Setting Up and Running a Q-Methodology Study in an Online Survey Research Suite

The q-method, as a graphic (visual) elicitation, has existed since the mid-1930s. Setting up a q-method, with q-sort capabilities, in an online survey platform, extends the reach of this method, even as data has to be processed in a quantitative data analytics suite. This chapter describes the setting up of a visual q-sort and the related debriefing on the Qualtrics Research Suite. The available data may be extracted and analyzed in a basic statistical analysis tool for factors and preference clusters.

Was there any widespread fraud in 2020 presidential election? What does Benford's Law say?

Fair elections free of any interference are integral tenets of any functioning democracy, and widespread election fraud is undoubtedly a serious threat to a free republic. While instances of electoral fraud are much more prevalent in countries with illiberal democracies, the U.S has recently faced such an accusation. Although he was unable to provide any concrete evidence, the former U.S. President Donald Trump accused his opponent, Joe Biden, now president, of electoral fraud after the presidential election. Fortunately, election forensics are often successful in investigating the validity of such fraud allegations. In this paper, I applied Benford’s law, a rule that should stand up to any large set of natural numbers, such as un-tampered electoral data. Using this law and basic statistical analysis of votes of U.S. counties for candidates of the two major parties, I completed a forensic analysis to investigate Mr. Trump’s allegation. My comprehensive investigation does not find any evidence supporting his allegation.

Influence of some specific meteorological events on indoor radon dynamic in western Switzerland

Radon is a natural radioactive gas that may cumulate in indoor environments. The impacts of weather events on indoor radon concentration had been explored in different places around the world but only marginally in Switzerland. Using basic statistical analysis, this study investigates different meteorological parameters’ influence on indoor radon concentrations and shows that outdoor air temperature is the most influential beyond others. Finally, this paper highlights the importance of radon dynamic in buildings, a topic often overlooked by construction professionals and the broader public in Switzerland.

SP7.2.3 Documentation of risk discussions prior to elective inguinal hernia surgery, is it standardised for all?

Aims Obtaining consent is fundamental to surgical practice. Rising levels of litigation have led to increased scrutiny of the process. The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) recommends a structured consent process enabling patients to make better informed decisions, increasing the legal robustness of the process. Our aim is to audit the documentation of risk discussions prior to elective inguinal hernia repair (EIHR). Methods Data was collected retrospectively for all patients who had undergone EIHR in a single surgical unit between January 2019 and 2020. Outpatient clinic letters and consent forms were reviewed. The grade of surgeon and documentation of consent discussions were recorded. The results were then analysed using basic statistical analysis. Results 146 patients (137 male and 9 female) were included in the audit, with an average age of 63 years (range 20-89 years). 77% of clinic letters recorded a consent discussion. Of these, chronic pain was the risk most commonly documented (62%), followed by recurrence (56%). 19.8% of clinic letters included the level of risk quoted. 86% of consent forms were legible. Documentation of risk was significantly more detailed on consent forms compared to clinic letters (p < 0.05). On these, infection was the most commonly documented (97%), followed by bleeding (91%). Overall, there was no significant difference in documentation relative to surgical grade. Conclusions This study has demonstrated considerable variability in consent process prior to EIHR. This can have both legal implications and impact upon patient experience. Adopting a strategy to ensure a consistent approach is essential.

EVALUATING THE ACCURACY OF POST-PROCESSED KINEMATIC (PPK) POSITIONING TECHNIQUE

Post-processing kinematics (PPK) is positioning process in which signals received from a mobile receiving device store location data can be adjusted using corrections from a reference station after data has been collected. The processed kinematic screening method provides the surveyor with a technique for high production survey measurements and can be used in areas with minimal satellite barriers. PPK uses significantly reduced observation times compared to static or fast static observations. This method requires least squares adjustment or another multiple basic statistical analysis that can produce a weighted average of observations. The results obtained using PPK are between 1 cm and 3 cm for horizontal coordinates and from 1 cm to 10 cm for vertical coordinates.

Relationships Between A and B/A2 Horizons of Three Soils in the Context of Viticulture

The purpose of this study was a comparison of soil parameters among superficial and sub-superficial horizons of three representative type of soils in Vale dos Vinhedos, Brazil, aiming Viticulture in general, but Precision Viticulture (PV) management as specific focus. Basic aspects of Viticulture or PV are still discussed, by instance, sampling procedures, influence of pedology on quality of wine or methods for defining the management zones. Samples were collected according to each horizon, superficial (0-20 cm in depth) or sub-superficial (>40 cm in depth), that is, A (all soils), A2 (Neossolo), Bi (Cambissolo), or Bt (Argissolo). Micro-vinification was performed for grapes derived from five classes of soil. The pedological parameters analyzed were granulometric fractions, chemical parameters and degree of flocculation. Data were organized according to a Geographic Information System (GIS) by ten classes of soil. Basic statistical analysis, line graphs, XY plots and factor analysis were used to interpret the physicochemical variables related to horizons, soil and wine. Relative Accumulation Indexes were evaluated for horizons of soil, classes of soil and wine. Data organized by horizon and type of soil showed great dispersion, so outliers were discarded and data organized by class of soil. Correlation of data related to soil horizons, A against A2/B, was evident for macronutrients. Micro-vinification altered content of K and P in wine. Relative Accumulation Indexes of soil horizons correlated to declivity, when declivity lesser than 20% occurred. Fe and Zn showed correlation among sub-superficial horizon and wine for some classes of soil.

Optimization of Dynamic and Buckling Behavior of Thin-Walled Composite Cylinder, Supported by Nature-Inspired Agorithms

The paper presents the optimization of stacking sequence (the lamination angles in subsequent composite layers) of the composite cylinder in order to simultaneously maximize the values of the first natural frequency f1 and the first buckling force Pcr. The optimization problem involves either two objective functions or one which combines both problems using a coefficient whose optimal value is also being searched for. The main idea of the paper is the application of two neural network metamodels which substitute very time- and resource-consuming Finite Element (FE) calculations. The metamodels are created separately through a novel iterative procedure, using examples obtained through Finite Element Method (FEM). The metamodels, once ready, are able to assess the values of f1 and Pcr instantly and thus enable the application of nature-inspired Genetic Algorithm (GA) minimization with reasonable calculation times. Obviously, the maxima of f1 and Pcr may be located in different points of the design parameters (i.e., lamination angles) space, the considered optimization task is to find a solution for which both f1 and Pcr simultaneously reach values as close to their maxima as possible. All the investigated optimization examples are repeated several times and basic statistical analysis of the results is presented.

Effects of Innovation Education and Corporate Needs -Analysis Using Bayesian Network

This paper offers a clarification of the skills required for innovation talent by comparing the effect of innovation in education at Tokushima University and the talent requirement of companies. The researchers performed the questionnaire investigation with the use of the 19 items of The Innovator’s DNA Skill Assessment. Both the basic statistical analysis and Bayesian Network analysis were conducted based on the resulting data. The sensitivity analysis was performed after building the Bayesian Network Model. The evidences are set to “skeptical thinking”, “taking risks”, and “creativity” in the item of mind. The calculation of the odds ratio reveals that enhancing the Observation skill and Skill to Plan and Design is effective in improving skeptical thinking and creativity.

How to Teach Online? Recommendations for the assessment of online exams with University students in the USA in times of pandemic

We evaluated 350 US University Business Students, comparing in-class and online exams to see differences in type of student and class and evaluating possible cheating impact. After basic statistical analysis (T-Student and correlations), we found that differences in grades related to type of students and type of class are more significant that those associated to online with in-class exams. Results are aligned with literature. In accordance with the results of this and previous studies, we do not expect significant higher level of cheating in online exams versus traditional in-class exams. We justify this based upon the reality, broadly reflected in the literature, that cheating is already quite present, before the coronavirus pandemic Many countries have 50%-85% of University students reporting cheating at least once. Cheating is not an specific online problem. Teaching online brings new challenges and opportunities. We recommend to re-evaluate pedagogical methods and engage more in continuous evaluations, relaying less in exams. Code of Conducts, the use of cheating detection algorithms, data analytics from the online Learning Management Systems for assessment and cheating checking programs available (Turnitin and others) to review online exams is recommended. We should help students understand the importance of learning over grades. Also faculty should online teaching faster be at the same level than students in technology and digital capabilities; the closer we are with our students the more effective we can assess them and, more important, we can contribute more and better to their learning and education.

Intellectual Capital Determinants of Football Clubs in Europe

Introduction. Existing research on football economics mostly focuses on some key performance indicators’ influence on the profitability of clubs. This assumption is a bit misleading in the context of football business models which deliver various benefits other than profits to its stakeholders. In this research, the opposite question was asked: what can determine the intangible value delivered by a football business? This is asked in light of the fact that most of the value created by the football industry belongs to the category of intellectual capital.Material and Methods. The study was based on the financial data of 33 European football clubs. Basic statistical analysis was carried out and regression analysis of chosen drivers influencing intellectual capital of football clubs in Europe was performed.Results. Three of the four assumed hypotheses were not confirmed: higher value of intellectual capital is correlated with higher profitability, higher values of IC efficiency (VAIC) are associated with higher levels of player value and values of IC efficiency (VAIC) are significantly associated with levels of sports performance. Just one hypothesis was confirmed that values of IC efficiency (VAIC) are significantly associated with salary efficiency (S/R). Additionally, the study revealed that there are two important factors influencing the value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC): debt and salaries.Conclusions. If we assume that VAIC is the goal of the managers, then the only two drivers which are significant for this value are salary ratio and leverage ratio. Moreover, we know that profit orientation of the football business in Europe is not the key goal in order to develop intangible values for the stakeholders.