? Core A ? Administrative Core Executive leadership of MIDUS will be provided by the Principal Investigator (PI) and Executive Committee (EC, consisting of Leaders/Co-Leaders of the projects and cores). They will be responsible for major decisions regarding implementation and completion of the stated aims of the U19 application. Primary tasks include: monitoring progress in achieving the funded objectives of the research; nurturing effective and synergistic communication and collaboration across projects and cores; managing day-to-day oversight of MIDUS field work and insuring quality control in delivery of comprehensive datasets and documentation to the research community. The PI, EC and MIDUS investigators will work cooperatively with the NIA Project Scientist to refine objectives, methodologies, and aims of the study, including considering alternative approaches and instruments. The PI, EC and MIDUS investigators will also regularly engage with the External Advisory Board, who will provide input on the study aims, proposed changes to content or methods, security procedures, and how to make best use of data collected. Day-to-day oversight of MIDUS involves numerous responsibilities that will be centrally managed by Admin Core Co-Leaders at UW-Madison. Among these is coordination of data collection across projects ? i.e., the biopsychosocial integration that motivates MIDUS hinges on members of the sample participating in multiple projects. This task requires careful sequencing of recruitment from project to project, combined with timely communication among project-specific investigators; such goals will be accomplished with a centrally-managed MySQL database system. The Admin Core will also create and deliver high quality datasets with comprehensive, user-friendly documentation; such goals will be advanced via MIDUS metadata conventions and use of an innovative web-based documentation standard called the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI), which maximizes the availability, discoverability, and clarity of the data. The DDI will facilitate cross-project and longitudinal analyses by producing variable cross-walks (concordance tables) as well as support the delivery of new data and documentation to the scientific community according to timelines determined by the PI and EC. The data delivery task includes managing a preliminary release to MIDUS investigators to vet data quality, along with issuing data updates as they arise. Admin Core Co-Leaders will facilitate public use of MIDUS datasets by giving presentations to interested audiences and developing webinars that describe how to access and work with the ICPSR data. Finally, the Admin Core will oversee and manage linkages to append external data resources to MIDUS datasets. Such external data resources include mortality information, Medicare usage, geo-coding, and links to richer information about medication usage and occupational descriptors.
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