Macromolecular crystallography is now a mature and widely used technique that is essential in the understanding of biology and medicine. Increases in computing power combined with robotics have not ...only enabled large numbers of samples to be screened and characterized but have also enabled better decisions to be taken on data collection itself. This led to the development of MASSIF‐1 at the ESRF, the first beamline in the world to run fully automatically while making intelligent decisions taking user requirements into account. Since opening in late 2014, the beamline has processed over 42 000 samples. Improvements have been made to the speed of the sample‐handling robotics and error management within the software routines. The workflows initially put into place, while highly innovative at the time, have been expanded to include increased complexity and additional intelligence using the information gathered during characterization; this includes adapting the beam diameter dynamically to match the diffraction volume within the crystal. Complex multi‐position and multi‐crystal data collections have now also been integrated into the selection of experiments available. This has led to increased data quality and throughput, allowing even the most challenging samples to be treated automatically.
Significant improvements to the sample‐location, characterization and data‐collection algorithms on the autonomous ESRF beamline MASSIF‐1 are described. The workflows now include dynamic beam‐diameter adjustment and multi‐position and multi‐crystal data collections.
Correlation in the broadest sense is a measure of an association between variables. In correlated data, the change in the magnitude of 1 variable is associated with a change in the magnitude of ...another variable, either in the same (positive correlation) or in the opposite (negative correlation) direction. Most often, the term correlation is used in the context of a linear relationship between 2 continuous variables and expressed as Pearson product-moment correlation. The Pearson correlation coefficient is typically used for jointly normally distributed data (data that follow a bivariate normal distribution). For nonnormally distributed continuous data, for ordinal data, or for data with relevant outliers, a Spearman rank correlation can be used as a measure of a monotonic association. Both correlation coefficients are scaled such that they range from -1 to +1, where 0 indicates that there is no linear or monotonic association, and the relationship gets stronger and ultimately approaches a straight line (Pearson correlation) or a constantly increasing or decreasing curve (Spearman correlation) as the coefficient approaches an absolute value of 1. Hypothesis tests and confidence intervals can be used to address the statistical significance of the results and to estimate the strength of the relationship in the population from which the data were sampled. The aim of this tutorial is to guide researchers and clinicians in the appropriate use and interpretation of correlation coefficients.
The traditional epidemiologic modes of data collection, including paper-and-pencil questionnaires and interviews, have several limitations, such as decreasing response rates over the last decades and ...high costs in large study populations. The use of Web-based questionnaires may be an attractive alternative but is still scarce in epidemiologic research because of major concerns about selective nonresponse and reliability of the data obtained. The authors discuss advantages and disadvantages of Web-based questionnaires and current developments in this area. In addition, they focus on some practical issues and safety concerns involved in the application of Web-based questionnaires in epidemiologic research. They conclude that many problems related to the use of Web-based questionnaires have been solved or will most likely be solved in the near future and that this mode of data collection offers serious benefits. However, questionnaire design issues may have a major impact on response and completion rates and on reliability of the data. Theoretically, Web-based questionnaires could be considered an alternative or complementary mode in the range of epidemiologic methods of data collection. Practice and comparisons with the traditional survey techniques should reveal whether they can fulfill their expectations.
Background: Operating room recording, via video, audio and sensor-based recordings, is increasingly common. Yet, surgical data science is a new field without clear guidelines. The purpose of this ...study is to examine existing published studies of surgical recording modalities to determine which are available for use in the operating room, as a first step toward developing unified standards for this field. Medline, Embase, Central and PubMed databases were systematically searched for articles describing modalities of data collection in the operating room. Search terms included "video-audio media," "bio-sensing techniques," "sound," "movement," "operating rooms" and others. Title, abstract and full-text screening were completed to identify relevant articles. Methods: Descriptive statistical analysis was performed for included studies. Of 3756 citations, 91 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies described 10 unique data collection modalities for 17 different purposes in the operating room. Data modalities included video, audio, kinematic and eye-tracking, among others. Data collection purposes described included surgical trainee assessment, surgical error, surgical team communication and operating room efficiency. Results: Effective data collection and utilization in the operating room are imperative for the provision of superior surgical care. The future operating room landscape undoubtedly includes multiple modalities of data collection for a plethora of purposes. Conclusion: This review acts as a foundation for employing operating room data in a way that leads to meaningful benefit for patient care.
High-quality data are accurate, relevant, and timely. Large national health surveys have always balanced the implementation of these quality dimensions to meet the needs of diverse users. The ...COVID-19 pandemic shifted these balances, with both disrupted survey operations and a critical need for relevant and timely health data for decision-making. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) responded to these challenges with several operational changes to continue production in 2020. However, data files from the 2020 NHIS were not expected to be publicly available until fall 2021. To fill the gap, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) turned to 2 online data collection platforms-the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey (HPS) and the NCHS Research and Development Survey (RANDS)-to collect COVID-19‒related data more quickly. This article describes the adaptations of NHIS and the use of HPS and RANDS during the pandemic in the context of the recently released Framework for Data Quality from the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology. (
. 2021;111(12):2167-2175. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306516).
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a unique source of national data on the health and nutritional status of the US population, collecting data through interviews, ...standard exams, and biospecimen collection. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, NHANES data collection was suspended, with more than a year gap in data collection. NHANES resumed operations in 2021 with the NHANES 2021-2022 survey, which will monitor the health and nutritional status of the nation while adding to the knowledge of COVID-19 in the US population. This article describes the reshaping of the NHANES program and, specifically, the planning of NHANES 2021-2022 for data collection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Details are provided on how NHANES transformed its participant recruitment and data collection plans at home and at the mobile examination center to safely collect data in a COVID-19 environment. The potential implications for data users are also discussed. (
. 2021;111(12):2149-2156. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306517).
This article provides a thorough review of the main web scraping tools available on the market and it is comparing their features and functionalities. A specific tool is selected to demonstrate it is ...use in obtaining data on percentages of graduates in various careers in Mexico, as well as the distribution related to gender and salaries in several states of the country. Additionally, the importance of accessing reliable data sources is highlighted and a detailed description of the data extraction process using the WebHarvy tool is provided. Ultimately, it is highlighting the importance of web scraping as a powerful technique and professional ethical to collect valuable data from the web to effectively and responsibly. La educación superior es un factor clave para el desarrollo económico y social de un país, ya que contribuye a la formación de capital humano calificado, a la generación de conocimiento y a la innovación (Medina et al, 2021).