2015-09-25 status

Done

Administrivia

• Created $200 program advance through Travel and Expense Management (TEM) system for initial surveys.
• Submitted response materials to IRB East Campus office.
• Made Sherice my proxy in the TEM system per her request.
• Responded to request from WiCS to mentor undergraduate students in a research project. I thought one of them might be interested in working on computer vision and automating data collection with me.

Data Collection

• Added note highlighting on annotation entry to MDC4.
• Implemented caret repositioning for note clicks in MDC4.
• Condensed vertical spacing of elements in MDC4.

Doing

1. Auditing Music 170 (Keyboarding I), TuTh 3:30-4:45.
2. Testing support for more than two voices in MDC4.
3. Implementing output hooks in MDC4 to play nice with Qualtrics.
4. Standardizing file format for fingering.

Struggling

• No receipt email for IRB submission. Need to follow up.

2015-09-18 status

Done

Administrivia

• Talked to Ivy and Tricia to get the ball rolling for me to use the TEM system, so I can set up a program advance and make everybody happy. It will take 2-3 business days for me to have access.
• Completed and printed out the materials requested by the IRB. These are ready for BDE's signature and submission.
• Overhauled my resume until it almost looks like a CV.
• Completed and submitted application for Chancellor's Graduate Research Award. All letters of support from faculty (BDE, SJ, IB) are in Santhi's capable hands.
• Applied for a $3000 Qualtrics Behavioral Research Award.
• Submitted letter of interest for a $10000 Grammy Foundation Grant.

Data Collection

• Inspired by the Grammy Foundation's concern for the "health and occupational well being of musicians" and the generally deep pockets for biomedical research, developed questions on posture and pain/discomfort and added them to part 2 of the survey.

Doing

1. Auditing Music 170 (Keyboarding I), TuTh 3:30-4:45.
2. Adding note highlighting on annotation entry to MDC4.
3. Supporting caret repositioning for note clicks in MDC4.
4. Testing support for more than two voices in MDC4.
5. Condensing vertical spacing of elements in MDC4.
6. Standardizing file format for fingering.

Struggling

• Tripping on OBFS hoops, but the path seems clear now.

You can't win if you don't play

I submitted a "letter of interest" to the Grammy Foundation Grant Program (https://www.grammy.org/grammy-foundation/grants), asking for $10K over two years. Their stated focus on the "medical and occupational well-being of music professionals" led me to talk this angle up a bit, like so:

Another potential benefit of an accurate fingering model is being able to emphasize ergonomic principles when appropriate. Allsop and Ackland recently reported that 71.9% of professional pianists have experienced "playing-related muscular disorders." Among all pianists, more than half of such complaints were in areas distal from the upper arm. It therefore seems likely that fingering choices contribute significantly to occupational injuries among pianists.

And this led me to add a few relevant questions about (hand and wrist) postures and injuries to (part 2 of) the survey. Since we are held up by the IRB, I figured I might as well make virtue out of necessity. I hope to run these new questions past IB today (and BDE tomorrow).

And last night, on another whim, I applied for a Qualtrics Behavioral Research Grant (http://www.qualtrics.com/innovation-exchange/research-grants/). Or at least I think I did. I didn't receive any email confirmation. Their max is $3K.

You can't win if you don't play.

2015-09-11 status

Done

Administrivia

• Implemented changes to address requirements from IRB amendment review, based on my understanding of Office of Business and Financial Services (OBFS) policies. This is ready to be submitted, but I think we need to talk to the department's financial people (Ivy, Sherice) first to get our story absolutely straight.
• Assembled application materials for Chancellor's Graduate Research Award. Due to CS Department by 18 September at noon. Waiting on letters of support from faculty (BDE, SJ, IB).

Data Collection

• Implemented basic caret management in MDC4.

Doing

1. Auditing Music 170 (Keyboarding I), TuTh 3:30-4:45.
2. Adding note highlighting on annotation entry to MDC4.
3. Supporting caret repositioning for note clicks in MDC4.
4. Testing support for more than two voices in MDC4.
5. Condensing vertical spacing of elements in MDC4.
6. Standardizing file format for fingering.

Struggling

• Waiting for response from Scott R. Zalatoris, Policy Specialist with the Office of Business and Financial Services, to clarify generic questions on how to pay subjects.

2015-09-04 status

Done

Administrivia

• Developed plan to respond to requirements from IRB amendment review, based on my understanding of Office of Business and Financial Services (OBFS) policies.

Data Collection

• Implemented basic rendering, fingering annotation, and multiple voice support in MDC4, leveraging the abc2svg JavaScript library and its ABC parse.
• Developed "Winner's Survey" to collect information from lottery winners needed to get them paid within University regulations.

Doing

1. Implementing protocol changes to address requirements from IRB amendment review.
2. Reworking application materials for Chancellor's Graduate Research Award (née Fellowship). Statement of intent no longer required. DGS must submit by 23 September (4 p.m. CDT).
3. Leveraging abc2svg for proper caret maintenance in MDC4.
4. Standardizing file format for fingering.

Struggling

• Working with Scott R. Zalatoris, Policy Specialist with the Office of Business and Financial Services, to clarify questions on how to pay subjects.

IRB amendment bounce

Dear Barbara:

The notion of a "confidential" study seem to be a bit of a red herring. The only hard requirement from the IRS is that the University must report payments that are $600 or more in a calendar year, regardless of how the study is classified. See https://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/bfpp/section-18-taxes/section-18-10.

I think the problem is actually with inaccuracies in the OBFS policy document https://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/bfpp/section-8-payments-reimbursements/open-program-advance-pay-human-subjects. I just submitted the following comment on its content:

The text seems to imply a few things that I don't think are true. First, it says that non-confidential studies may not pay more than $100 to an individual in a tax year. I think it is trying to say that we can't pay $100 *or more* without reporting the subjects name and address to UPAY1099, as stated in https://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/bfpp/section-8-payments-reimbursements/tax-implications-for-payments . The issue here is about taxation, not about establishing an upper limit on incentives that can be paid to human subjects. Is this not correct?

Indeed, https://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/bfpp/section-18-taxes/section-18-10 says that we are not *required* to report anything if the subject receives less than $600 in a calendar year.

The policies documented in the three links provided above are not entirely consistent.

Another problem is with the blanket statement that *all* payments to human subjects must be made through a program advance. Is it not allowable to derive funds from those that have been forwarded to my department's FOAP? Again, I think recording 1099 information when payments are $600 or more is the only hard requirement. Note that https://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/bfpp/section-18-taxes/section-18-10 does not mention program advances.

Please advise.

Many thanks,
Dave

​I am going to add a "Winner's Survey" in Qualtrics to collect the information we need from the lottery winners in a secure way:

1. Are you an employee of the University of Illinois?
2. Are you required to file a federal income tax return in the United States?
3. For tax purposes, are you a non-resident alien of the United States?​
4. For income reporting purposes, please provide your mailing address:
5. Have you received a total of $500 or more in the current calendar year for participating in research studies hosted by the University of Illinois?
6. [If yes to #5] As it is required for income reporting purposes, please provide your Social Security number:

​This way, we leave the current survey(s) untouched.

​I plan simply to go through normal IRB channels to get this reviewed again. I think I understand the issues involved now, and if I was in the reviewer's shoes, I would be annoyed by email, especially from some grad student.​