INTRODUCTION The activities involving phlebotomy, a critical task for obtaining diagnostic blood samples, are poorly studied as regards the major sources of errors and the procedures related to laboratory quality control. The aim of this study was to verify the compliance with CLSI documents of clinical laboratories from South America and to assess whether teaching phlebotomists to follow the e...

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate and improve the use of automated data collection procedures for nursing research and quality assurance. METHODS A descriptive, correlational study analyzed 44 orthopedic surgical patients who were part of an evidence-based practice (EBP) project examining post-operative oxygen therapy at a Midwestern hospital. The automation work attemp...

This contribution deals with the user-state labeling procedures of a multimodal data corpus that is created in the SmartKom project. The goal of the SmartKom project is the development of an intelligent computer-user interface that allows almost natural communication with an adaptive and self-explanatory machine. The system does not only allow input in the form of natural speech but also in the...

Research on human immune responses frequently involves the use of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) immediately, or at significantly delayed timepoints, after collection. This requires PBMC isolation from whole blood and cryopreservation for some applications. It is important to standardize protocols for blood collection, PBMC isolation, cryopreservation, and thawing that maximize survi...

BACKGROUND Variations in definitions and methodologies have created differences in the results and conclusions obtained from studies of football (soccer) injuries; this has made interstudy comparisons difficult. PROCEDURE An Injury Consensus Group was established under the auspices of Fédération Internationale de Football Association Medical Assessment and Research Centre. Using a nominal gro...

This paper suggests that administrators form a new way of conceptualizing evidence collection across an intranet based on a model consisting of linked audit logs. This methodology enables the establishment of a chain of evidence that is especially useful across a corporate intranet environment. Administrators are encouraged to plan event configuration such that audit logs provide complementary ...

This case study utilizes a value of information decision framework to provide mine managers guidance regarding the purchase of ore grade scanners. LKAB’s Kiruna mine produces three types of iron ore to meet long-term contractual agreements on a monthly basis. There is a priori uncertainty regarding the ore type in any given mineable section of the orebody. In addition, there is extracted ore ty...