Statement of the Problem: Source data verification (SDV) is the process of comparing data collected at the source to data recorded on a Case Report Form, either paper or electronic (1) to ensure that the data are complete, accurate and verifiable. Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidelines are vague and lack evidence as to the degree of SDV and whether or not SDV affects study outcomes. Methods of Investigation: We performed systematic reviews to establish the published evidence-base for methods of SDV and to examine the effect of SDV on study outcomes. We then conducted a national survey of Canadian Critical Care investigators and research coordinators regarding their attitudes and beliefs regarding SDV. We followed by an audit of the completed and in-progress Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) of the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group (CCCTG). Results: Systematic Review of Methods of SDV: The most common reported or recommended frequency of source data verification (10/14 - 71%) was either based on level or risk, or that it be conducted early (i.e. after 1st patient enrolled). The amount of SDV recommended or reported, varied from 5-100%. Systematic Review of Impact of SDV on Study Outcomes: There was no difference in study outcomes for 1 trial and unable to assess in the other. National Survey of Critical Care Investigators and Research Coordinators: Data from the survey found that 95.8% (115/120) of respondents believed that SDV was an important part of Quality Assurance; 73.3% (88/120) felt that academic studies should do more SDV; and 62.5% (75/120) felt that there is insufficient funding available for SDV. Audit of Source Data Verification Practices in CCCTG RCTs: In the national audit of in-progress and completed CCCTG RCTs, 9/15 (60%) included a plan for SDV and 8/15 (53%) actually conducted SDV. Of the 9 completed published trials, 44% (4/9) conducted SDV. Conclusion: There is little evidence base for methods and effect of SDV on study outcomes. Based on the results of the systematic review, survey, and audit, more research is needed to support the evidence base for the methods and effect of SDV on study outcomes.

Statement of the Problem: Source data verification (SDV) is the process of comparing data collected at the source to data recorded on a Case Report Form, either paper or electronic (1) to ensure that the data are complete, accurate and verifiable. Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidelines are vague and lack evidence as to the degree of SDV and whether or not SDV affects study outcomes. Methods of Investigation: We performed systematic reviews to establish the published evidence-base for methods of SDV and to examine the effect of SDV on study outcomes. We then conducted a national survey of Canadian Critical Care investigators and research coordinators regarding their attitudes and beliefs regarding SDV. We followed by an audit of the completed and in-progress Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) of the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group (CCCTG). Results: Systematic Review of Methods of SDV: The most common reported or recommended frequency of source data verification (10/14 - 71%) was either based on level or risk, or that it be conducted early (i.e. after 1st patient enrolled). The amount of SDV recommended or reported, varied from 5-100%. Systematic Review of Impact of SDV on Study Outcomes: There was no difference in study outcomes for 1 trial and unable to assess in the other. National Survey of Critical Care Investigators and Research Coordinators: Data from the survey found that 95.8% (115/120) of respondents believed that SDV was an important part of Quality Assurance; 73.3% (88/120) felt that academic studies should do more SDV; and 62.5% (75/120) felt that there is insufficient funding available for SDV. Audit of Source Data Verification Practices in CCCTG RCTs: In the national audit of in-progress and completed CCCTG RCTs, 9/15 (60%) included a plan for SDV and 8/15 (53%) actually conducted SDV. Of the 9 completed published trials, 44% (4/9) conducted SDV. Conclusion: There is little evidence base for methods and effect of SDV on study outcomes. Based on the results of the systematic review, survey, and audit, more research is needed to support the evidence base for the methods and effect of SDV on study outcomes.

Statement of the Problem: Source data verification (SDV) is the process of comparing data collected at the source to data recorded on a Case Report Form, either paper or electronic (1) to ensure that the data are complete, accurate and verifiable. Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidelines are vague and lack evidence as to the degree of SDV and whether or not SDV affects study outcomes. Methods of Investigation: We performed systematic reviews to establish the published evidence-base for methods of SDV and to examine the effect of SDV on study outcomes. We then conducted a national survey of Canadian Critical Care investigators and research coordinators regarding their attitudes and beliefs regarding SDV. We followed by an audit of the completed and in-progress Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) of the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group (CCCTG). Results: Systematic Review of Methods of SDV: The most common reported or recommended frequency of source data verification (10/14 - 71%) was either based on level or risk, or that it be conducted early (i.e. after 1st patient enrolled). The amount of SDV recommended or reported, varied from 5-100%. Systematic Review of Impact of SDV on Study Outcomes: There was no difference in study outcomes for 1 trial and unable to assess in the other. National Survey of Critical Care Investigators and Research Coordinators: Data from the survey found that 95.8% (115/120) of respondents believed that SDV was an important part of Quality Assurance; 73.3% (88/120) felt that academic studies should do more SDV; and 62.5% (75/120) felt that there is insufficient funding available for SDV. Audit of Source Data Verification Practices in CCCTG RCTs: In the national audit of in-progress and completed CCCTG RCTs, 9/15 (60%) included a plan for SDV and 8/15 (53%) actually conducted SDV. Of the 9 completed published trials, 44% (4/9) conducted SDV. Conclusion: There is little evidence base for methods and effect of SDV on study outcomes. Based on the results of the systematic review, survey, and audit, more research is needed to support the evidence base for the methods and effect of SDV on study outcomes.

Phenology is an integrative science that comprises the study of recurring biological activities or events. In an era of rapidly changing climate, the relationship between the timing of those events and environmental cues such as temperature, snowmelt, water availability, or day length are of particular interest. This article provides an overview of the observer-based plant phenology sampling conducted by the U.S. National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the resulting data, and the rationale behind the design. Trained technicians will conduct regular in situ observations of plant phenology at all terrestrial NEON sites for the 30-yr life of the observatory. Standardized and coordinated data across the network of sites can be used to quantify the direction and magnitude of the relationships between phenology and environmental forcings, as well as the degree to which these relationships vary among sites, among species, among phenophases, and through time. Vegetation at NEON sites will also be monitored with tower-based cameras, satellite remote sensing, and annual high-resolution airborne remote sensing. Ground-based measurements can be used to calibrate and improve satellite-derived phenometrics. NEON's phenology monitoring design is complementary to existing phenology research efforts and citizen science initiatives throughout the world and will produce interoperable data. By collocating plant phenology observations with a suite of additional meteorological, biophysical, and ecological measurements (e.g., climate, carbon flux, plant productivity, population dynamics of consumers) at 47 terrestrial sites, the NEON design will enable continental-scale inference about the status, trends, causes, and ecological consequences of phenological change.

The aim of the thesis is to design procedure of inspection non-residential immovable property. There will be done analysis of methods used to evaluate immovable property, with focus on local investigation in the master thesis. Based on this analysis there will be set common and specific recommendation for preparation of source data, for evaluation of buildings, and for local investigation in case of evaluation buildings. The purpose of this thesis is to help experts with preparation of source data to make evaluating report.

Shorter product development cycles, densely packed engine compartments and intensified noiselegislation increase the need for accurate predictions of IC-engine air intake noise at earlystages. The urgent focus on the increasing CO2 emissions and the efficiency of IC-engines, aswell as new techniques such as homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) mightworsen the noise situation. Nonlinear one-dimensional (1D) gas dynamics time-domainsimulation software packages are used within the automotive industry to predict intake andexhaust orifice noise. The inherent limitation of 1D plane wave propagation, however, limitsthis technique to sufficiently low frequencies where non-plane wave effects are small. Thereforethis type of method will first fail in large components such as air cleaners. Further limitations,that might not be important for simulation of engine performance but indeed for acoustics,include difficulties to apply frequency dependent boundary conditions and losses as well as toinclude effects of vibrating walls. The first part of this thesis treats two different strategies to combine nonlinear and linearmodelling of intake systems in order to improve the accuracy of the noise predictions. Paper Adescribes how a linear time-invariant one-port source model can be extracted using nonlineargas dynamics simulations. Predicted source data for a six-cylinder naturally aspirated engine isvalidated using experimental data obtained from engine test bench measurements. Paper Bpresents an experimental investigation on the influence of mean flow and filter paper on theacoustics of air intake systems. It also suggests how a linear source, extracted from nonlinearsimulations can be coupled to acoustic finite elements describing the intake system and toboundary elements describing the radiation to the surroundings. Simulations and measurementsare carried out for a large number of engine revolution speeds in order to make the firstsystematic validation of an entirely virtual intake noise model that includes 3D effects for awide engine speed range. In Paper C an initial study on a new technique for the use of two-portsin the time domain for automotive gas dynamics applications is presented. Tabulated frequencydomaintwo-port data representing an air cleaner unit on the impedance form is inverselytransformed to the time domain and used as FIR filters in nonlinear time-domain calculations. The second part of the thesis considers detailed modelling of sound propagation in capillarytubes. Thermoviscous boundary effects and interaction between sound waves and turbulencecan, for sufficiently narrow tubes, yield significant attenuation. Several components in the gasexchange system of IC-engines are based on arrays of narrow ducts and might haveunderestimated silencing capabilities. In particular the sound transmission properties of chargeair coolers (CAC) have so far gained interest from very few authors. In Paper D a detailedinvestigation of the acoustic properties of CACs is presented. As a result the first linearfrequency-domain model for CACs, which includes a complete treatment of losses in the narrowtubes and 3D effects in the connecting tanks, is proposed. Interesting low frequency dampingmost likely due to interaction between sound and turbulence is observed in the experimentaldata. A new numerical model that describes this dissipative effect in narrow tubes is suggestedin Paper E. Validation is carried out using experimental data from the literature. Finally, inPaper F the CAC-model presented in Paper D is updated with the new model for interactionbetween turbulence and acoustic waves proposed in Paper E. The updated model is shown toyield improved predictions. / QC 20100723

Small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) play an important part in all economies but particularly in developing economies. Growth 'SMMEs seek to grow either in size, revenue and/or asset value by reinvesting available resources; these enterprises tend to spend their available resources on operational when it comes to information and communication technology (ICT). But these systems, whilst necessary are not sufficient. They are geared toward capturing data but not producing information. Business intelligence (BI) can provide decision-makers, who in SMMEs are predominantly owner-managers, with access to information that enables them to make informed decisions on where to apply limited resources. Because BI requires operational systems to be in place to gather the data it is the logical next step. Despite increasing discussion in the press and amongst BI practitioners, academic research with regard to BI in SMMEs remains sparse. Since the potential contribution of BI to SMMEs can only be assessed by first understanding current information practices and needs in such enterprises, the purpose of this study is to explore the use of use of BI to support strategic, tactical and operational decision-making. This research uses an interpretive approach to collect data using semi-structured interviews from the owner-managers of six knowledge-based growth SMMEs in South Africa selected through purposive sampling. The research results suggest that BI can play an important role in knowledge-based growth SMMEs but that support and guidance is needed to ensure that BI is used appropriately to fully exploit available data for decision-making in addition to expanding available data sources. Future research can adopt a more rigorous positivist approach to confirm the findings of this study, expand the population to other sectors in South Africa and/or SMMEs in other countries. An action research methodology can also be used to apply BI interventions in SMMEs to investigate specific BI solutions in-depth. The research may be of value to participating and other SMME owner-managers, policy makers, government agencies, business advisers, and academic researchers. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Information Science / unrestricted

En Afrique, la décentralisation s'effectue dans des contextes variables selon les pays: la nécessité de réformer l'Etat suite à une crise, la volonté d'instaurer une démocratie locale pour compenser le pouvoir central voire dictatorial, parfois même l'incapacité de l'Etat à fournir les services socioéconomiques de base comme la santé, l'éducation, l'eau potable etc.En Afrique de l'Ouest, la décentralisation s’est souvent accompagnée d’un redécoupage des territoires dans les années 1990. La plupart des pays d’Afrique de l'Ouest ont créé trois niveaux de collectivités territoriales: la Région, le Département (Cercle au Mali) et la Commune. Ceci entraîne un besoin de gestion et d’aménagement du territoire à plusieurs échelles (état des lieux, suivi de l’emprise spatiale de l’aménagement, assainissement, gestion des ressources naturelles, développement économique rural, santé, éducation, hydraulique, gestion des risques etc.). Dans le cadre d’un besoin d’informations croissant, les partenaires au développement reconnaissent l’utilité du Système d'Information Géographique (SIG), comme outil d'aide à la décision. La création de différents ministères en lien avec l’information géographique au Mali, nécessite la mise en commun de compétences s’articulant autour de la géomatique. En effet, si chaque Institution et ministère sectoriel dispose de données thématiques propres, leur valorisation se heurte à une forte dispersion et disparité des données géographiques et cartographiques.Comment mutualiser un même système géospatial et territorial entre une mairie, une collectivité territoriale, une ONG, l’Etat ainsi que d’autres partenaires travaillant sur une même emprise territoriale ? Quelle stratégie d’information territoriale pour un pays comme le Mali ?L’objectif de ce travail de thèse est de mettre en place, selon les concepts, méthodes, et technologies de la géographie actuelle et de la statistique, un outil d’aide à la décision dans un contexte de mutualisation et de décentralisation, conçu pour faire franchir un pas décisif au bénéfice de l'aménagement territorial local, par une mise en cohérence et une mise à disposition des données géolocalisées nécessaires à une politique efficace d'aménagement du territoire. Cette perspective à caractère stratégique implique de remonter jusqu'aux aspects de la répartition des pouvoirs, les rapports entre les logiciels libres et payants, l’information participative (aspects sociétal, social, contexte ethnique...) et le développement de l’information géographique au Mali. Une stratégie d’information est en fait un préalable indispensable de toute stratégie d’aménagement et de développement. Le projet de thèse se veut un projet innovant cherchant à fournir des réponses sur la mise en place d’une telle politique de gestion multi-sources et multi-acteurs de l’information spatiale dans un pays en développement. / In Africa, decentralization takes place in contexts that vary from country to country: the need to reform the Government following a crisis, the desire to establish local democracy to compensate for central or even dictatorial power, sometimes even the Government 's inability to provide basic socio-economic services such as health, education, drinking water, etc.In West Africa, decentralization was often accompanied by a redrawing of territories in the 1990s. Most West African countries have created three levels of local authorities: the Region, the Department (Cercle in Mali) and the Commune. This leads to a need for territory management and planning on several scales (inventory, monitoring of the environmental impact of development, sanitation, natural resource management, rural economic development, health, education, hydraulics and risk management). In the context of a growing need for information, development partners recognize the usefulness of the Geographic Information System (GIS) as a tool for decision making. The creation of different ministries in connection with geographic information in Mali requires pooling of skills centered on geomatics. Indeed, while each Institution and sectoral ministry has its own thematic data, their valuation is hampered by a high dispersion and disparity of geographical and cartographic data.How to share a common geospatial and territorial system across a town hall, a local authority, an NGO, the Government as well as other partners working on the same territorial? What territorial information strategy for a country like Mali?The aim of this thesis is to create, according to the concepts, methods, and technologies of current geography and statistics, a tool to support decision making in a context of overlapping responsibilities/actions and decentralization, designed to take a decisive step forward for the benefit of local territorial planning, by making coherent and available the geolocalized data necessary for an effective spatial planning policy. This strategic perspective implies going back to the distribution of powers, the ratio between free and paid software, participative information (societal, social, ethnic aspects, etc.) and the development of geographical information in Mali.An information strategy is in fact an essential prerequisite for any planning and development strategy. This thesis is an innovative project that will aim to provide answers on the implementation of such a strategy of multi-source and multi-stakeholder spatial information management in a developing country.