Automating Electronic Health Record Data Quality Assessment

Information systems such as Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are susceptible to data quality (DQ) issues. Given the growing importance of EHR data, there is an increasing demand for strategies and tools to help ensure that available data are fit for use. However, developing reliable data quality assessment (DQA) tools necessary for guiding and evaluating improvement efforts has remained a fundamental challenge. This review examines the state of research on operationalising EHR DQA, mainly automated tooling, and highlights necessary considerations for future implementations. We reviewed 1841 articles from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus published between 2011 and 2021. 23 DQA programs deployed in real-world settings to assess EHR data quality (n = 14), and a few experimental prototypes (n = 9), were identified. Many of these programs investigate completeness (n = 15) and value conformance (n = 12) quality dimensions and are backed by knowledge items gathered from domain experts (n = 9), literature reviews and existing DQ measurements (n = 3). A few DQA programs also explore the feasibility of using data-driven techniques to assess EHR data quality automatically. Overall, the automation of EHR DQA is gaining traction, but current efforts are fragmented and not backed by relevant theory. Existing programs also vary in scope, type of data supported, and how measurements are sourced. There is a need to standardise programs for assessing EHR data quality, as current evidence suggests their quality may be unknown

MR imaging of acute anterior cruciate ligament injuries

MRI of the knee has become an indispensable clinical tool in the management of chronic knee conditions. MRI for acute knee injuries is less well established but is becoming increasingly prevalent. MRI in acute ACL injuries is particularly useful for identifying associated injuries that will influence the early management of the patient. The aim of this paper is to describe the MRI findings of acute ACL tears, their commonly associated, and less common but serious associated injuries. Where available, the evidence for the sensitivity and specificity of these MRI features is presented. The contribution of these MRI findings to the management of the patient is discussed

Improved simulated annealing with step width adaptation for Langmuir probe tuning

In a previous investigation, a simulated annealing (SA) method was developed to optimize 14 Fourier terms in a radio-frequency waveform for active compensation of a Langmuir probe system. This approach was shown to find better solutions in less time than skilled human operators. However, variations in fitness indicated that the SA algorithm did not always find the precise global solution, although it came consistently close to it. This variability was caused by the limited number of fitness evaluations available due to time constraints. In this research, the chosen maximum step width has been shown to have a significant effect on the overall performance of the algorithm. A scaling function has been developed to adapt the maximum step width of the SA algorithm, on-line, as a function of the number of elapsed iterations. The modified algorithm has been shown to find fitter solutions with reduced variability in fitnes

Automated control of an actively compensated Langmuir probe system using simulated annealing

A simulated annealing (SA) method has been developed to deduce 14 Fourier terms in a radio frequency waveform for active compensation of a Langmuir probe system. The active compensation system uses seven harmonics to generate a required waveform. Therefore, 14 heavily interacting continuous parameters need to be tuned before measurements can be taken. Because of the magnitude of the resulting search space, it is virtually impossible to test all possible solutions within an acceptable time. An automated control system employing SA has been developed for online tuning of the waveform. This control system has been shown to find better solutions in less time than skilled human operators. The results are also more reproducible and hence more reliabl

Optimization of plasma etch processes using evolutionary search methods with in-situ diagnostics

This paper presents several approaches that have been used to control, optimize and characterize a low pressure (10–300 mTorr) plasma processing system. Methods such as contour following and differential evolution have been used to find contours of DC bias, total ion flux, ion energy flux, quadrupole mass spectrum (QMS) intensity ratios and line intensity ratios of the optical emission spectrum (OES) in argon and nitrogen plasmas. A mapping for a 4 × 4 multi-dimensional parameter space is also presented, in which the relationship between four control parameters (power, pressure, mass flow rates of two supplied gases) and four measurement outputs (DC bias, ion flux, QMS ratios and OES line intensity ratios) is determined in a plasma etching process. The use of these methods significantly reduces the time needed to re-configure the processing system and will benefit transfer of processes between different systems. A similar approach has also been used to find quickly an optimum condition for directional etching of a silicon wafer

For a public international relations

The last few years have seen an opening up of what is considered to be the legitimate terrain of international relations (IR). This move is, for the most part, extremely welcome. Yet, the multiple theoretical and empirical openings in IR since the end of the Cold War have failed to elucidate many of the puzzles, questions and problems posed by the contemporary conjuncture. There are a number of reasons for this failure ranging from the stickiness of Cold War problem fields to IR’s continued attachment to systemic-level theories. However, this article focuses less on symptoms than on treatment and, in particular, on how generating a more “public” international relations enterprise might help to connect IR with the core theoretical, empirical and normative terrain of “actually existing” world politics. Taking its cue from recent debates in sociology about how to generate a “public sociology,” the article lays out three pathologies that a public IR enterprise should avoid and four ground rules—amounting to a manifesto of sorts—which sustain the case for a “public” international relations