scholarly journals Assessing large-scale weekly cycles in meteorological variables: a review

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1451-1491 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sanchez-Lorenzo ◽  
P. Laux ◽  
H.-J. Hendricks-Franssen ◽  
J. Calbó ◽  
S. Vogl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Meteorological Variables ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Weekly Cycles

Abstract. Several studies have claimed to have found significant weekly cycles of meteorological variables appearing over large domains, which can hardly be related to urban effects exclusively. Nevertheless, there is still an ongoing scientific debate whether these large-scale weekly cycles exist or not, and some other studies fail to reproduce them with statistical significance. In addition to the lack of the positive proof for the existence of these cycles, their possible physical explanations have been controversially discussed during the last years. In this work we review the main results about this topic published during the recent two decades, including a summary of the existence or non-existence of significant weekly weather cycles across different regions of the world, mainly over the US, Europe and Asia. In addition, some shortcomings of common statistical methods for analyzing weekly cycles are listed. Finally, a brief summary of supposed causes of the weekly cycles, focusing on the aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions and their impact on meteorological variables as a result of the weekly cycles of anthropogenic activities, and possible directions for future research, is presented.

scholarly journals Assessing large-scale weekly cycles in meteorological variables: a review

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 5755-5771 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sanchez-Lorenzo ◽  
P. Laux ◽  
H.-J. Hendricks Franssen ◽  
J. Calbó ◽  
S. Vogl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Meteorological Variables ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Weekly Cycles

Abstract. Several studies have claimed to have found significant weekly cycles of meteorological variables appearing over large domains, which can hardly be related to urban effects exclusively. Nevertheless, there is still an ongoing scientific debate whether these large-scale weekly cycles exist or not, and some other studies fail to reproduce them with statistical significance. In addition to the lack of the positive proof for the existence of these cycles, their possible physical explanations have been controversially discussed during the last years. In this work we review the main results about this topic published during the recent two decades, including a summary of the existence or non-existence of significant weekly weather cycles across different regions of the world, mainly over the US, Europe and Asia. In addition, some shortcomings of common statistical methods for analyzing weekly cycles are listed. Finally, a brief summary of supposed causes of the weekly cycles, focusing on the aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions and their impact on meteorological variables as a result of the weekly cycles of anthropogenic activities, and possible directions for future research, is presented.

Statistical methods for unidirectional switch designs: Past, present, and future

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 2872-2882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuozhao Zhan ◽  
Geertruida H de Bock ◽  
Edwin R van den Heuvel
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sample Size Calculation ◽  
Complex Interventions ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
New Treatment

Clinical trials may apply or use a sequential introduction of a new treatment to determine its efficacy or effectiveness with respect to a control treatment. The reasons for choosing a particular switch design have different origins. For instance, they may be implemented for ethical or logistic reasons or for studying disease-modifying effects. Large-scale pragmatic trials with complex interventions often use stepped wedge designs (SWDs), where all participants start at the control group, and during the trial, the control treatment is switched to the new intervention at different moments. They typically use cross-sectional data and cluster randomization. On the other hand, new drugs for inhibition of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease typically use delayed start designs (DSDs). Here, participants start in a parallel group design and at a certain moment in the trial, (part of) the control group switches to the new treatment. The studies are longitudinal in nature, and individuals are being randomized. Statistical methods for these unidirectional switch designs (USD) are quite complex and incomparable, and they have been developed by various authors under different terminologies, model specifications, and assumptions. This imposes unnecessary barriers for researchers to compare results or choose the most appropriate method for their own needs. This paper provides an overview of past and current statistical developments for the USDs (SWD and DSD). All designs are formulated in a unified framework of treatment patterns to make comparisons between switch designs easier. The focus is primarily on statistical models, methods of estimation, sample size calculation, and optimal designs for estimation of the treatment effect. Other relevant open issues are being discussed as well to provide suggestions for future research in USDs.

Investment in the agricultural sector as a way to solve food security problems in developing countries: the example of investment activity of the US agribusiness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Stepanovna Ustinovich ◽  
Tatyana Petrovna Boldyreva
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
International Investment ◽  
Investment Activity ◽  
Agricultural Investment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Potential Benefits

It is clear to everyone that investment in the agricultural sector in developing countries is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty and hunger in the world. Agricultural investment can generate a wide range of development opportunities. However, these benefi ts cannot be expected to arise automatically. Some forms of large-scale investment pose significant risks to investor states. It should be noted, however, that, despite discussions about the potential benefits and risks of international investment, there is still no evidence of negative actual consequences for the countries receiving investments. This article examines the issues of investment activity in relation to developing countries using the example of US agribusiness entities.

scholarly journals Cultural diplomacy, national identity and national museum: South Korea’s first overseas exhibition in the US, 1957 to 1959

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 456-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang-hoon Jang
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
National Museum ◽  
The South ◽  
South Korean Government ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Korean Government ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World

The exhibition Masterpieces of Korean Art, which toured 8 cities in the US from December 1957 to June 1959, was the first large-scale overseas exhibition of Korean cultural objects that the South Korean government organized. This overseas exhibition in the US was designed to secure a cultural identity for South Korea on the world stage by explaining to US citizens that Korean culture has peculiar characteristics and independence from Chinese or Japanese culture. It was in the same context that the South Korean government was trying to secure a place within the world order controlled by the US. This touring exhibition shows that, through this exhibition, the National Museum of Korea was engaged in a dual mission to both gain cultural citizenship on the world stage and, reflexively, to internalize this for internal consumption so as to consolidate a sense of Korean cultural identity at home.

scholarly journals Weekly cycles in precipitation in a polluted region of Europe

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1777-1801 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. W. Stjern
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Cloud Amount ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Meteorological Variables ◽  
Precipitation Frequency ◽  
Total Period ◽  
Weekly Cycle ◽  
Weekly Cycles

Abstract. Weekly cycles in aerosol concentration and corresponding cycles in precipitation have been reported over Europe, but results are conflicting. To obtain a large potential effect of aerosols on precipitation we here focus on a highly polluted region on the borders between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Meteorological parameters from 30 surface stations in a mix of urban, rural and remote locations were analyzed for the time period 1983–2008, using three different tests: the Kruskal-Wallis test, a spectral analysis and a comparison of the regular 7-day week to constructed 6- and 8-day weeks. We expect a clear and statistically significant weekly cycle to pass all three tests. Precipitation amount and meteorological variables associated with convective conditions, such as the frequency of heavy precipitation events and observations of rain showers, showed two-peak weekly cycles with maxima on Tuesdays and during weekends. The amplitude of the precipitation cycle increased with longitude towards the more polluted eastern part of the region, but the statistical significance of the cycles did not change correspondingly. The amplitudes of the weekly cycles were in many cases larger for the heavily polluted 1983–1987 period than for the cleaner 2004–2008 as well as the total period, but were equally often largest in the clean period. Moreover, of all the variables, periods and seasons investigated, the weekly cycles were statistically significant only for summertime values of light precipitation frequency and cloud amount, and only by one of the three tests applied. Conclusively, clear weekly cycles in meteorological variables were not found in this polluted region of Europe.

scholarly journals Culture and COVID-19: Don’t Throw Your Elderly Away!

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Melton
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Cultural Difference ◽  
Alternative Explanation ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Preventive Behaviors ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Enormous differences exist in rates of death from COVID-19 in countries around the world. Collectivist cultures and countries are characterized by concern for culture and country to a greater extent than for self-interest, whereas the reverse is true for individualistic cultures and countries. In light of this cultural difference, and suggestive evidence that cultures known for their collectivist orientation are more likely to have near-universal compliance with infection-preventive behaviors such as public mask-wearing and less likely to place their elderly in nursing homes (which account for a high proportion of deaths in individualistic countries such as the US, Canada, and the UK), we hypothesized that death per million (DPM) rates would be significantly lower for collectivist countries than individualistic countries. We categorized every country for which there are collectivist-individualistic scores and split the countries into two groups as defined by Hofstede’s (1980) cut-offs. As predicted, the DPM rate for collectivist countries was significantly lower than for individualistic countries. Furthermore, an analysis of covariance controlling for median age showed that the alternative explanation that the observed difference could be accounted for in terms of the significantly lower average age of citizens of collectivist countries was implausible. Implications in areas related to reopening schools, etc., and directions for future research are discussed.

Financing Terrorism

2019 ◽  
pp. 477-493
Author(s):  
Harold Trinkunas
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
The World ◽  
Terrorism Financing ◽  
Late Twentieth ◽  
Developed World ◽  
State Responses

This chapter reviews the fundamentals of terrorism financing and identifies what has been learned from the successes and failures of state responses to this phenomenon. The globalization of the world economy during the late twentieth century created new opportunities for terrorist organizations to move resources acquired from wealthy individuals, popular support, state sponsors, or participation in illicit economies across international borders and use these funds to support terrorist attacks. State responses following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC, created a new international counterterrorism financing regime that led to the relative “hardening” of the developed world against terrorist financing. This altered terrorist incentives and contributed to shifting large-scale financial operations towards lower risk jurisdictions in the rest of the world. The chapter concludes by identifying key theoretical and policy issues that remain to be addressed by future research into terrorism financing.

Detect, Document, and Debunk

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Lim ◽  
Joan Donovan
Keyword(s):  
Data Science ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Multiple Methods ◽  
Internet Studies ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Media Manipulation

The study of disinformation and media manipulation has expanded greatly since 2016, leading to thousands of news stories and academic studies. As an interdisciplinary field, it has attracted a wide variety of scholars using multiple methods and theories to understand how communication technologies shape politics and society, including how hoaxes, lies, scams, and strategic misinformation reach millions in an instant. However, because of the diversity of approaches and lines of inquiry, it is not an easy area of study to grasp at first glance. What’s more, the concerns, be they medical misinformation or foreign influence operations, are sociotechnical in nature—meaning they are the product of both sociocultural and technological conditions that cannot be separated from one another. The stakes could not be higher, as the world witnessed how disinformation was a core mobilizing factor in the genocide in Myanmar and the siege on the US Capitol. Yet strategies to counter the harms of media manipulation and disinformation require rigorous and nuanced research drawing from ethnography to data science. This chapter therefore aims to make sense of misinformation research as an expanding subdomain of critical internet studies, offering an overview of the methods and theories of inquiry, current research and findings, and paths forward for future research.

The World Economy

2008 ◽  
Vol 204 ◽  
pp. 9-14 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Banking System ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
English Speaking World ◽  
Mortgage Defaults

A financial crisis, rooted in US mortgage defaults, has been building for several years. Its effects have seriously damaged the prospects for the global economy, and have particularly serious consequences for the English speaking world. Unsound lending permitted by poor regulation and worsened by lax bankruptcy laws has led the US, and potentially the rest of the OECD, to the brink of a large-scale recession. The scale of the potential slowdown depends upon the scale of losses to the banking system and their impacts on the ability of the banking system to lend.

scholarly journals Do exhausted primary school students cheat more? A randomized field experiment

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260141
Author(s):  
Tamás Keller ◽  
Hubert János Kiss
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
School Students ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
Cheating Behavior ◽  
Depletion Effect

Motivated by the two-decade-long scientific debate over the existence of the ego-depletion effect, our paper contributes to exploring the scope conditions of ego-depletion theory. Specifically, in a randomized experiment, we depleted students’ self-control with a cognitively demanding task that required students’ effort. We measured the effect of depleted self-control on a subsequent task that required self-control to not engage in fraudulent cheating behavior—measured with an incentivized dice-roll task—and tested ego-depletion in a large-scale preregistered field experiment that was similar to real-life situations. We hypothesized that treated students would cheat more. The data confirms the hypothesis and provides causal evidence of the ego-depletion effect. Our results provide new insights into the scope conditions of ego-depletion theory, contribute methodological information for future research, and offer practical guidance for educational policy.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document