bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sampling in Difficult Settings: A Simulation Study Comparing Several Sampling Methods
Authors: Shannon Harry S. , Emond Patrick D. , Bolker Benjamin M. , Viveros-Aguilera Román 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background:Taking a representative sample to determine prevalence of variables like disease is difficult when little is known about the target population. Several methods have been proposed, including a recent revision of the World Health Organization’s Extended Program on Immunization (EPI) surveys. The original EPI method samples towns as Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) with probability proportional to size and uses a nearest neighbour approach to sample households within PSUs. The new version samples from smaller PSUs and conducts a probability sample of households within those PSUs. Other techniques use satellite images and Global Positioning Systems to sample within towns from circles around randomly identified points (‘Circle’ method) or from randomly sampled squares in a superimposed grid (‘Square’ method). We compared these sampling methods in multiple virtual populations using computer simulation.Methods:We constructed 50 virtual populations with varying characteristics. Populations comprised about a million people across 300 towns. We created three populations with different prevalences of disease but with uniform characteristics across each population. We created a binary exposure variable and allocated disease statuses to individuals assuming different relative risks (RRs) of exposure. We simulated thirteen methods of sampling: simple random sampling; the original EPI method and variants; the Square and Circle methods; and the new EPI method. For each population, each sampling method, and each of three sample sizes per PSU (7, 15, and 30), we simulated 1,000 samples. For most sampling methods, the PSUs were towns. We conducted simulations using the same 30 PSUs and using a freshly-chosen set of PSUs. For each simulation we estimated prevalence and RRs and combined the bias and variance of the 1,000 samples to compute the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE).Results: The Circle and Square methods produced almost identical results, so we report only the Square method results. Apart from simple random sampling, the RMSE for the Square method was almost universally best for estimating prevalence, and generally best when estimating relative risks. The revised EPI approach was worse, but generally better than the original EPI. Conclusions:The Square method is recommended as statistically optimal, unless practical considerations favour another approach.
Deterministic and probabilistic evaluation of raw and post-processing monthly precipitation forecasts: a case study of China
Authors: Li Yujie , Xu Bin , Wang Dong , Wang QJ , Zheng Xiongwei , Xu Jiliang , Zhou Fen , Huang Huaping , Xu Yueping 
Published: May 2021

AbstractMonthly Precipitation Forecasts (MPF) play a critical role in drought monitoring, hydrological forecasting and water resources management. In this study, we applied two advanced Machine Learning Models (MLM) and latest General Circulation Models (GCM) to generate deterministic MPFs with a resolution of 0.5° across China. Then the Bayesian Joint Probability (BJP) modeling approach is employed to calibrate and generate corresponding ensemble MPFs. Raw and post-processing MPFs were put against gridded observations over the period of 1981–2015. The results indicated that: (1) for deterministic evaluation, the forecasting performance of MLMs was more inclined to generate random forecasts around the mean value, while the GCMs could reflect the increasing or decreasing trend of precipitation to some degree; (2) for probabilistic evaluation, the four BJP calibrated ensemble MPFs were unbiased and reliable. Compared to climatology, reliability and sharpness were all significantly improved. However, in terms of overall accuracy metric, the ensemble MPFs generated from MLMs were similar to climatology. In contrast, the ensemble MPFs generated from GCMs achieved better forecasting skill and were not dependent on forecasting regions and months. Moreover, the post-processing method is necessary to achieve not only bias-free but also reliable as well as skillful ensemble MPFs.
Withdrawal Notice: Research on Data Security Detection Algorithm in IoT Based on K-means
Authors: Zhu Jianxing , Huo Lina , Ansari Mohd Dilshad , Ikbal Mohammad Asif 
Published: May 2021

The article has been withdrawn at the request of the editor of the journal Recent Advances in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, due to incoherent content.

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A Study to Investigate the Prevalence of Device-Specific Errors in Inhaler Technique in Adults With Airway Disease (The SCORES Study): Protocol for a Single Visit Prevalence Study
Authors: De Vos Ruth , Brown Thomas , Longstaff Jayne , Lomax Mitch , Mackenzie Heather , Hicks Alexander , Rupani Hitasha , Gates Jessica , Fox Lauren , Wiffen Laura , Chauhan Anoop J 
Published: May 2021

Background
It is a recurring theme in clinical practice that patients using inhaled medications via an inhaler do not use their device to a standard that allows for optimum therapeutic effect, and some studies have shown that up to 90% of people do not use their inhalers properly. Observation and correction of the inhaler technique by health care professionals is advised by both national and international guidelines and should be performed at every opportunity to ensure that the optimum inhaler technique is achieved by the user. This study will provide a greater understanding of the most frequent technique errors made by people using 13 different inhaler types.

Objective
This study aims to identify and compare inhaler technique errors and their prevalence in adults, using device-specific checklists in accordance with manufacturers’ guidelines, for 13 specific inhaler types across all lung conditions and to correlate these errors with possible determinants of poor technique. It also aims to assess the error frequency at each step in the device-specific questionnaires and compare the error rates among device types.

Methods
In a single visit, participants using an inhaler included in the inclusion criteria will have their inhaler technique observed using an identical placebo device, which will be recorded using device-specific checklists, and technique-optimized, or switched to a suitable inhaler.

Results
The study is already underway, and it is anticipated that the results will be available by 2022.

Conclusions
The SCORES (Study to Investigate the Prevalence of Device-Specific Errors in Inhaler Technique in Adults With Airway Disease) study will ascertain the prevalence of device-specific inhaler technique errors at each step in the device-specific checklists, compare error rates among 13 device types, and correlate these errors with possible determinants of poor technique. Future work will involve the clarification and classification of these errors into critical and noncritical categories.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04262271; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04262271

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
DERR1-10.2196/26350
Spectrally resolved measurements of the El Chichon cloud, may 1982 - august 1983
Authors: Lockwood G.W. , White N.M. , Thompson D.T. , Tug H. 
Published: May 2021

Se hicieron diariamente mediciones de la extinción atmosférica de 330 a 840 mn en mayo de 1982 y mensualmente después, las cuales revelaron el arribo y evolución de la nube de desechos volcánicos y condensados sobre Flagstaff, Arizona. La profundidad óptica de la nube alcanzó su pico ͌0.3 el 15 de mayo y permaneció a niveles de alrededor de 0.1 hasta fines de 1982. En el otoño de 1983 había caído a ͌0.5. La dependencia de la extinción de la longitud de onda es congruente con el transporte global de la nube y con los cambios en la distribución de tamaños de las partículas reportados en otros trabajos de este volumen.
CALLING THE POLICE AS DISPROPORTIONATE FORCE
Authors: Husak Douglas 
Published: May 2021

AbstractPersons who dial 911 are often able to foresee that the subsequent levels of force police employ will be excessive, disproportionate, and therefore wrongful. This might seem to justify the provocative thesis that persons who call the police against suspected unlawful aggressors act impermissibly and deserve some quantum of blame for what they have done. In this paper, I critically examine and ultimately reject this thesis and discuss several possible grounds on which it might be false.
Preparing Auditors for the Blockchain Oracle Problem
Authors: Sheldon Mark D. 
Published: May 2021

SUMMARY
This article summarizes “Auditing the Blockchain Oracle Problem” (Sheldon 2021), which introduces auditors to the risks of having an irreversible business agreement codified on a blockchain using a short software program called a smart contract that relies on an oracle to provide information from outside the blockchain in order to execute correctly. The article begins with an explanation of the role that oracles play in the blockchain ecosystem and proposes a working definition of oracles. Next, the article highlights how the auditing standards from both the AICPA and PCAOB can be interpreted to classify an oracle as part of smart contract users' information systems, and that the oracle provides a robust set of services that qualify it as a service organization. Finally, the article describes the process used by an oracle to collect, store, transform, and transmit data, and highlights relevant risks and illustrative control objectives related to this process.
Læringsfremmende vurderingspraksis på ungdomstrinnet: Funn fra TALIS 2018 og LISA-prosjektet
Authors: Carlsten Tone Cecilie , Throndsen Inger , Klette Kirsti 
Published: May 2021

Assessment practices promoting learning at the lower secondary level: Findings from TALIS 2018 and the LISA project
This chapter presents some of the results from the Norwegian TALIS 2018 survey related to professional knowledge, competence, and practice. Findings from teachers’ reporting on their own teaching practices are highlighted, specifically the part of their teaching that deals with assessment practices. Results from the TALIS survey are then interpreted in light of the results from a research project that deals with the same topic with other data sources.
The Linking Instruction and Student Achievement project (LISA) combines video data from teaching practices in language arts and mathematics at the lower secondary level with test results from national tests (reading and arithmetic) from the same classes from which the observation data were taken. LISA is the largest video study of its kind of classroom practices in the Nordic countries and is a suitable frame of interpretation for TALIS 2018 data, as all data materials are linked to the last period of the former national curriculum in Norway. Findings from TALIS 2018 show that there could have been far more teachers who checked that the feedback they provide on written assignments is understood by their students. Results from the LISA project confirms this finding and also show that quite a few teachers are responsible for a large part of the feedback that is regarded to be of high quality. The chapter indicates that there is great potential for working more collectively on this topic both in the teacher education stage and as part of a well-managed lifelong learning system for teachers.
Formas de (des)afección: Dos veces junio de Martín Kohan
Authors: Mandolessi Silvana 
Published: May 2021

Este artículo analiza la novela Dos veces junio (2002) de Martín Kohan desde la teoría de los afectos. El narrador de Dos veces junio se caracteriza por la ausencia, la suspensión, la vacilación o la supresión de afectos. Asumiendo que las respuestas afectivas corresponden necesariamente al momento histórico y a la esfera de la cual emergen, el artículo explora esta desafección como un componente esencial del funcionamiento del régimen autoritario que la novela retrata. Así, se sostiene que el afecto es no solo esencial para iluminar una época histórica sino la manera en que el pasado pervive en el presente ya que las inscripciones afectivas son las depositarias del sentido más oculto –y más original– de la memoria.
Reinstitucionalización del testimonio en América Latina desde la narrativa humanitaria
Authors: Basile Teresa 
Published: May 2021

Proponemos explorar la tradición del testimonio latinoamericano marcando dos modelos. En primer lugar, revisamos el testimonio de matriz revolucionaria, institucionalizado en 1970 por Casa de las Américas bajo el paradigma revolucionario y en cuyo interior analizamos tres tipos diferentes –el testimonio etnográfico, guerrillero y periodístico–. En segundo lugar abordamos la reinstitucionalización del testimonio bajo la narrativa de los Derechos Humanos hacia la década del 1980, focalizando en el caso Argentino. Nos interesa indagar los estatutos de cada modelo así como sus vínculos con el campo literario.
Letras de rock argentino: antagonismo, demanda y democracia
Authors: Secul Giusti Cristian 
Published: May 2021

El presente artículo expone un análisis discursivo político de 40 líricas de poprock publicadas en el marco de la transición democrática (1982-1989). Desde ese plano, la teoría desarrollada por Ernesto Laclau permite revisar y repensar los antagonismos, las articulaciones de demandas, las impugnaciones culturales y las tensiones hegemónicas en un período de cierre autoritario y comienzo de posdictadura.
The Anthropometric and Physiological Characteristics of Young Algerian Soccer Players
Authors: Beboucha Wahib , Belkadi Adel , Benchehida Abdelkader , Bengoua Ali 
Published: May 2021

SummaryObjective: The aim of this paper was to describe the anthropometric and physiological characteristics of young soccer players (U13) which were associated with their being successful or not as soccer players, and also to determine standard levels in the light of a test battery and indicators to select and guide the young talents as a scientific means to facilitate the selection. Method: A total of 390 soccer players age (U13). From 14 Algerian soccer clubs were enrolled and subjected to standard anthropometric, fitness (speed 20m, CMJ, skills-related performance testing. The testing battery will be described as will the process for converting test data into standardized scores. Data will be presented to show the strengths and weaknesses of some players. Result: After analysing the results based on the standard criteria for the proposed tests as well as the overall performance variable. And the ability of each youth to be selected according to their potential, and therefore it was stressed that the proposed criteria, which are scientific support for the field observation, should be emphasized to facilitate this process for Algerian soccer players. The findings from this study indicate that marked improvements and parameters associated with physical maturity such as height, weight, speed, VO2max, or chronological age are important to determine the success of a soccer player. At older ages, other factors such as agility seem to be more important. Nevertheless, players born in the 1st semester of the year are also more frequent in the older teams. These findings should be taken into account by trainers and coaches in order to avoid biasing their selection choices.
Relationship Between Reaction Time, Medal Winning and Performance in the 60 m Hurdle Indoor Event Before and After the Change of False Start Rule
Authors: Ntolaptsis Konstantinos , Panoutsakopoulos Vassilios 
Published: May 2021

Summary
60 m hurdles races are included in the World Indoor Athletics Championships and consist the shortest hurdle race distance. Thus, it is possible that the reaction time (RT) affects the finish time (t60mH) and the rank of the hurdlers. The aims of this research were: a) to examine the relationship between RT and t60mH, b) the possible differentiation of RT: c) between the hurdlers who won a medal in World Indoor Athletics Championships (WM) and those who did not (NMW), d) between hurdlers who competed before (BRC) and after (ARC) the change of the starting rules in 2009. Analysis included 70 performances (WM: n = 28; NMW: n = 42; BRC: n = 32; ARC, n = 38). The differences between WM and NMW and BRC and ARC were examined with independent samples T-test, while the possible relationship between RT and t60mH with Pearson’s correlation. The results showed that RT was not significantly different (p < .05) between WM and NMW and between BRC and ARC. A weak, but significant, positive correlation (r = .228, p = .016) between RT and t60mH was observed. Results revealed that RT is a factor that affects t60mH. In conclusion, the essential focus on the reaction time at the starting blocks must be given during the training process.
Baicalin decreases somatic cell count in mastitis of dairy cows
Authors: Burmańczuk Artur , Wojciechowska Beata , Gbylik-Sikorska Małgorzata , Gajda Anna , Markiewicz Włodzimierz , Sosin Ewa , Grabowski Tomasz 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Baicalin is a flavonoid that has an influence on molecular processes. It possesses anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidative, and antithrombotic properties. It was found that baicalein treatment attenuated the damage of the mammary gland induced by LPS, suppressed the activity of myeloperoxidase, TNFα, and IL-1β in mice with mastitis. The aim of the study was a pilot analysis of baicalin tolerability after intramammary (IMM) administration and its impact on somatic cell count (SCC) after multiple IMM treatment on dairy cows with clinical mastitis. Moreover, the determination of baicalin in milk was performed by the sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The pharmacokinetic analyses were performed using Phoenix® WinNonlin® 6.4 and ThothPro v 4.1 software. Twelve dairy cows with clinical mastitis were selected for this study. The pharmacodynamic endpoint was SCC level and the clinical investigation was also carried out. Baseline SCC analysis was performed every 24 h among all cows three days before the first dose (B1–B3). After the baseline monitoring, 8 days of treatment (T1–T8) was performed and 8 days within recovery period SCC level was observed (R1–R8). Starting from T1 to T8, a decrease of SCC in relation to baseline was characterized by a declining trend. The presented results confirm the effect of baicalin on the reduction of SCC in mastitis in dairy cows after this therapy. The current study has shown that baicalin accumulation was not confirmed.
Behavior of Square Footing Resting on Gypseous Soil and Surrounded by a Sheet Pile Wall
Authors: Hussein Mazin Ali , Jassam Mahmood G. , Abd Akram H. 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Laboratory model is used in this study to investigate the behavior of centrally loaded square footing resting on gypseous soil, and surrounded by a sheet pile wall at a distance of 2B from the footing edge and extend in depth to 2B as well. During this study the soil were subjected to ten cycles of saturation and drainage at one-week interval to simulate heavy rainfalls or floods. It should be noted that the soaking water were added only outside the area surrounded by the sheet pile. Four points were chosen to detect gypsum solubility, three of them below the footing edge at different depths and one outside the sheet pile wall for comparison. It has been found that the dissolved gypsum below the footing is significantly less than the one outside the sheet pile wall. For each cycle of saturation-drainage the gypsum content is found to be reduced by 3 % and 0.8 % for the outsider point and for average of the three points respectively. Settlement during first cycle of saturation – drainage was twice as the second cycle and about four times of the third cycle. However, this first cycle settlement is about 25 % of the settlement of footing where no sheet pile wall is used. To sum up, the sheet pile wall found to be an effective protection to reduce the collapsibility of gypsum soil and to reduce footing settlement.
Effect of Steel Fibers and Temperature on the Mechanical Properties of Reactive Powder Concrete
Authors: Abdelrahim Mahmoud Ahmed Ali , Elthakeb Aboelwafa , Mohamed Usama , Noaman Mohamed Taha 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is a concrete of the modern generation it mainly contains a high percentage of cement and a small percentage of water For cement as well as the presence of fine sand, ground quartz and silica dust. This research aims Studying the behavior and mechanical characteristics of RPC exposed to elevated temperatures. The key variables in this study are steel fibers content and the high temperatures of different levels 25, 200, 300, 400 ºC. Mechanical properties of concrete behavior including compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, stress-strain relationship (modulus of elasticity), and flexural strength. The test findings indicated that the Output strength of RPC specimens decreased when the high temperature increases. At a temperature of 400 °C, all samples lost the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength.
Evaluation of franchise system websites: the evidence from Croatia
Authors: Erceg Aleksandar , Kelić Ivan , Biloš Antun 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
This paper mainly aims to provide in-depth research on how Croatian franchisors utilise the possibilities of the digital environment in terms of their digital presence. The main focus of digital presence analysis is set on franchisors’ official website and supporting communication channels. For research, this paper focused on creating and testing a specialised evaluation model. The proposed model is dominantly based on three applicable models (Martinez & Gauchi, 2010; Rao & Frazer, 2005; Stefanović & Stanković, 2014) and revised according to the situational factors. A redesigned model was used to evaluate websites of Croatian franchisors, mainly focusing on the provided information, website usability, communication possibilities, and promotional activities. This research paper offers two main outcomes. The first outcome is the redesigned evaluation model, which was applied and tested with several provided improvement guidelines. The second outcome is the comparative analysis of the selected Croatian franchisors in terms of their digital presence and its relationship to several market-related indicators. The paper presents a literature review on franchising e-presence worldwide. The research results presented in this paper offer a better insight into the use of websites by Croatian franchisors. Based on their use, certain conclusions can be made. Consequently, a contribution is made to theoretical research about franchising in Croatia and can serve as a framework for further research in the region. Based on the findings of this paper and the information provided by Croatian franchisors about their products and/or services to current and potential buyers, investments in websites result in wider franchising networks and greater success in the market.