bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Which uncertainty is powerful to forecast crude oil market volatility? New evidence
Authors: Li Xiafei , Wei Yu , Chen Xiaodan , Ma Feng , Liang Chao , Chen Wang 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis paper focuses on distinguishing the predictive power of five newly developed uncertainty indices, that is, global and US economic policy uncertainty (GEPU and US EPU), global geopolitical risk (GPR), US monetary policy uncertainty (MPU) and equity market volatility (EMV), on crude oil market volatility. We construct the extended GARCH‐MIDAS models to assess the forecasting ability of these indices and then compare them with four commonly used oil volatility drivers: oil supply, oil demand, oil speculation and interest rate. Firstly, the in‐sample analysis suggests that all uncertainty indices and traditional determinants have significant impacts on oil volatility. Secondly, the out‐of‐sample evaluations suggest that US MPU, EMV and EPU indices are more powerful than other predictors to improve the forecasting accuracy of crude oil volatility, and US EMV exhibits the best prediction ability. Then, we find that EPU and MPU indices are more effective in forecasting high volatility in crude oil market, while traditional determinants together with US EMV index are more helpful in predicting low oil volatility. Finally, the forecasts of bad oil volatility can be improved by all predictors except for GEPU index, while the forecasts of good oil volatility can only be enhanced by US MPU, EMV and EPU.
Evaluation of wind erosion control practices at a photovoltaic power station within a sandy area of northwest, China
Authors: Wang Chun , Hill Robert L. , Bu Chongfeng , Li Bingyin , Yuan Fang , Yang Yanzhe , Yuan Senpeng , Zhang Zhenshi , Cao Yongxiang , Zhang Kankan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe widespread construction of photovoltaic power stations within northwest China poses an environmental threat because of severe increased wind erosion and land degradation. Engineering, plant, and biocrust treatments were evaluated in this study for their effectiveness in the reduction of wind erosion. The placement of solar panels caused wind speed variation and resulted in distinct abrasion and deposition zones between the rows of the solar panels and the formation of deflation zones under the solar panels. Combined treatments (gravel and red clay mulch were applied within the abrasion and deposition zones, respectively) and moss‐crust were the optimal choices within the engineering and biocrust treatments, respectively. We found that for engineering treatments, the combined procedures led to treatments had sand transport rate reductions of 87%, while the straw checkerboard, gravel, and red clay treatments gave reductions of 51, 78, and 74%, respectively. Within the biocrust treatments, the moss‐crust decreased the sand transport rates and the sand erosion–deposit budget by 71 and 114%, respectively, while the cyanobacteria crust caused reductions of 65 and 109%, respectively, in comparison to the control. Both plant treatments decreased the sand transport rates and the sand erosion–deposit budgets, but were inferior to other optimal treatments with the best plant treatment dependent on the placement pattern used for plant establishment. All the treatments had effects on reducing wind erosion, and we strongly recommend the use of moss‐crust and combined treatments in the deflation zones and between the rows of the solar panels, respectively, to significantly reduce the severe wind erosion occurring at these photovoltaic power stations located in sandy areas.
High‐Speed Fourier‐Transform Infrared Spectroscopy with Phase‐Controlled Delay Line
Authors: Hashimoto Kazuki , Badarla Venkata Ramaiah , Ideguchi Takuro 
Published: December 2020

AbstractFourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is the golden standard of mid‐infrared (MIR) molecular spectroscopic analysis through optically encoded vibrational signatures. Michelson‐type FTIR and MIR dual‐comb spectrometers allow us to simultaneously investigate multiple molecular species via the broadband and high‐resolution spectroscopic capabilities. However, these are not applicable to high‐speed measurements due to the low temporal resolution which is fundamentally limited by the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). In this study, a high‐speed FTIR spectroscopy technique called phase‐controlled Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (PC‐FTIR) that has the capability to measure MIR absorption spectra at a rate of above 10 kHz is developed. PC‐FTIR demonstrates the high scan rate with a high SNR for various spectral bandwidths by arbitrarily adjusting the instrumental spectral resolution. As a proof of principle demonstration, high‐speed mixing dynamics of two liquids is measured at a rate of 24 kHz. MIR spectra of gas‐phase molecules are also measured with higher spectral resolution at a rate of 12 kHz. This high‐speed MIR spectrometer could be used especially for measuring non‐repetitive fast phenomena and acquiring a large amount of spectral data within a short time.
Anatomical factors influencing traditional abdominal examination in Kampo diagnosis: Analysis by computed tomography
Authors: Shimada Hirobumi , Namiki Takao , Hirasaki Yoshiro , Oji Takeshi , Nakaguchi Toshiya , Ueda Keigo , Kasahara Yuji , Nagamine Koichi , Okamoto Hideki , Yakubo Shuji 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTAimIn Japanese‐Oriental (Kampo) medicine, the abdominal examination is an important diagnostic method. We examined the influence of anatomical factors in Kampo medicine on the Kampo diagnosis of abdominal aortic pulsation using abdominal computed tomography (CT).MethodsOur subjects were 67 patients (34 men, 33 women; average age: 61.4 ± 16.3 years) who underwent abdominal CT in the Department of Japanese‐Oriental ‘Kampo’ Medicine at Chiba University Hospital. We measured the depth of the abdominal artery from the midline of the body surface and the blood vessel diameter at that point, and calculated the averages of these parameters among all patients at three locations of abdominal aortic pulsation (epigastrium, supra‐umbilical region, and infra‐umbilical region) on the CT section.ResultsThe detection rate of abdominal aortic pulsation was highest in the supra‐umbilical region (30%), followed by the epigastrium (21%) and the infra‐umbilical region (15%). The average depth of the aorta from the body surface was shallowest in the supra‐umbilical region (74.9 mm) and deepest at the epigastrium (103.5 mm). As the depth of the artery decreased at the epigastrium and supra‐umbilical region, significant abdominal aortic pulsation was observed (P = 0.006 and P = 0.001, respectively).ConclusionOur study demonstrates that abdominal aortic pulsation is anatomically associated with the depth of the artery. The supra‐umbilical region appeared to be the most suitable location for evaluating abdominal aortic pulsation, as the aortic artery is shallowest at that point and is least influenced by the depth of the abdominal artery.
Gesundheitsinformationsverhalten 65+: Erreichbarkeit älterer Zielgruppen
Authors: Stehr Paula , Weber Winja , Rossmann Constanze 
Published: December 2020

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund
Der Anteil älterer Personen in der Bevölkerung wächst stetig. Gleichzeitig steigen im Alter die Risiken für gesundheitliche Probleme. Aus Sicht der Gesundheitsförderung ist es deshalb wichtig, diese Zielgruppe zu erreichen. Für die Auswahl geeigneter Kommunikationskanäle sollte das Mediennutzungs- bzw. Gesundheitsinformationsverhalten berücksichtigt werden. Dabei kann auch eine Segmentierung der heterogenen Zielgruppe 65+ in Teilzielgruppen notwendig sein.

Ziel des Beitrags
Der Beitrag liefert aktuelle empirische Daten zum Gesundheitsinformationsverhalten der Zielgruppe 65+ insgesamt sowie spezifischer Teilzielgruppen. Auf dieser Basis können geeignete Kommunikationskanäle ausgewählt werden, um diese Gruppen gezielt zu erreichen.

Methodik
Es wurden zunächst 20 Personen mit qualitativen Leitfadeninterviews befragt und anschließend eine standardisierte telefonische Befragung von 1001 zufällig ausgewählten Personen ab 65 Jahren durchgeführt.

Ergebnisse
Die Zielgruppe 65+ kann am besten über interpersonale und traditionelle, massenmediale Quellen erreicht werden. Dabei spielen, insbesondere für chronisch kranke Menschen, auch gesundheitsspezifische Angebote wie Apothekenzeitschriften eine wichtige Rolle. Weiterhin stellen Gespräche mit medizinischem Personal eine wichtige Quelle für chronisch Erkrankte und Menschen mit einem eher negativen Altersbild dar. Über das Internet werden eher Männer und Personen mit höherem Einkommen erreicht.

Diskussion
Die Älteren in Deutschland sind eine heterogene Zielgruppe. Bei der Erreichbarkeitsplanung müssen Unterschiede im Gesundheitsinformationsverhalten verschiedener Teilzielgruppen berücksichtigt werden. Weiterhin sollten auch Inhalte und Gestaltung von Kommunikationsmaßnahmen evidenzbasiert konzeptioniert werden.
A novel mathematical formulation for solving the dynamic and discrete berth allocation problem by using the Bee Colony Optimisation algorithm
Authors: Prencipe Luigi Pio , Marinelli Mario 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBerth allocation is one of the crucial points for efficient management of ports. This problem is complex due to all possible combinations for assigning ships to available compatible berths. This paper focuses on solving the Berth Allocation Problem (BAP) by optimising port operations using an innovative model. The problem analysed in this work deals with the Discrete and Dynamic Berth Allocation Problem (DDBAP). We propose a novel mathematical formulation expressed as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) for solving the DDBAP. Furthermore, we adapted a metaheuristic solution approach based on the Bee Colony Optimisation (BCO) for solving large-sized combinatorial BAPs. In order to assess the solution performance and efficiency of the proposed model, we introduce a new set of instances based on real data of the Livorno port (Italy), and a comparison between the BCO algorithm and CPLEX in solving the DDBAP is performed. Additionally, the application of the proposed model to a real berth scheduling (Livorno port data) and a comparison with the Ant Colony Optimisation (ACO) metaheuristic are carried out. Results highlight the feasibility of the proposed model and the effectiveness of BCO when compared to both CPLEX and ACO, achieving computation times that ensure a real-time application of the method.
Situating ICT in early childhood teacher education
Authors: Masoumi Davoud 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPreparing the next generation of preschool teachers who can integrate and make use of ICT to capitalise on and develop young children’s digital competences remains a challenging goal for teacher education programmes (TEP). Given the current gaps in the literature, this study aims to expand and deepen our understanding of the extent to which early childhood pre-service teachers encounter ICT during their training and how they are prepared to use digital technologies in their future practices. The empirical data was generated through a focus group study with pre-service teachers and interview with their teacher educators at an institution of higher education in Sweden. The findings of the study suggest that pre-service teachers feel they have not been adequately prepared to integrate ICT into their future educational practices in preschool. Teacher educators, however, demonstrated a completely different perspective, highlighting a variety of initiatives that they were implementing to prepare the next generation of preschool teachers to use digital technologies. It will discuss why pre-service teachers, unlike teacher educators, feel they are not being adequately prepared to use digital technologies in early childhood education. The study also provides a detailed account of the varied procedures involved in preparing pre-service teachers’ digital competences and makes recommendations to teacher educators on how to enhance future preschool teachers’ TPACK.
A domain-specific language framework for farm management information systems in precision agriculture
Authors: Groeneveld Desirée , Tekinerdogan Bedir , Garousi Vahid , Catal Cagatay 
Published: December 2020

AbstractFarm management information system (FMIS) is an important element of precision agriculture to support the decision making process in the agricultural business. Developing FMIS is not trivial and requires the proper design and implementation models for supporting the understandability, enhancing communication and analysis of the design decisions, and the communication among stakeholders. To cope with these challenges, a Domain-specific language (DSL) framework for the design and development of precision-agriculture FMISs is proposed and evaluated. The DSL framework is developed based on a domain-driven design approach in which a feature diagram is provided that represents the common and variant features of the precision agriculture domain. The key requirements for the DSL framework are discussed, the scope of the DSL is defined, and the set of DSLs for supporting FMISs is presented. A controlled experiment demonstrates that the proposed DSL framework is easy to learn and to use, and is effective in developing high-quality system models for precision agriculture.
Phase transitions on the Markov and Lagrange dynamical spectra
Authors: Lima Davi , Moreira Carlos Gustavo 
Published: December 2020

The Markov and Lagrange dynamical spectra were introduced by Moreira and share several geometric and topological aspects with the classical ones. However, some features of generic dynamical spectra associated to hyperbolic sets can be proved in the dynamical case and we do not know if they are true in classical case.
They can be a good source of natural conjectures about the classical spectra: it is natural to conjecture that some properties which hold for generic dynamical spectra associated to hyperbolic maps also hold for the classical Markov and Lagrange spectra.

In this paper, we show that, for generic dynamical spectra associated to horseshoes, there are transition points

a

and

\tilde a

in the Markov and Lagrange spectra respectively, such that for any

\delta > 0

, the intersection of the Markov spectrum with

(−\infty ,a−\delta )

has Hausdorff dimension smaller than one, while the intersection of the Markov spectrum with

(a,a + \delta )

has non-empty interior. Similarly, the intersection of the Lagrange spectrum with

(−\infty ,\tilde a−\delta )

has Hausdorff dimension smaller than one, while the intersection of the Lagrange spectrum with

(\tilde a,\tilde a + \delta )

has non-empty interior. We give an open set of examples where

a \neq \tilde a

and we prove that, in the conservative case, generically,

a = \tilde a

and, for any

\delta > 0

, the intersection of the Lagrange spectrum with

(a−\delta ,a)

has Hausdorff dimension one.
Towards simulating a realistic data analysis with an optimised angular power spectrum of spectroscopic galaxy surveys
Authors: Faggioli Guglielmo , Tanidis Konstantinos , Camera Stefano 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe angular power spectrum is a natural tool to analyse the observed galaxy number count fluctuations. In a standard analysis, the angular galaxy distribution is sliced into concentric redshift bins and all correlations of its harmonic coefficients between bin pairs are considered—a procedure referred to as ‘tomography’. However, the unparalleled quality of data from oncoming spectroscopic galaxy surveys for cosmology will render this method computationally unfeasible, given the increasing number of bins. Here, we put to test against synthetic data a novel method proposed in a previous study to save computational time. According to this method, the whole galaxy redshift distribution is subdivided into thick bins, neglecting the cross-bin correlations among them; each of the thick bin is, however, further subdivided into thinner bins, considering in this case all the cross-bin correlations. We create a simulated data set that we then analyse in a Bayesian framework. We confirm that the newly proposed method saves computational time and gives results that surpass those of the standard approach.
The (Very) Political Dissent: Dissenting Opinions and the Polish Constitutional Crisis
Authors: Bricker Benjamin 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis Article examines changes in dissent patterns that occurred on the Polish Constitutional Tribunal during a period of intense constitutional and political change in Poland. An analysis of these dissents shows judges only rarely used this opportunity to express the traditional differences of opinion on law or policy. Instead, judges on the Tribunal increasingly used dissents in an altogether new form – as a way to broadcast allegations of legal and procedural violations that occurred within the court’s operation itself. More troublingly, some judges also used their dissents to advance distinctly political narratives and overtly attempt to de-legitimize the court’s announced decisions. Ultimately, these dissents show that constitutional judges may not be immune to participating in the larger social and constitutional battles within society. In fact, these dissent patterns suggest that, in a more fragmented and polarized era of politics, judges can and have made use of the dissent as a way to broadcast distinctly political messages.
The Implementation of Collective Redress – A Comparative Approach
Authors: Stöhr Alexander 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis Article attempts to outline the optimal implementation of collective redress by using a comparative approach. After exploring the weaknesses of individual actions, which should be avoided, this Article presents the main forms of collective redress that exist in the various states. In particular, these forms include: Group action, representative action, and group settlement. The comparison of the various legal orders demonstrates the existence of several important parameters that need to be evaluated in order to design appropriate legislation. As a result, this Article supports alignment with the American class action and proposes specific modifications in order to eliminate several disadvantages of the original model.
Measuring mental health and well-being of South African undergraduate students
Authors: Eloff Irma , Graham Marien 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Background
Increased investment in optimal student mental health and well-being has been noted by universities around the world. Studies show the need for contextually relevant, granular understandings of specific aspects of student mental health and well-being.

Methods
A survey was conducted at two time points – at the beginning and end of the academic year – at a large, urban university in South Africa. The Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, the Flourishing Scale, and the Fragility of Happiness Scale were used in the testing of undergraduate students from a variety of scientific disciplines. Two separate comparisons were made, based on the baseline data (n = 551) and the follow-up data (n = 281). In Comparison 1 (baseline, n = 443; follow-up, n = 173), two independent, biographically (very) similar groups were compared. Comparison 2 (n = 108) compared the results from the baseline and follow-up of the same group of students who completed the instruments at both time points.

Results
Results indicate a significant decline in mental health and well-being for both groups (independent and dependent) over the course of the academic year. Both follow-up groups were found to have lower psychological, emotional and social well-being, psychological flourishing, and reduced mental health, in comparison with the baseline groups.

Conclusions
The statistically significant decreases in the mental health and well-being of participants in this study indicate the need for substantive interventions to support student mental health and well-being. Strong foci for well-being interventions should include self-efficacy, sense of direction, meaning and creating a sense of belonging.
Anthony Trollope: Novelist of the “Democratic Revolution”
Authors: Henary Sara 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAnthony Trollope uses the characters and drama of his “semi-political” Palliser novels to pursue the ends of Alexis de Tocqueville's political science in a lighthearted yet serious way. Describing himself as an “advanced conservative Liberal,” Trollope claims that his “political theory” is expressed most fully in the Palliser novels. Preoccupied with the phenomenon Tocqueville designates the “democratic revolution,” the novels emphasize the historical “tendency towards equality,” consider its social and political implications, and intimate how traditionally aristocratic England might respond to it. While he endorses the justice of the democratic revolution, Trollope shows that it is accompanied by such disadvantages as a decline in human excellence and greatness. Realistic depictions of character arouse sympathy for his view that by adopting a posture of prudent liberalism toward the advance of equality, the English could both reform their aristocratic institutions and rely on those institutions to mitigate the excesses of democracy.
Perceptions of wild bees and farm characteristics associated with the uptake of pollinator-supporting land management practices among Canadian apple growers
Authors: Nalepa Rachel A. , Epstein Graham , Pittman Jeremy , Colla Sheila R. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPollination services are critical for food production. Although domesticated honey bees are important pollinators in agriculture, there is growing interest in supporting naturally occurring wild bees. Diversifying pollination management strategies by encouraging healthy wild bee communities may be especially useful for growers of insect-pollinated crops, such as apples. Although research has identified several land management practices that can enhance local pollinator communities on farms, there are few studies on the factors that influence growers to adopt pollinator-supporting actions on their land. Here, we surveyed 75 Canadian apple growers and used regression models to explore the influence of farm characteristics and perceptions about bees on the likelihood of adopting 15 unique pollinator-supporting practices. We also provide a descriptive analysis of growers' pollination management practices and self-assessed resourcefulness on the ability to improve habitat for wild pollinators on the farm. We found that an increase in three variables: awareness of wild bees, perception of the severity of threats facing wild populations, and the perception of the benefits provided by wild bees is associated with more pollinator-supporting practices on the farm. Overall, growers were less likely to adopt pollinator-friendly practices as the fraction of rented land increased and as the perceived costs of implementing these practices rose. We found ‘low-hanging fruit’ (i.e., pollinator-supporting practices that could be easily and inexpensively implemented) were adopted by less than one-third of growers and that the majority of those surveyed had little to no knowledge on what actions to take if they wanted to improve their farms for wild bees or where to go for that knowledge. Our results suggest that policies and programs that focus on raising grower awareness of wild bees, increasing grower perception of their benefits, and reducing the perceived costs of implementing pollinator-supporting practices may positively affect their uptake. A deeper understanding of grower perceptions will provide essential insight into how growers may contribute to wild pollinator conservation while potentially increasing agricultural production and reducing vulnerability borne of heavy reliance on managed pollinators.