Large-scale Field Research Research Articles

ТРИ САРМАТСКИХ ПОГРЕБАЛЬНЫХ КОМПЛЕКСА ИЗ СТЕПНОГО КРЫМА

The work analyzes three recently discovered burial monuments of the 1st century BC – mid (?) 1st century AD in the Steppe Crimea. Their distinctive features are the use of an older kurgan for burial, the predominant orientation of the deceased to the northern sector, the insignificant depth of the burial, the paucity of grave goods, etc. – typical for early Sarmatian burials of the Northern Black Sea region. Therefore, the complexes under consideration should be correlated specifically with this cultural group. It is important to emphasize that, although large-scale field research in recent years has covered a significant part of the steppe space of the Crimean Peninsula, passing through it in a wide strip from east to west, Sarmatian monuments have not been identified in most of this territory. The newly opened complexes are located on the Kerch Peninsula and near it, i.e. in those areas in which Sarmatian burials were previously known. This only confirms the conclusion already made about the location of Sarmatian burials in the Steppe Crimea only in a narrow strip along the northern and north-eastern borders of the region, along the coast of the Black Sea and Sivash. This location, apparently, marks the path of the ancient nomads from the Dnieper region – one of the main areas of their settlement – to the ancient centers of the Crimean Peninsula, in particular Panticapaeum, to carry out trade and other relationships.

Monitoring sleep in real-world conditions using low-cost technology tools

ABSTRACT Monitoring sleep in real-world conditions requires bespoke equipment, e.g., Actigraphs or similar. However, such equipment is relatively expensive and not always available for large-scale field research. This study tests the possibility that sleep in real-world conditions can be monitored, sufficiently accurately, by tandems of commonly used smartphones (SP) and smartwatches (SW). 10 adult participants were asked to wear Actigraph, and SW for 30 consecutive nights. The accumulated records were analyzed using bi-variate statistics, mixed modeling and epoch-by-epoch analysis. A high degree of correspondence was found between Actigraph, SP/SW, and self-report records (R2 = 0.968–0.983). Although the mixed modeling also indicated high collinearity between Actigraphs and SP/SW tandems (b = 0.991; p < 0.001), it was also shown that SP/SW tandems add ⁓21.9 min to the Actigraph measurements while the self-reports were found to be even less accurate, adding ⁓39.9 min. Concurrently, the epoch-by-epoch analysis showed a good agreement between different types of measurements, varying between 81% and 100%. As we conclude, widely available and affordable SPs and SWs can help researchers to generate fairly reliable data for large-scale field studies, albeit measurement corrections need to be applied. Yet, estimates, obtained from sleep diaries, need to be treated with caution.

The story of a model restorative school: creative response to conflict at MS 217 in Queens, NY

PurposeRestorative practice programs in the USA and Western elementary and secondary schools have been the focus of intensive, large scale field research that reports positive impacts on school climate, pro-social student behavior and aggressive behavior. This paper aims to contribute to a gap in the research by reporting a case study of transformation of an urban middle school in a multi-year implementation of restorative practices.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports how Creative Response to Conflict (CRC) supported the transformation of Middle School 217, in Queens, NY, from a school with one of the highest suspension rates in New York City to a model restorative school. CRC’s model, which incorporates the themes of cooperation, communication, affirmation, conflict resolution, mediation, problem-solving, bias awareness, bullying prevention and intervention, social-emotional learning and restorative practices, helped shift the perspective and practice of the entire school community from punitive to restorative.FindingsImplementation of a full school advisory program using restorative circles for all meetings and classes and development of a 100% respect program committing all school community members to dignified and respectful treatment aided the transformation. Key to MS 217’s success was the collaboration of multiple non-profit organizations for provision of peer mediation training, after-school follow-up work, staff coaching and preventative cyberbullying training through the Social Media-tors! Program.Research limitations/implicationsChallenges to the restorative practices implementation are reviewed with attention to the implementation online during COVID-19.Originality/valueNext steps in the program post-COVID are articulated as a best practice model for other schools interested in adopting MS 217’s commitment, creativity and community-building to become a model restorative school.

Zinc concentration prediction in rice grain using back-propagation neural network based on soil properties and safe utilization of paddy soil: A large-scale field study in Guangxi, China

Zn is an essential nutrient for humans, with crucial biological functions. However, Zn concentration in rice grains is generally low. Therefore, a cereal-based diet may lead to Zn deficiency in people, further leading to a series of health problems, such as immune and brain dysfunction. Previous studies seldom focused on the accumulation of Zn in rice grains based on large-scale field research. In the present study, a large-scale field survey of paddy (n = 40,853) and paired soil–rice samples (n = 1332) was conducted in Guangxi, China. Zn concentration in soil and rice grains was determined, and the associations of its spatial distributions with lithology, soil properties, and Mn nodules were investigated. According to the daily rice intake of different age and sex groups and the values of recommended Zn intake and tolerable Zn upper intake level recommended by National Health Commission of China, the Zn threshold value of the rice grain is 15.47–24.49 mg·kg−1. Moreover, a back-propagation neural network (BPNN) model was used to predict the Zn bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of rice grains with high accuracy. Soil Zn concentration, Mn concentration, pH, and total organic carbon derived from Pearson's correlation analysis were used as input variables in the BPNN model. Compared with the multiple linear regression model, the developed BPNN model using the training (1198 samples) and testing (134 samples) datasets showed better performance in estimating rice Zn BAF, with R2 = 0.93, normalized mean error of 0.009, normalized root mean square error of 0.21. When the BPNN model was applied to the 40,853 paddy soil samples, 85.7% of the agriculture lands were within the rice threshold values. These findings further our understanding of the development and utilization of Zn-rich rice and soil.

Applications of Decision Support System: A Case Study of Solanaceous Vegetables

Crop simulation models constitute the major proportion in decision support systems. A large number of crop models have been developed for potato and few for tomato and peppers. In the literature, thirty three crop models have been reported to simulate potato, nine for tomato and six for peppers. Some of these models dealt with the climate change scenario and others with the crop management practices such as sowing time, irrigation, nitrogen, and insect-pests management. The most evaluated and applied models for potato include; SUBSTOR, and LINTUL-Potato, whereas CROPGRO-tomato model is the most tested and applied for tomato. The AQUACROP is the most widely used model to simulate the water dynamics. The CROPGRO model has been tested for elevated temperatures and CO2 under greenhouse conditions for tomato. In tomato and peppers, almost similar models have been applied for field conditions as well as under greenhouse environments with some modifications. Nitrogen dynamics has been widely tested by employing the EU-Rotate-N model for tomato and peppers. Simulation studies dealing with changing climate conditions are rare in potato and are not found for tomato and peppers. To modify potato, tomato and peppers models for climate impact studies, it is required that they are (a) calibrated and evaluated with new cultivars under various agro-environmental conditions and (b) assessed under varying field conditions under changing climates and crop management practices, including temperature increases, water and nutrient management and their interactions. These comprehensive model studies and modifications need a collaborative international effort and a multi-year, large scale field research studies on potato, tomato and peppers.

ОПЫТ СОЦИОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО АНАЛИЗА МНОГОАСПЕКТНЫХ ПОСЛЕДСТВИЙ ПАНДЕМИИ КАК НОВОЙ СОЦИАЛЬНОЙ РЕАЛЬНОСТИ

The article points out on the consequences of the pandemic in everyday social life, in online mode. So, the informants were asked questions connected to significant changes during the onset of Covid-19 in various social spheres. The methodology of the analytical approach is based on a qualified assessment of the situation according to the results of large-scale field research by the largest survey and analytical centers (Public Opinion Foundation, Higher School of Economics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, etc.), as well as valid publications of Russian scholars on the topic in peer-reviewed publications. Within the framework of the study, the methodology of mini-interviews with university age and status strata directly associated with the educational process is involved in relation to the problems posed. In the article several statements are given, so they reveal the opinion of representatives of the senior group of respondents – Doctors of Sciences who teach at the university, who have experienced new realities personally and within students’ interaction. According to the results of the new social reality lessons, in the analytical content of the informants` answers there is still expectation of returning to the daily life.

Establishment and development of national community-based collaborative innovation demonstration areas to achieve the control target of hepatitis B in China

BackgroundThe major infectious diseases of hepatitis B has constituted an acute public health challenge in China. An effective and affordable HBV control model is urgently needed. A national project of Community-based Collaborative Innovation HBV (CCI-HBV) demonstration areas has optimized the existing community healthcare resources and obtained initial results in HBV control.MethodsBased on the existing community healthcare network, CCI-HBV project combined the community health management and health contract signing service for long-staying residents in hepatitis B screening. Moreover, HBV field research strategy was popularized in CCI-HBV areas. After screening, patients with seropositive results were enrolled in corresponding cohorts and received treatment at an early stage. And the uninfected people received medical supports including health education through new media, behavior intervention and HBV vaccinations. In this process, a cloud-based National Information Platform (NIP) was established to collect and store residents’ epidemiological data. In addition, a special quality control team was set up for CCI project.ResultsAfter two rounds of screening, HBsAg positive rate dropped from 5.05% (with 5,173,003 people screened) to 4.57% (with 3,819,675 people screened), while the rate of new HBV infections was 0.28 per 100 person-years in the fixed cohorts of 2,584,322 people. The quality control team completed PPS sampling simultaneously and established the serum sample database with 2,800,000 serum samples for unified testing.ConclusionsCCI-HBV project has established a large-scale field research to conduct whole-population screening and intervention. We analyzed the HBsAg prevalence and new infection rate of HBV in the fixed population for the epidemic trend and intervention effect. The purpose of CCI-HBV project is to establish and evaluate a practical model of grid management and field strategy, to realize the new goal to control hepatitis B in China. To provide policymakers with a feasible model, our results are directly applicable.Trial registrationThe project was funded by the Major Projects of Science Research for the 11th and 12th five-year plans of China, entitled “The prevention and control of AIDS, viral hepatitis and other major infectious diseases”, Grant Nos. 2009ZX10004901, 2011ZX10004901, 2013ZX10004904, 2014ZX10004007 and 2014ZX10004008.

An Economic Analysis of Liability and Compensation for Harm from Large-Scale Field Research in Solar Climate Engineering

Solar climate engineering is under increasing consideration as a potential means to reduce climate change risks. Its field research may generate knowledge to reduce climate risks to humans and the environment and will, at a large-enough scale, pose its own risks, some of which will be of the transboundary kind. Liability or compensation for harm is frequently referenced as a possible component of international regulation of solar climate engineering but has been insufficiently developed. This article offers an economic analysis of the possible interrelated roles of rules, liability, and compensation in the future international regulation of large-scale field research in solar climate engineering. Notably, the benefits, risks, and incentives of climate-engineering research are unlike typical high-risk activities. The analysis proposes a hypothetical international agreement that links general and procedural rules for research, an international compensation fund, and limited, indirect state liability with a duty-of-care defence.

A telluric method for natural field induced polarization studies

Natural field induced polarization (NFIP) is a branch of low-frequency electromagnetics designed for detection of buried polarizable objects from magnetotelluric (MT) data. The conventional approach to the method deals with normalized MT apparent resistivity. We show that it is more favorable to extract the IP effect from solely electric (telluric) transfer functions instead. For lateral localization of polarizable bodies it is convenient to work with the telluric tensor determinant, which does not depend on the rotation of the receiving electric dipoles.Applicability of the new method was verified in the course of a large-scale field research. The field work was conducted in a well-explored area in East Kazakhstan known for the presence of various IP sources such as graphite, magnetite, and sulfide mineralization. A new multichannel processing approach allowed the determination of the telluric tensor components with very good accuracy. This holds out a hope that in some cases NFIP data may be used not only for detection of polarizable objects, but also for a rough estimation of their spectral IP characteristics.

Psychometric properties and convergent and predictive validity of an executive function test battery for two-year-olds.

Executive function (EF) is an important predictor of numerous developmental outcomes, such as academic achievement and behavioral adjustment. Although a plethora of measurement instruments exists to assess executive function in children, only few of these are suitable for toddlers, and even fewer have undergone psychometric evaluation. The present study evaluates the psychometric properties and validity of an assessment battery for measuring EF in two-year-olds. A sample of 2437 children were administered the assessment battery at a mean age of 2;4 years (SD = 0;3 years) in a large-scale field study. Measures of both hot EF (snack and gift delay tasks) and cool EF (six boxes, memory for location, and visual search task) were included. Confirmatory Factor Analyses showed that a two-factor hot and cool EF model fitted the data better than a one-factor model. Measurement invariance was supported across groups differing in age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), home language, and test setting. Criterion and convergent validity were evaluated by examining relationships between EF and age, gender, SES, home language, and parent and teacher reports of children's attention and inhibitory control. Predictive validity of the test battery was investigated by regressing children's pre-academic skills and behavioral problems at age three on the latent hot and cool EF factors at age 2 years. The test battery showed satisfactory psychometric quality and criterion, convergent, and predictive validity. Whereas cool EF predicted both pre-academic skills and behavior problems 1 year later, hot EF predicted behavior problems only. These results show that EF can be assessed with psychometrically sound instruments in children as young as 2 years, and that EF tasks can be reliably applied in large scale field research. The current instruments offer new opportunities for investigating EF in early childhood, and for evaluating interventions targeted at improving EF from a young age.

Impact of classes of development coordination tools on software development performance

Although a diverse variety of software development coordination tools are widely used in practice, considerable debate surrounds their impact on software development performance. No large-scale field research has systematically examined their impact on software development performance. This paper reports the results of a multinational field study of software projects in 209 software development organizations to empirically examine the influence of six key classes of development coordination tools on the efficiency (reduction of development rework, budget compliance) and effectiveness (defect reduction) of software development performance. Based on an in-depth field study, the article conceptualizes six holistic classes of development coordination tools. The results provide nuanced insights—some counter to prevailing beliefs—into the relationships between the use of various classes of development coordination tools and software development performance. The overarching finding is that the performance benefits of development coordination tools are contingent on the salient types of novelty in a project. The dimension of development performance—efficiency or effectiveness—that each class of tools is associated with varies systematically with whether a project involves conceptual novelty, process novelty, multidimensional novelty (both process and conceptual novelty), or neither. Another noteworthy insight is that the use of some classes of tools introduces an efficiency-effectiveness tradeoff. Collectively, the findings are among the first to offer empirical support for the varied performance impacts of various classes of development coordination tools and have important implications for software development practice. The paper also identifies several promising areas for future research.

L'érosion des sols cultivés en France sous l'action du ruissellement

Soil erosion by runoff in the cultivated areas in France. After the works to restore the soils in mountainous areas at the end of the 19th and in the 20th, the main concern is now focused on erosion in plateaux and hilly areas : the loamy regions in the North and North East E.E.C. and the « Terreforts » of the South Western France with a large-scale farming industry, vineyards on slopes, some parts of old massives. A comparison is made with other countries in Western Europe, especially in the non Mediterranean area. Changes in the land organization and agricultural mechani zation are supposed to increase the soil erosion hazard. Large-scale field research must be developped, together with research on erosion processes to establish conservation practices adapted to this cultivated areas.

71 CORRELATION OF THE PARENT IMPRESSION OF TEMPERAMENTAL TRAIT SCALE WITH THE CAREY BEHAVIORAL STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE

A pilot study of the Parent Impression of Temperamental Traits (PITT) was conducted to determine the validity of its use as a short form alternative to the Carey Behavioral Style Questionnaire (BSQ). The PITT is a 27 item rating scale developed through an a priori factor analysis and modification of items from the BSQ. Administration and scoring of the PITT (requiring 5 min) are identical to the BSQ yielding mean scores for 9 temperamental variables: activity level-AL, rhythmicity-RH, approach/withdrawal AW, adaptability-AD, intensity of response-IR, mood-MO, persistence-PE, distractibility-DI, and threshold of response-TR.Parents of 423 children (ages 60-144 mo.) completed the PITT to establish normative data. Twenty parents completed both the PITT and BSQ. Pearson product moment correlations were significant for 8 of 9 temperamental traits: AL(rxy=.514,p<.001); RH(rxy=.643,p<.001); AW(rxy=.686,p<.001); AD(rxy=.458,p<.05); IR (rxy=.678,p<.001); MO(rxy=.114,NS); PE(rxy=.627,p<.05); DI(rxy=.405,p<.05); and TH(rxy=.570,p<.05).Acknowledging reliability limitations, the favorable correlation with the BSQ suggest that the PITT is a cost efficient and effective means to screen a child's temperamental characteristics in a primary care setting for anticipatory guidance, in diagnostic settings where temperament is one of many pieces of data to be collected and in large scale field research projects.

New measure of effects of persuasive communications: a chemical indicator of toothbrushing behavior.

The purpose of the present investigation was to develop a behavioral measure of attitude change and examine its utility for large-scale field research efforts. Three groups were formed from 68 junior and senior high school students and each was presented with a different form (positive, fear, neutral) of a communication within the context of a public school system's ongoing dental hygiene program. Cleanliness of their teeth was measured by a chemical in tablet form called a “disclosing tablet” which, when chewed, stains red the areas of concentration of bacterial placque on the teeth. This study involved taking a 35-mm. color slide of each S's mouth before and 2 wk. after the experimental communication. Preliminary results lend support to the effectiveness and utility of this procedure in assessing behavioral change within a natural setting.