scholarly journals Towards an integrated pan-African observation network for long-term climate change monitoring: A web-based tool for collaborative data collection and analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 44-45
Author(s):  
Johannes Beck ◽  
Ana López-Ballesteros ◽  
Jörg Helmschrot
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Pan African ◽  
Observation Network ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Change Monitoring

scholarly journals Maps, trends, and temperature sensitivities—phenological information from and for decreasing numbers of volunteer observers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Yuan ◽  
Stefan Härer ◽  
Tobias Ottenheym ◽  
Gourav Misra ◽  
Alissa Lüpke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Strong Decrease ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Interpolation Accuracy ◽  
Observation Network ◽  
Shiny App ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Autumn And Winter

AbstractPhenology serves as a major indicator of ongoing climate change. Long-term phenological observations are critically important for tracking and communicating these changes. The phenological observation network across Germany is operated by the National Meteorological Service with a major contribution from volunteering activities. However, the number of observers has strongly decreased for the last decades, possibly resulting in increasing uncertainties when extracting reliable phenological information from map interpolation. We studied uncertainties in interpolated maps from decreasing phenological records, by comparing long-term trends based on grid-based interpolated and station-wise observed time series, as well as their correlations with temperature. Interpolated maps in spring were characterized by the largest spatial variabilities across Bavaria, Germany, with respective lowest interpolated uncertainties. Long-term phenological trends for both interpolations and observations exhibited mean advances of −0.2 to −0.3 days year−1 for spring and summer, while late autumn and winter showed a delay of around 0.1 days year−1. Throughout the year, temperature sensitivities were consistently stronger for interpolated time series than observations. Such a better representation of regional phenology by interpolation was equally supported by satellite-derived phenological indices. Nevertheless, simulation of observer numbers indicated that a decline to less than 40% leads to a strong decrease in interpolation accuracy. To better understand the risk of declining phenological observations and to motivate volunteer observers, a Shiny app is proposed to visualize spatial and temporal phenological patterns across Bavaria and their links to climate change–induced temperature changes.

scholarly journals Web-Based Data Collection for Older Adults Living With HIV in a Clinical Research Setting: Pilot Observational Study

10.2196/18588 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. e18588
Author(s):  
Katherine Tassiopoulos ◽  
Carla Roberts-Toler ◽  
Carl J Fichtenbaum ◽  
Susan L Koletar
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Persons Living With Hiv ◽  
Paper And Pencil ◽  
Living With Hiv

Background Longitudinal follow-up of older persons living with HIV is essential for the ascertainment of aging-related clinical and behavioral outcomes, and self-administered questionnaires are necessary for collecting behavioral information in research involving persons living with HIV. Web-based self-reported data collection results in higher data quality than paper-and-pencil questionnaires in a wide range of populations. The option of remote web-based surveys may also increase retention in long-term research studies. However, the acceptability and feasibility of web-based data collection in clinical research involving older persons living with HIV have never been studied. Objective This study aims to assess the acceptability and feasibility of a web-based survey to collect information on sexual, substance use, and physical activity behaviors; compare the data quality of the web-based survey with that of a paper-and-pencil questionnaire; and summarize web-based survey metrics. Methods This pilot study took place within the AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5322 study, a longitudinal cohort of men and women living with HIV (aged ≥40 years), followed at 32 clinical sites in the United States and Puerto Rico. A total of 4 sites participated in this study. A web-based survey was created using self-administered questionnaires typically completed in A5322 via paper and pencil. Pilot study participants completed these questionnaires via web-based survey at one research visit in lieu of paper-and-pencil administration. Two questions were added to assess feasibility, defined as participants’ perception of the ease of web-based survey completion (very hard, hard, easy, very easy), and their preferred format (computer or tablet, paper and pencil, no preference) for completing the questions in the future (acceptability). Feasibility and acceptability were summarized overall and by demographic and clinical characteristics; the proportion of evaluable data by web-based survey versus previously administered paper-and-pencil questionnaires (data quality) was compared for each question. Results Acceptability and feasibility were high overall: 50.0% (79/158) preferred computer or tablet, 38.0% (60/158) reported no preference, and 12.0% (19/158) preferred paper and pencil; 93.0% (147/158) reported survey completion easy or very easy. Older age was associated with lower odds of preferring computer or tablet to paper and pencil (odds ratio per 1-year increase in age: 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.98). Individuals who found the survey hard or very hard had a lower median neurocognitive test score than those who found it easy or very easy. Data quality with web-based survey administration was similar to or higher than that with paper-and-pencil administration for most questions. Conclusions Web-based survey administration was acceptable and feasible in this cohort of older adults living with HIV, and data quality was high. Web-based surveys can be a useful tool for valid data collection and can potentially improve retention in long-term follow-up studies.

Key Considerations and Recommended Strategies for Conducting a School-Based Longitudinal RE-AIM Evaluation: Insights From a 28-School Cluster Randomized Trial

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483992110423
Author(s):  
Stephanie L. Marhefka ◽  
Charlotte A. Noble ◽  
Eric R. Walsh-Buhi ◽  
DeAnne Turner ◽  
Helen Mahony ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
School Based ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Departments Of Education ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
Science Framework

RE-AIM is an implementation science framework that provides a structure to promote data collection and analysis in the domains of Reach, Efficacy/ Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance. The RE-AIM approach promotes more data collection and reporting than typical evaluations so potential adopters can determine the potential program fit for their setting. RE-AIM has been used to evaluate a variety of programs; however, there are few resources that provide strategies for conducting a RE-AIM evaluation in the school setting. The purpose of this article is to inform future studies by elucidating experiences conducting a large, complex, multisite, longitudinal RE-AIM evaluation in schools in partnership with the state’s Departments of Education and Health, and to share strategies for overcoming obstacles. With the long-term goal of facilitating the translation of school-based intervention research into practice, we provide key considerations and recommend strategies for school-based RE-AIM evaluation success.

scholarly journals Inoculating the public against misinformation about climate change: A replication study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Williams ◽  
Christina Bond
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Replication Study ◽  
Conservation Psychology ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Scientific Consensus ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Replication Crisis ◽  
Earth’S Climate

The Earth’s climate is changing due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Conservation psychology has the capacity to produce research that can inform efforts to modify human behavior to mitigate climate change. However, psychology has recently been facing a replication crisis: Several recent studies have found that the findings of many published psychological studies cannot be reproduced in independent replications. In response to this crisis, psychologists have begun to pursue practices that can improve the replicability and credibility of findings—for example, preregistering data collection and analysis plans before collecting data, and openly sharing data for re-analysis. However, open science practices such as these are not yet widely employed in conservation psychology. We argue that replicability is especially important in conservation psychology given the field’s focus on high stakes applied research. We provide an example of a preregistered replication (of van der Linden et al. 2017). van der Linden et al. reported that they were able to successfully “inoculate” participants against politically motivated misinformation about climate change by pre-emptively warning them of this misinformation. In our replication study, we preregistered hypotheses based on van der Linden et al’s study, along with a detailed data collection and analysis plan (available at https://osf.io/8ymj6/). Our replication study used a mixed between-within design, with data collected via Mechanical Turk (N = 792). We were able to replicate some (but not all) of van der Linden et al’s findings. Specifically, we found that providing information about the scientific consensus on climate change increased perceptions of scientific consensus, as did an inoculation intervention provided prior to provision of misinformation. However, we were unable to replicate their finding that an inoculation intervention counteracted the effect of misinformation to a greater extent than simply providing information about scientific consensus.

scholarly journals Perceptions Of Customs Managers And Agents Towards Import Tax Non-Compliance During Goods Clearing In Malawi

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Catherine D Chisale ◽  
Alfred Maluwa
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Tax Compliance ◽  
Data Collection Tool ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Qualitative Data Collection

Import tax non-compliance is increasing in Malawi. A study was conducted to explore the perceptions of custom managers and agents towards import tax non-compliance with import tax procedures and processes. The design of the study was descriptive and used qualitative data collection and analysis methods. The study was conducted in Malawi’s major border posts of Blantyre and Mwanza in the southern region. A total number of 25 participants were purposively sampled and administered an open-ended data collection tool to collect data using in-depth face-to-face interviews. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Two themes emerged from the study which were, customs agents' limited knowledge, and corruption. The study results further show that training sessions by the Malawi Revenue Authority created the requisite knowledge to the customs agents which improved import tax compliance. However, corruption needs a long-term solution to change the stakeholders’ mindset. It is recommended that awareness should be created among the stakeholders to change the attitude and perceptions of the Malawian general public towards import tax non-compliance.

scholarly journals Web-Based Data Collection for Older Adults Living With HIV in a Clinical Research Setting: Pilot Observational Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Tassiopoulos ◽  
Carla Roberts-Toler ◽  
Carl J Fichtenbaum ◽  
Susan L Koletar
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Persons Living With Hiv ◽  
Paper And Pencil ◽  
Living With Hiv

BACKGROUND Longitudinal follow-up of older persons living with HIV is essential for the ascertainment of aging-related clinical and behavioral outcomes, and self-administered questionnaires are necessary for collecting behavioral information in research involving persons living with HIV. Web-based self-reported data collection results in higher data quality than paper-and-pencil questionnaires in a wide range of populations. The option of remote web-based surveys may also increase retention in long-term research studies. However, the acceptability and feasibility of web-based data collection in clinical research involving older persons living with HIV have never been studied. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assess the acceptability and feasibility of a web-based survey to collect information on sexual, substance use, and physical activity behaviors; compare the data quality of the web-based survey with that of a paper-and-pencil questionnaire; and summarize web-based survey metrics. METHODS This pilot study took place within the AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5322 study, a longitudinal cohort of men and women living with HIV (aged ≥40 years), followed at 32 clinical sites in the United States and Puerto Rico. A total of 4 sites participated in this study. A web-based survey was created using self-administered questionnaires typically completed in A5322 via paper and pencil. Pilot study participants completed these questionnaires via web-based survey at one research visit in lieu of paper-and-pencil administration. Two questions were added to assess feasibility, defined as participants’ perception of the ease of web-based survey completion (very hard, hard, easy, very easy), and their preferred format (computer or tablet, paper and pencil, no preference) for completing the questions in the future (acceptability). Feasibility and acceptability were summarized overall and by demographic and clinical characteristics; the proportion of evaluable data by web-based survey versus previously administered paper-and-pencil questionnaires (data quality) was compared for each question. RESULTS Acceptability and feasibility were high overall: 50.0% (79/158) preferred computer or tablet, 38.0% (60/158) reported <i>no preference</i>, and 12.0% (19/158) preferred paper and pencil; 93.0% (147/158) reported survey completion easy or very easy. Older age was associated with lower odds of preferring computer or tablet to paper and pencil (odds ratio per 1-year increase in age: 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.98). Individuals who found the survey hard or very hard had a lower median neurocognitive test score than those who found it easy or very easy. Data quality with web-based survey administration was similar to or higher than that with paper-and-pencil administration for most questions. CONCLUSIONS Web-based survey administration was acceptable and feasible in this cohort of older adults living with HIV, and data quality was high. Web-based surveys can be a useful tool for valid data collection and can potentially improve retention in long-term follow-up studies.

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