Transcranial Doppler sonography examinations were performed by the same technician using an ultrasonography system with a 2 Hz probe (EME TC2021-III, NICOLET, USA).
Lateral cephalograms were taken by the same technician [C.R.] with the same machine and manually traced by one operator [L.G.] and verified for landmark location and anatomic contours by a second operator [C.M.].
Similarly, all MALDI readings were performed by the same technician.
All samples were read blindly twice using the Nikon microscope and the prototype 2 system by the same technician within 4 hours of each other.
Inter-microscope agreement for readings by the same technician was 94.12% (Kappa statistic = 0.8819, P<0.0001, 56% MODS culture-positive by Nikon reading).
For logistical reasons, the readings of the two technicians with the Nikon microscope were performed 24 hours apart; the readings conducted by the same technician with the two microscopes were completed within 5 hours.
The agreement between the readings with the prototype 2 and the readings with the Nikon microscope completed by the same technician was 96.61% (Kappa statistic = 0.9322, P<0.0001, 49% MODS culture-positive by Nikon reading); the level of agreement between the Nikon microscope and the prototype 2 system in standard mode is high and within the range of the between-technician variability.
All x-rays were carried out by the same technician.
Data were recorded and analyzed by the same technician.
All measurements were performed by the same technician.
11 All Hbmass measurements were performed by the same technician.
