Survey-based Studies Research Articles

Online News Article Analytics: An Alternative Method to Explore Seasonal Issues in National Parks

Seasonality can affect the use of park resources and visitors’ experience in national parks. To understand seasonal issues, park managers have typically relied on survey-based studies that tend to be limited in sample sizes and data collection periods. The purpose of this study is to utilize online news article analytics as a complementary approach to find dynamic issues based on topic-modeling techniques in the context of South Korean national parks. A total of 12,994 online news articles were collected from a Korean search engine—NAVER. Results indicated common issues such as environmental degradation/protection, and visitor experience/ activity across all four seasons, along with distinctive issues for each season (e.g., fall foliage, park services, and protecting endangered species). Such findings can not only benefit managers in assisting the development of effective seasonal park management plans, but they can also promote visitors’ attention by providing dynamic seasonal issues in national parks.

The Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis and Associated Risk Factors Among University Students in Anatolia.

IntroductionAllergic rhinitis is a common disease in Turkey. However, there are not enough studies on its prevalence. Survey-based studies conducted by experienced and qualified researchers to large populations provide information about the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and risk factors associated with it.AimThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and related factors in university students in Anatolia.MethodsAn extended and modified form of “The European Community Respiratory Health Survey” was conducted to university students in Turkey. The data were obtained through a face-to-face interview method. R version 4.0.2 was used for statistical analysis. Data were presented as frequency and percentage. Chi-squared test of independence was used to analyze the relationship between allergic rhinitis diagnosis and other variables. Statistically significant variables were further analyzed with multivariate logistic regression test.ResultsData was collected from a total of 2020 participants, but 1714 participants were eligible for multivariate analysis. The mean age of the participants was 20.71 ± 3.12 years; 42.88 (n= 735) were male, and 57.12% (n= 979) were female. While the rate of those who thought that they had nasal allergies was 23.862% (n = 409), the rate of those diagnosed by a doctor was 15.986% (n = 274). The most common allergic symptom in the participants was sneezing, and the most common triggering factor was house dust.ConclusionWe found a high prevalence of 15.986% doctor diagnosed allergic rhinitis among university students in Anatolia. Genetic, environmental and economic factors were associated with high prevalence of allergic rhinitis.

Impact of intellectual capital on the financing of startups with new business models

PurposeFinancing investments in a knowledge-intensive sector may be more difficult as there is a greater degree of uncertainty and asymmetries of information. This paper aims to examine whether a company’s intellectual capital (human capital, relational capital and structural capital) can serve as a quality signal in the financing of health care startups with new business models.Design/methodology/approachThe study constructed a manual database using several paid and unpaid databases. This paper collected random data from 204 startups that obtained funding during the 2014–2017 period and used signaling theory to examine the factors that impact access to external financing for Indian health care technology startups.FindingsThis paper found that venture capitalists partly base their financing decisions on the relational capital of the startup represented by startups’ age and the average number of website visits, the presence of a syndicate of investors. Human capital variables and structural variables do not show much significant impact. This paper also find some business models show a negative impact on financing implying that investors are reluctant to invest in new technologies that carry more uncertainty and take a longer time to become profitable.Research limitations/implicationsBefore concluding this paper, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of the study and some implications for future research purposes. First, the study is conducted on only 204 startups from India, and as such, it suffers from a small sample size, like many other comparable survey-based studies in entrepreneurship. Second, the results are obtained with respect to data collected from Indian startups and represent the Indian context which limits the generalization on a global level.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that years of experience and prior relevant experience, do not actually impact the financing of a new venture. These results are crucial as India has a unique demographic advantage over other countries in relation to age. If young minds are adequately nurtured, this can result in innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation (which still remains as a foremost challenge for India).Social implicationsFrom a policy perspective, a number of implications emerge from the current study. There is a need for ameliorating the capacity of the education system in providing top-quality support including a greater focus on entrepreneurship courses and to replicate the education delivery model from top foreign institutes. The government should take this opportunity to revive the system of education and follow the methodology of elite institutes and to develop entrepreneurship spirit in other colleges and schools.Originality/valueFinancing the investments of young startups with new business models in knowledge-based sectors may be more difficult. In this paper, this paper demonstrates that startups have to effectively use and manage their intellectual assets to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. The findings of the paper emphasize the role of intellectual capital in securing financing through venture capital.

Health Care Professionals' Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Physical Activity in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.

The purpose of this study was to, combine current available literature across health professionals to determine commonalities and differences between knowledge and attitudes of physical activity (PA) and its importance within the cancer population. It aimed to identify any gaps in the literature to inform future study directions to enhance PA participation and improve health outcomes and quality of life. Design: systematic review. Google Scholar, EBSCO, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science. survey-based studies specifically reporting PA levels for both cancer patients and survivors from the perspective of oncology health care professionals. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) was used to guide this review. The initial search highlighted 15,342 articles and returned 190 articles with relevant titles, of which 20 met the eligibility criteria; 15.8% of cancer patients reported to meeting PA guidelines during treatment and 36.5% after treatment. On average 58.1% of health care professionals self-reported discussing PA with their cancer patients, with the average referral rate to an exercise specialist or rehabilitation program being 18.3%. Only a limited number of health care professionals are initiating a discussion about PA with their cancer patients. Some health care professionals reported limited knowledge of PA guidelines for cancer patients. Their own personal PA levels do not seem to be associated with whether they discuss PA with their patients. Common barriers to providing PA advice were experienced across all health care professions such as time, limited referral pathways, and patient interest. Future research should be carried out to substantiate these barriers and discover which strategies could be implemented to improve the levels of PA discussions and referrals within clinical practice. Given the position nurses hold within the health care system, it would be beneficial to upskill and improve their understanding of PA and exercise as medicine for the cancer population. This has enormous potential that could enhance PA advice and boost referrals to exercise professionals improving the health and quality of life of the cancer population.

Synthesizing neighborhood preferences for automated vehicles

Automated Vehicles (AVs) have gained substantial attention in recent years as the technology has matured. Researchers and policymakers envision that AV deployment will change transportation, development patterns, and other urban systems. Researchers have examined AVs and their potential impacts with two methods: (1) survey-based studies of AV preferences and (2) simulation-based estimation of secondary impacts of varied AV deployment strategies, such as Shared AVs (SAVs) and Privately-owned AVs (PAVs). While the preference survey literature can inform AV simulation studies, preference study results have so far not been integrated into simulation-based research. This lack of integration stems from the absence of data that measure preferences towards PAVs and SAVs at the neighborhood level. Existing preference studies usually investigate adoption likelihood without collecting appropriate information to link preferences to precise locations or neighborhoods. This study develops a microsimulation approach, incorporating machine learning and population synthesizing, to fill this data gap, leveraging a national AV perception survey (NAVPS) and the latest National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) data. The model is applied to San Francisco, CA, and Austin, TX, to test the concept. We validate the proposed model by comparing the spatial distributions of synthesized ride-hailing users and observed ride-hailing trips. High correlations between our synthesized user density and empirical trip distributions in two study areas, to some extent, verify our proposed modeling approach.

IT and E-Channel Performance in Small Retailers: The Mediation Mechanism of Resource Complementarities

Although small local retailers have been increasingly adopting e-channels, survey-based studies on this industry sector are relatively rare. This paper examines the effect of an IT resource on e-channel performance in small brick-and-click retailers. The research model includes both the direct and indirect effects of e-IT competence on e-channel performance. Empirical data gathered from 147 North American florists who use a website as an e-channel verify these mediation effects. The results show that the direct effect of e-IT competence on e-channel performance is significant in the absence of the mediators but is eliminated by introducing mediators, which demonstrates a true mediation mechanism. The findings of this research provide important implications for managing an e-retail system, particularly for small retailers with limited resources.

Definitions of Return to Sport After Hip Arthroscopy: Are We Speaking the Same Language and Are We Measuring the Right Outcome?

Background:Return to sport is a commonly studied outcome of hip arthroscopy that is relevant to both patients and providers. There exists substantial variability in criteria used to define successful return to sport.Purpose:To review and evaluate the definitions used in the literature so as to establish a single standard to enable comparison of outcomes in future studies.Study Design:Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.Methods:The PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase databases were searched from inception to June 1, 2019, for studies relating to hip arthroscopy and return to sport. Articles included were those that met the following criteria: (1) contained 2 or more patients, (2) studied patients 18 years of age and older, (3) reported postoperative outcomes after hip arthroscopy, (4) clearly defined return to play, and (5) were written in English. Excluded articles (1) reported outcomes for nonoperative or open treatments, (2) did not clearly define return to play, or (3) were review articles, meta-analyses, or survey-based studies. Return-to-play definitions and additional metrics of postoperative performance and outcome were recorded.Results:A total of 185 articles were identified, and 28 articles were included in the final review, of which 18 involved elite athletes and 10 involved recreational athletes. Of articles studying elite athletes, 6 (33%) defined return to play as participation in regular or postseason competition, 3 (17%) extended the criteria to the preseason, and 2 (11%) used participation in sport-related activities and training. The remaining 7 (39%) reported rates of return to the preoperative level of competition but did not specify preseason versus regular season. All 10 articles evaluating recreational athletes defined return to play based on patient-reported outcomes. Four (40%) did so qualitatively, while 6 (60%) did so quantitatively.Conclusion:There exists significant variability in criteria used to define successful return to sport after hip arthroscopy, and these criteria differ among elite and recreational athletes. For elite athletes, return to the preoperative level of competition is most commonly used, but there exists no consensus on what type of competition—regular season, preseason, or training—is most appropriate. For recreational athletes, patient-reported data are most commonly employed, although there are clear differences between authors on the ways in which these are being used as well.

How do we design and report a high-quality survey?

Every day, new surveys are planned, distributed, or reported by health care professionals. Surveys are an inexpensive and convenient research tool used with increasing frequency as an approach to gather and collate information on attitudes and behaviors for a specific topic. However, surveys can squander the valuable time of respondents who may derive little, if any, benefit from participation. Similar to any other research methodology, a careful design is needed to avoid introducing bias and to obtain meaningful information. A recent study evaluating the quality of surveys addressing clinical topics in transfusion medicine (TM) identified common deficiencies in the quality and design, including the failure to report validity and reliability, to address nonresponse error, to report funding and ethics/consent considerations, and to discuss the generalizability of results. Instructions to authors for reporting survey results are lacking in most journals. Inadequate survey design, analysis, and reporting can prevent accurate data collection and compromise the interpretation of the results, which is of critical relevance considering the high citation rates for some of these surveys. Further, survey results might be used to inform policies when no higher level of evidence is available. In this article, the authors seek to provide practical recommendations for designing high-quality surveys based on personal experience and published literature and to address frequently missing key elements in survey-based studies related to clinical TM.

The effect of intervention in nickel concentrations on benthic macroinvertebrates: A case study of statistical causal inference in ecotoxicology

Field survey-based ecological risk assessments for trace metals are conducted to examine the necessity and/or effectiveness of management intervention, such as setting of environmental quality standards. Observational datasets often involve confounders that may bias estimation of the effects of intervention (e.g., reduction of trace-metal concentrations through regulation). The field of ecotoxicology lags behind some other research fields in understanding proper analytical procedures for causal inference from observational datasets; there are only a few field survey-based ecotoxicological studies that have explicitly controlled for confounders in their statistical analyses. In the present study, we estimated the effect of intervention in nickel concentrations on Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera richness in rivers in Japan. We also provide detailed explanations for the backgrounds of spurious associations derived from confounders and on proper analytical procedures for obtaining an unbiased estimate of the targeted intervention effect by using regression analysis. We constructed a multiple regression model based on a causal diagram for aquatic insects and environmental factors, and on “the backdoor criterion,” that enabled us to determine the set of covariates required to obtain an unbiased estimate of the targeted intervention effect from regression coefficients. We found that management intervention in nickel concentrations may be ineffective compared to intervention in organic pollution, and that analysis ignoring the confounders overestimated the effect of intervention in nickel concentrations. Our results highlight the fact that confounders can lead to misjudging the necessity for management of anthropogenic chemical substances. Confounders should be explicitly specified and statistically controlled to achieve a comprehensive assessment of ecological risks for various substances.

Who is embracing the short-term rental of electric cars? A case study on Estonia

To achieve sustainability in the transport sector new technologies need to be complemented by new, sharing economy business models. Before launching policies to facilitate their diffusion, market segmentation and positioning needs to be considered. While the importance of innovators and early adopters in the diffusion of new technologies has already been emphasized for decades, their role and socioeconomic characteristics in the case of the diffusion of new business models remains under studied. This article investigates the socioeconomic characteristics of users of a short-term electric car rental service during a pilot phase of approximately-two years. The analysis is based on merging the service provider’s personalised user database with the National Population and Housing Census data. The results indicate that many of the observations from survey-based studies about the adoption of electric cars do not necessarily stand up in the context of a short-term rental service, particularly regarding the socioeconomic characteristics of the adopters such as age, family status, type of home and home ownership.

The impact of availability and identity of the caregiver on the post-stroke patient

Background After having a stroke, most patients are helped by a caregiver with activities that they cannot perform by themselves. The caregiver presence and actions are an important variable that may affect rehabilitation in many ways. The aim of this review study was to evaluate the impact of caregiver presence (or absence) and identity (spouse, family, or foreign domestic worker) on therapeutic exercise performance, depression symptoms, patient–spouse relations and total functional outcomes of stroke patients. Assessing these effects may help health care professionals and families to prioritise/choose the caregiver for their patient/family member. Methods A narrative literature review was conducted, focusing on one-direction effects (caregiver on patient effects) on the topics of interest mentioned, in a post-stroke population. PubMed, CINAHL, PEDro, Trip database, and Google Scholar were searched, and included studies of most designs and research qualities. The search strategy had not been specified before commencing the review. Each study was analysed individually with the purpose of synthesising the available evidence to achieve a greater understanding of this topic. Results A total of 17 relevant papers were included: six randomised controlled trials, six observational studies, two systematic reviews, two survey-based studies, and one case series. Trials were consistent with the positive effect that caregivers have on therapeutic exercise performance. Studies have shown a positive effect of caregivers on the patient's depressive symptoms, but only at the chronic phase after stroke. A spouse caregiver seems to more positively affect the patient–spouse relations in the acute phase of rehabilitation, while foreign domestic workers can improve these relations at more chronic phases. The presence of a caregiver is shown to decrease functional outcomes within institutionalised rehabilitation centres, while it is necessary and positively affects functionality at more chronic phases within community settings. Conclusions The advantages and disadvantages of employing a caregiver depend in many cases on the rehabilitation phase. The caregiver might be beneficial or harmful to the patient's functional progress, depressive symptoms and marital relationship depending on the rehabilitation phase. More studies are needed to assess the caregiver effects on post-stroke patients' rehabilitation and quality of life.

Assessing the perceived prevalence of research fraud among faculty at research-intensive universities in the USA

ABSTRACT Survey-based studies on research fraud often feature narrow operationalizations of misbehavior and use limited samples. Such factors potentially hinder the development of strategies aimed at reducing the frequency of wrongdoing among researchers. This study asked full-time faculty members in the natural, social, and applied sciences how frequently six types of research fraud (i.e., data fabrication, plagiarism, data falsification, authorship fraud, publication fraud, and grant fraud) occur in their field of study. These data come from mail and online surveys that were administered to a stratified random sample of tenured and tenure-track faculty members (N = 613) at the top 100 research universities in the United States. Factor-analytic modeling demonstrated that the survey items load on the hypothesized latent constructs and also confirmed the presence of a second-order factor. A specific type of authorship fraud – gift authorship – was perceived to be the most prevalent overall. The least common fraud was a form of data fabrication (i.e., creating data from a study that was never actually conducted). The results were largely consistent with previous studies indicating that serious forms of fraud like data fabrication are relatively rare. Future survey-based studies should pay careful attention to the multidimensional nature of research fraud.

Does ORTO-15 produce valid data for \u2018Orthorexia Nervosa\u2019? A mixed-method examination of participants\u2019 interpretations of the fifteen test items

PurposeOrthorexia Nervosa (ON) is defined as a pathological eating behaviour stemming from being “healthy” or “pure”. Survey-based studies typically rely on the ORTO-15 questionnaire or its variations to detect orthorexia. However, frequent post-hoc adjustments to the ORTO-15 suggest psychometric problems. In this study, we explored people’s cognitions about the ORTO-15 items to (1) identify problems specific to ORTO-15 items and (2) explore participants’ understanding of ON symptoms.MethodsFifty adult participants (40% male, mean age = 34.0 ± 14.4 years) completed the ORTO-15, the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory–Revised edition (OCI-R). Qualitative data were collected using the modified “think aloud” protocol, which asked participants to ‘verbalise’ their responses to the ORTO-15 items. These qualitative responses were first analysed conjunctively with the quantitative responses; then subjected to thematic analysis.ResultsORTO-15 identified 64% of the participants for orthorexic tendencies. In most cases (76%), participants reported no issues completing the ORTO-15. However, in some cases, qualitative responses differed from quantitative ones. When people encountered problems, it was because of poor psychometric construction: lack of clarity, ambiguous wording and multiple statements in a single item. Elaborations around the ORTO-15 items formed four major themes: “preoccupation with physical appearance”, “control”, “food is fuel” and “alone, not isolated”.ConclusionEven though in the majority of cases there were no issues with completing ORTO-15, thematic analysis revealed several discrepancies between our participants’ perceptions of the ORTO-15 items and the previously proposed diagnostic criteria for ON. The results suggest that ORTO-15 is, at best, a mediocre screening tool for ON, which is sensitive to diet but fails to have sufficient level of specificity to detect the pathological stage. More accurate instruments are needed to further research on ON.Level of evidenceV (cross-sectional descriptive study with qualitative analysis).

A Method to Introduce Building Performance Simulation to Beginners

Competence in performing Building Performance Simulations (BPS) is a fundamental asset for an energy specialist. However, teaching BPS to new students can be challenging, often due to the overwhelming capabilities of the software. The consequences for students are frustration and lack of confidence using the software, dividing group work based on previous expertise and, most importantly, the inability to predict and critically analyse results due to the superficial understanding of simulations. This paper presents and evaluates a simple method named ‘control method’ which is intended to introduce BPS in classes where students have a limited experience working with BPS, significantly different educational backgrounds, and where the time to teach BPS in class is limited. The method is built around the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes taxonomy. It aims to provide the students with a basic understanding of the input-output relationship between parameters, prompting the use of BPS independently during their individual study time. The application of the method is evaluated with two survey-based studies. The findings suggest that the method prompts higher level thinking in BPS and collaborative learning in groups. Further investigation is needed to verify if students’ ability to predict results is also increased.

Medically Defined Infertility Versus Self-Perceived Fertility Problem: Implications of Survey Wording for Assessing Associations with Depressive Symptoms.

Objective: To examine how measures of infertility based on medical criteria and based on self-perception relate to depressive symptoms among women with infertility.Background: Survey-based studies of depressive symptoms have used either measures of self-reported infertility based on meeting medical criteria or measures of self-perceived fertility problems, but seldom both. It is, therefore, not known which type of measure is more closely associated with depressive symptoms.Materials and Methods: Using ordinary least-squares multiple regression, this study compares associations between a measure of meeting medical criteria for infertility and a measure of self-perceived fertility problems with a common measure of depressive symptoms. Data come from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers, a population-based survey of 4,711 U.S. women.Results: Both meeting medical criteria for infertility and self-perception were associated with depressive symptoms after controlling for a number of relevant variables, but the coefficient for the self-perception measure was slightly higher than the coefficient for medical criteria.Conclusion: If possible, both medical criteria and self-perception measures should be used in studies of the consequences of infertility for psychosocial outcomes. If only one measure can be used, self-perception of a fertility problem is an acceptable measure.

MP59-05 SURVEY ON ATTITUDE TOWARD BRAIN-DEAD AND LIVING DONOR TRANSPLANTATION IN MEDICAL STUDENTS

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:We conducted one of the largest survey-based studies about attitude toward organ transplantation in medical students, which was the first study to assess its chronologica...

Explaining Support for Political Violence: Grievance and Perceived Opportunity

What explains support for violence against the state? The surge in survey-based studies in (former) conflict areas has improved our understanding of the determinants of armed conflict. Yet, the potential interaction between grievances and political opportunity structure has received little attention in microlevel studies. Integrating common arguments from the civil war literature with the political behavior tradition, this article argues that perceived political efficacy, a central component of the political opportunity structure, moderates the association between individual and group grievance and people’s support for political violence. It represents a first individual-level test of the argument that perceived political opportunity structure and grievances combine to explain internal armed conflict. Using original survey data from Guatemala, Nepal, and Northern Ireland (2016), we find robust empirical evidence that support for violence increases with perceived grievance and decreases with political efficacy; and some evidence of an interaction between the two.

How do firms set prices? Narrative evidence from corporate filings

We quantify narrative evidence from archived corporate filings to construct a novel dataset on the price-setting behavior of public companies. Our approach is closely related to that of survey-based studies on price setting, but we collect data from twenty-five years instead of one specific point in time. This allows us to investigate variation over time and to establish that qualitative information provided directly by firms is informative about the aggregate variables macroeconomists are fundamentally interested in. Our findings suggest that (i) price setting is asymmetric and has a strong state-dependent component, (ii) real rigidities in the form of strategic pricing complementarities are very common, and (iii) an increase in the number of price changes does not necessarily reflect a decrease in price rigidity. We discuss to what extent our results can be explained by strategic reporting behavior and consider their implications in the context of widely-used price-setting models.

Evaluation of thermal comfort in two neighboring climatic zones in Eastern India—an adaptive approach

Thermal comfort standards determine the sustainability and comfort in buildings. In order to determine the comfort conditions in the real environment and to include the adaptability of the subjects, numerous field survey-based comfort studies were conducted across the globe. Apart from the four environmental factors and two personal factors that affect thermal comfort, several interpersonal and non-thermal factors affect adaptation. However, previous studies reported from different climatic conditions also had their subjects as different natives, thus involving subjects with different interpersonal factors altogether. In this paper, we present the results of a cross-sectional thermal comfort study conducted with 436 subjects having close interpersonal factors, i.e. similar group of people in close geography but separated by two different climates, i.e. hot and humid type and cold type. Clothing insulation was significantly higher in cold climatic region than in the hot and humid region, while comfort temperature was significantly lower in the cold climate than in the hot and humid region. Compared to the published reports, the comfort temperatures varied widely: 18.4 °C to 36.1 °C in the hot and humid region and 11.1 °C to 30.1 °C in the cold climate region. We present a logistic regression model to predict the probability of fans running in the hot and humid region given the temperature variation. Also, presented is the probability of wearing warm clothing with plummeting temperature.

GIS Based Urban Renewal Area Awareness and Expectation Analysis Using Fuzzy Modeling

It is necessary to establish a new urban renewal approach, prioritizing the participation of the local society with the capability to resolve problems with the contributions of government, private sectors, and society.In urban renewal awareness and expectation research, generally, the results of survey-based studies are analyzed using statistical methods. Because of the lack of modelling regarding the spatial references in these questionnaire-based studies, no significant contributions can be made in the decision-making processes of planning that drive sustainable urban transformation. In the present study, by using the multiple-criteria fuzzy decision-making methods (Fuzzy DEMATEL + Fuzzy TOPSIS), the local society’s awareness and expectation levels about urban renewal were determined for 13 different neighborhoods. The results obtained were visualized on a satellite map by using the Geographical Information System (GIS)-supported geostatistical analysis methods. Given the results, and spatializing the level of urban renewal expectations, it was determined that the level of awareness and expectation was higher with local society involvement when compared to other residential areas since urban renewal project processes were started in the Ahi Evran and Küçük Ali residential areas of Kayseri province.