Guidelines for Data Acquisition, Quality and Curation for Observational Research Designs (DAQCORD).

BACKGROUND: High-quality data are critical to the entire scientific enterprise, yet the complexity and effort involved in data curation are vastly under-appreciated. This is especially true for large observational, clinical studies because of the amount of multimodal data that is captured and the opportunity for addressing numerous research questions through analysis, either alone or in combination with other data sets. However, a lack of details concerning data curation methods can result in unresolved questions about the robustness of the data, its utility for addressing specific research questions or hypotheses and how to interpret the results. We aimed to develop a framework for the design, documentation and reporting of data curation methods in order to advance the scientific rigour, reproducibility and analysis of the data. METHODS: Forty-six experts participated in a modified Delphi process to reach consensus on indicators of data curation that could be used in the design and reporting of studies. RESULTS: We identified 46 indicators that are applicable to the design, training/testing, run time and post-collection phases of studies. CONCLUSION: The Data Acquisition, Quality and Curation for Observational Research Designs (DAQCORD) Guidelines are the first comprehensive set of data quality indicators for large observational studies. They were developed around the needs of neuroscience projects, but we believe they are relevant and generalisable, in whole or in part, to other fields of health research, and also to smaller observational studies and preclinical research. The DAQCORD Guidelines provide a framework for achieving high-quality data; a cornerstone of health research

Zooarchaeology of the Scandinavian settlements in Iceland and Greenland: diverging pathways

The Scandinavian Viking Age and Medieval settlements of Iceland and Greenland have been subject to zooarchaeological research for over a century, and have come to represent two classic cases of survival and collapse in the literature of long-term human ecodynamics. The work of the past two decades by multiple projects coordinated through the North Atlantic Biocultural Organization (NABO) cooperative and by collaborating scholars has dramatically increased the available zooarchaeological evidence for economic organization of these two communities, their initial adaptation to different natural and social contexts, and their reaction to Late Medieval economic and climate change. This summary paper provides an overview of ongoing comparative research as well as references for data sets and more detailed discussion of archaeofauna from these two island communities. Keywords: North Atlantic, zooarchaeology, Greenland, Iceland, climate change, human ecodynamic

Consumo de drogas ilegales, apoyo familiar y factores relacionadosen estudiantes universitarios. Un estudio transversal basado en datosdel Proyecto uniHcos

Objective: To assess the prevalence of illegal drug use in college students on any previous occasion, duringthe previous year and the previous month, and to analyze the relationship between illegal drug use andfamily support and other factors.Methods: A cross-sectional study using data from students participating in the uniHcos project (n = 3767)was conducted. The prevalence and age of onset of consumption of cannabis, non-prescription sedatives,stimulants and depressants was evaluated. Polyconsumption was also assessed. The independent vari-ables were: family support, age, residence, and employment status. To determine the factors related todrug use multivariate logistic regression models stratified by gender were fitted.Results: Differences between men and women in prevalence of illegal drug use except non-prescriptionsedatives were observed. In both genders, less family support was associated with higher consumptionof all drugs, except depressants, and with polyconsumption. To be studying and looking for work wasrelated to cannabis and stimulant use and to polyconsumption among women, but only to cannabis useamong men.Conclusions: These results support the notion that the start of university studies is a particularly relevantstage in the onset of illegal drug use and its prevention, and that consumption may be especially associatedwith family support.Objetivo: Evaluar la prevalencia del consumo de drogas ilegales en estudiantes universitarios y analizarla relación entre dicho consumo, el apoyo familiar y otros factores.Método: Se realizó un dise?no transversal basado en datos de participantes en el proyecto uniHcos (n =3767). Se evaluaron la prevalencia y la edad de inicio del consumo de cannabis, tranquilizantes sin receta,estimulantes y depresores, y el policonsumo. Como variables independientes se consideraron el apoyofamiliar, la edad, la residencia y la situación laboral. Para la determinación de los factores asociados alconsumo de drogas se ajustaron modelos de regresión logística estratificados por sexo.Resultados: Se observaron diferencias entre hombres y mujeres en la prevalencia del consumo de todaslas drogas ilegales, excepto tranquilizantes sin receta. En ambos sexos, cuanto peor apoyo familiar, mayorconsumo de todas las drogas, excepto depresores y policonsumo. Encontrarse estudiando y buscandotrabajo se relacionó con el consumo de cannabis, estimulantes y policonsumo en las mujeres, y solo concannabis en los hombres.Conclusiones: Los resultados de este estudio aportan nueva evidencia a favor de que el inicio de la etapauniversitaria es un momento de especial relevancia en el inicio del consumo de drogas ilegales y suprevención, pudiendo este consumo estar especialmente relacionado con el apoyo familiar

Elliptic flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of charged particle elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|$\eta$|<0.8) and transverse momentum range 0.2< $p_{\rm T}$< 5.0 GeV/$c$. The elliptic flow signal v$_2$, measured using the 4-particle correlation method, averaged over transverse momentum and pseudorapidity is 0.087 $\pm$ 0.002 (stat) $\pm$ 0.004 (syst) in the 40-50% centrality class. The differential elliptic flow v$_2(p_{\rm T})$ reaches a maximum of 0.2 near $p_{\rm T}$ = 3 GeV/$c$. Compared to RHIC Au-Au collisions at 200 GeV, the elliptic flow increases by about 30%. Some hydrodynamic model predictions which include viscous corrections are in agreement with the observed increase.Comment: 10 pages, 4 captioned figures, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/389

Archaeological sites as Distributed Long-term Observing Networks of the Past (DONOP)

The authors would also like to acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation, specifically the Arctic Social Sciences Program, and RANNIS (The Icelandic Center for Research).Archaeological records provide a unique source of direct data on long-term human-environment interactions and samples of ecosystems affected by differing degrees of human impact. Distributed long-term datasets from archaeological sites provide a significant contribution to establish local, regional, and continental-scale environmental baselines and can be used to understand the implications of human decision-making and its impacts on the environment and the resources it provides for human use. Deeper temporal environmental baselines are essential for resource and environmental managers to restore biodiversity and build resilience in depleted ecosystems. Human actions are likely to have impacts that reorganize ecosystem structures by reducing diversity through processes such as niche construction. This makes data from archaeological sites key assets for the management of contemporary and future climate change scenarios because they combine information about human behavior, environmental baselines, and biological systems. Sites of this kind collectively form Distributed Long-term Observing Networks of the Past (DONOP), allowing human behavior and environmental impacts to be assessed over space and time. Behavioral perspectives are gained from direct evidence of human actions in response to environmental opportunities and change. Baseline perspectives are gained from data on species, landforms, and ecology over timescales that long predate our typically recent datasets that only record systems already disturbed by people. And biological perspectives can provide essential data for modern managers wanting to understand and utilize past diversity (i.e., trophic and/or genetic) as a way of revealing, and potentially correcting, weaknesses in our contemporary wild and domestic animal populations.PostprintPeer reviewe

Progress in Developing Common Data Elements for Traumatic Brain Injury Research: Version Two – The End of the Beginning

To accelerate data sharing and research on traumatic brain injury (TBI), several federal agencies have been collaborating to support the development and implementation of common data elements (CDEs). The first recommendations for CDEs were made in 2010, and were well suited for hospital-based studies of acute TBI in adults. To broaden the utility of the TBI CDEs, experts were asked to update the recommendations to make them relevant to all ages, levels of injury severity, and phases of recovery. The second version of the TBI CDEs (v.2) was organized around four major study types: 1) epidemiological research; 2) studies on acute, hospitalized patients; 3) studies of the rehabilitation for moderate/severe TBI; and 4) mild TBI/concussion research. Given the heterogeneity of TBI, only a small set of core CDEs were found to be relevant across all study types. However, within groups, a much larger set of highly relevant CDEs were identified, and these were called basic CDEs. In addition, an expanded number of supplemental CDEs were specified and recommended for use depending upon the study goals. Version 2 provides a rich data dictionary for TBI research with about 900 CDEs. Many of the CDEs overlap across the study types, which will facilitate comparisons and meta-analysis across studies. Further modifications of the CDEs should be based on evaluation of their usefulness following implementation across a range of studies