals for the website were aligned with the reason responders visited - i.e., general information (33%), research/clinical trials (21.9%) and treatment information (17.8%). Most consulted the site 2-4 times (46%), 11% visited more than 10 times. Nearly all responders (83.7%) found the information they were seeking, and (45.4%) agreed that the LBCA website provided information they could not find elsewhere. There were 249 participants who responded to an open ended question with 273 recommendations for the site. The largest category of requests (17%) was for more frequent updates of research and treatment guidelines; requests for a list of providers with expertise in treating ILC patients and for LBCA to provide additional education about ILC to MDs/clinicians ranked second and third (11%). Conclusions LBCA is driving increased awareness of lobular breast cancer by sponsoring a website devoted to providing research-based information about lobular breast cancer. There were a number of actionable suggestions regarding organization and navigation of the LBCA website. Results confirmed that the LBCA goals for the website are aligned with the reason responders visited. Primarily, users searched for general information about ILC (33%), research/clinical trials (21.9%) and treatment information (17.8%). The need for a central online source for information about lobular breast cancer was confirmed by findings that the most frequently used sources of information about lobular were the LBCA, other cancer organizations and Internet searches. Doctors/health care providers ranked fourth as a source of information about lobular disease. Many responders wanted the website to list ILC treatment specialists, address the gap in provider expertise about ILC detection and treatment, and report research and treatment guidelines specifically for ILC. Citation Format: Lori Petitti, Janice Axelrod, Margaret Campbell-Kotler, Julia Levine, Flora Migyanka, Elizabeth Viggiano, Steffi Oesterreich, Leigh Pate. Survey of Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance website users confirms value and identifies unmet information needs [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-16-02.

Increasing efficiency of braking control algorithm for a two-wheeled motorcycle

The paper presents a new method for improving the efficiency of the braking control algorithm for a two-wheeled motorcycle. The method is based on the use of high quality information sources - direct measurement and analysis of forces in the wheel-road contact. The criterion for generating control signals by actuators is based on the negative sign of derivatives of lateral forces acting on wheels with respect to time. Experimental studies have shown that the negative sign of lateral force derivatives with respect to time determines side slip of wheels relative to the road surface. The consequence of the sideslip is loss of vehicle stability. The algorithm for generating vehicle control signals, which is based on the negative sign of the lateral force derivative with respect to time, is, to some extent, analogous to modern ESP systems (electronic stability control systems), which are currently being actively installed in two-wheeled vehicles (motorcycles).