Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of psychological contract breach on performance of IT employees: The mediating role of affective commitment.

In this study, we investigated the relationships between psychological contract breach, affective commitment, and two types of employee performance (i.e. civic virtue behaviour and in-role performance). It was predicted that an experience of contract breach can severely hurt the affective commitment of the employees and this, in turn, results in poor in-role performance and less civic virtue behaviours. Results revealed that affective commitment had differential mediating effects on the two types of employee performance. That is, affective commitment mediated the relationship between breach and self-reported and supervisor-rated civic virtue, but not the relationship between breach and in-role performance.
The effects of word exposure frequency and elaboration of word processing on incidental L2 vocabulary acquisition through reading

Research on incidental second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition through reading has claimed that repeated encounters with unfamiliar words and the relative elaboration of processing these words facilitate word learning. However, so far both variables have been investigated in isolation. To help close this research gap, the current study investigates the differential effects of the variables ‘word exposure frequency’ and ‘elaboration of word processing’ on the initial word learning and subsequent word retention of advanced learners of L2 English. Whereas results showed equal effects for both variables on initial word learning, subsequent word retention was more contingent on elaborate processing of form–meaning relationships than on word frequency. These results, together with those of the studies reviewed, suggest that processing words again after reading (input–output cycles) is superior to reading-only tasks. The findings have significant implications for adaptation and development of teaching materials that enhance L2 vocabulary learning.
Prevalence and Correlates of Psychological Distress in Adolescent Students from India.

OBJECTIVE There are limited data on the prevalence and correlates of psychological distress among adolescents in India. This study assessed psychological distress among adolescents who attended school in Kerala, India. METHODS A total of 7560 students from 73 schools, aged 12 to 19 years completed a self-administered questionnaire that included Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and other standardised instruments to assess various domains. RESULTS Mild psychological distress was reported by 10.5%, moderate distress by 5.4%, and severe distress by 4.9% of students. Older age, not living with both parents, and urban residence were significantly associated with psychological distress (p < 0.05). Students who experienced psychological distress had a higher risk of reporting academic failure, alcohol and tobacco use, suicidality, and sexual abuse. Increasing severity of psychological distress was associated with higher odds of these correlates. CONCLUSIONS Psychological distress is common among adolescents and its correlates with negative outcomes suggest the need for early recognition and treatment.
Delay and Cooperation in Nonstochastic Bandits

We study networks of communicating learning agents that cooperate to solve a common nonstochastic bandit problem. Agents use an underlying communication network to get messages about actions selected by other agents, and drop messages that took more than d hops to arrive, whered is a delay parameter. We introduce EXP3-COOP, a cooperative version of the EXP3 algorithm and prove that with K actions and N agents the average per-agent regret after T rounds is at most of order q d + 1 + K d (T lnK), where d is the independence number of the d-th power of the communication graphG. We then show that for any connected graph, ford = p K the regret bound isK 1=4 p T , strictly better than the minimax regret p KT for noncooperating agents. More informed choices ofd lead to bounds which are arbitrarily close to the full information minimax regret p T lnK when G is dense. When G has sparse components, we show that a variant of EXP3-COOP, allowing agents to choose their parameters according to their centrality inG, strictly improves the regret. Finally, as a by-product of our analysis, we provide the first characterization of the minimax regret for bandit learning with delay.
Teaching English metaphors using cross-linguistic awareness-raising activities

Now that metaphor is recognized as being pervasive in language, it is argued that more attention should be given to the teaching of strategies for comprehending and generating metaphors in L2. In this article we report on a translation exercise undertaken by advanced Polish learners of English which revealed ways in which metaphorical expressions vary between the two languages, and the problems this raises for learners. It is suggested that awareness-raising through discussion and comparison of metaphors in L1 and L2 is a useful approach to helping learners to understand and appropriately produce metaphors. This is followed by some sample teaching materials which have been designed to encourage learners to investigate and compare metaphors in L1 and L2.
Reinforcement Learning with Deep Energy-Based Policies

We propose a method for learning expressive energy-based policies for continuous states and actions, which has been feasible only in tabular domains before. We apply our method to learning maximum entropy policies, resulting into a new algorithm, called soft Q-learning, that expresses the optimal policy via a Boltzmann distribution. We use the recently proposed amortized Stein variational gradient descent to learn a stochastic sampling network that approximates samples from this distribution. The benefits of the proposed algorithm include improved exploration and compositionality that allows transferring skills between tasks, which we confirm in simulated experiments with swimming and walking robots. We also draw a connection to actor-critic methods, which can be viewed performing approximate inference on the corresponding energy-based model.
A Brief Clinical Scale for the Early Evaluation of Imitation Disorders in Autism

Many authors have described a deficit of imitation of gestures and of symbolic and affective tasks in infants and young children with autism. This deficit is paradoxically associated with echolalia (atypical verbal imitation) and echopraxia (atypical gesture imitation) which in themselves appear to be excessive imitation. We have developed a brief clinical scale, the Imitation Disorders Evaluation scale (IDE scale), to evaluate these different early features of imitation disorders in autism. The present article reports (1) the validation study (inter- rater reliability, factor analysis) of the IDE scale carried out with a population of 30 infants and young children with autism aged from 10 to 46 months, and (2) the results of a follow-up study in which this scale was applied to a group of young children with autism (from 30 to 46 months) over 9 months’ treatment. Factor analysis provided two factors: factor 1, called ‘deficient imitation’, comprising six items describing a deficit of facial, gestural, vocal and affective imitation; and factor 2, called ‘atypical imitation’, including echolalia, echopraxia and variability of imitation. The descriptive results of the follow-up study emphasize the sensitivity of the IDE scale for assessment of improvement in imitation disorders of early autism.
Allozyme analysis reveals six species within the Anopheles punctulatus complex of mosquitoes in Papua New Guinea

Abstract. Among samples collected from nineteen localities in Papua New Guinea, we have identified six species within the Anopheles punctulatus complex of mosquitoes, by means of cellulose acetate allozyme electrophoresis. An.punctulatus Dönitz sensu stricto was collected from seven villages in the Madang area and from Buksak, Sausi Mission and an area 18 km SW of Tari; An.koliensis Owen from eight villages in the Madang area, from Popondetta and Brown River near Karema; and An.farauti No. 1 from ten coastal areas including Madang, Lorengau, Popondetta, Port Moresby, Rabaul and Wewak. Three newly recognized species, reported here for the first time, are designated as An.farauti No. 4 from Gonoa and Hudini, Madang area; An.farauti No. 5 from Ketarabo near Goroka; and An.farauti No. 6 from Hiwanda near Tari. Three other known members of the complex, An.clowi Rozeboom & Knight, An.farauti No. 2 (Bryan, 1973) and An.farauti No. 3 (Mahon & Meithke, 1982) were not detected in Papua New Guinea. Problems arising with morphological characters for the identification of species in this group are discussed.
Index-Futures Arbitrage Before and after the Introduction of Sixteenths on the NYSE

We find that market efficiency increased and the arbitrage link between index futures and the stock market strengthened after June 24, 1997, when the New York Stock Exchange reduced the minimum change for stock prices and quotes from an eighth to a sixteenth of a dollar. There has been a substantial increase in the number of arbitrage trades reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since the reduction in the minimum price increment. The average number of stocks traded and the average dollar amount underlying each arbitrage trade increases and decreases, respectively. The average index futures mispricing error (MPE) that triggers arbitrage is lower and reverts to zero more quickly.
Family Functioning and Family Stage Associated with Patterns of Disordered Eating in Adult Females

This study investigated family functioning, family stage and eating disorder risk. A sample of 140 females (aged 18–59) completed a family functioning questionnaire (ICPS) and the Eating Disorder Risk scale (EDI-3). Consistent with previous research, cluster analysis identified two profiles of family functioning: an authoritative style (high intimacy and high democratic parenting, with low conflict) and an authoritarian cluster (elevated conflict scores and significantly lower intimacy and democratic parenting). The second independent variable of family stage comprised two groups: females living in their family of origin and those living in their family of choice. The ANOVA showed no interaction involving family functioning cluster and family stage. A main effect showed that participants in the authoritarian cluster experienced significantly more drive for thinness, bulimic symptoms, body dissatisfaction and eating disorder risk. There was no difference in eating disorder risk between females living at home or those in the family of choice. The findings have implications for therapists in demonstrating that independence from the family of origin does not prompt natural recovery from eating disorder tendencies. The findings provide some further evidence of the association between specific elements of family functioning (intimacy, conflict and democratic parenting) with eating disorder risk.
Nonunique invulnerability : Singular versus distributional probabilities and unrealistic optimism in comparative risk judgments

Abstract Five studies showed that people assess vulnerability to future controllable negative life events differently depending on whether it concerns: (a) generalized targets (e.g., the average peer), or (b) concrete and familiar targets (self or nonself). In the former case, a distributional framework is applied which focuses on available statistical information such as groups’ base-rates. In the latter case, people apply a singular judgmental perspective and focus on available individuating information such as personal dispositions and preventive actions. This perspective would typically lead to an optimistic bias in favor of concrete and familiar rather than generalized targets. Participants in Study 1 evaluated both self's and a spontaneously selected (non-intimate) peer's risk prospects as lower than those of their average peer in controllable but not uncontrollable future events or controllable and uncontrollable everyday negative events. Study 2 replicated the main findings in direct comparative judgments. In Study 3, verbal accounts and a measure of interest in the base-rate supported the singular-distributional analysis. In Studies 4 and 5, an optimistic bias was found in favor of a randomly assigned member of their small group to whom participants were yoked. These findings suggest that in addition to the classic “illusion of unique invulnerability” (e.g., Perloff & Fetzer, 1986), whereby participants judge themselves to be less vulnerable than the average group-member, there is an “illusion of nonunique invulnerability,” whereby participants judge also their singular group-members to be less vulnerable than the average group-member. Finally we discuss conditions in which a pessimistic rather than the standard optimistic bias might occur in comparative risk comparisons.
A Meta-Analysis of Outdoor Adventure Programming with Adolescents

Adventure practitioners asked to justify their work with adolescent populations have no one study to point to that statistically sums up major findings in the field. Whether it be a school board, treatment facility, or funding agency, one study is needed which can combine statistics from many studies into a format to show overall effectiveness of adventure programming. This study used the statistical technique of meta-analysis to demonstrate that adolescents who attend adventure programming are 62% better off than those who do not. While combining various populations and outcomes resulted in an overall effect that could be considered small by some accounts, the study did point to major problems with current research and offers some direction for future researchers to explore.
Some Tests Concerning the Covariance Matrix in High Dimensional Data

Recent advances in analyzing high dimensional data with fewer observations require that certain assumptions made implicitly or explicitly in analyzing them should be ascertained. For example, Dudoit et al. (2002) in their analysis of microarrays data on genes assume that the covariance matrices are diagonal matrices, and thus their distance function uses only the diagonal elements of the sample covariance matrix. The good performance of their procedures appear to suggest that this indeed might be the case. To ascertain these assumptions on the covariance matrix, the likelihood ratio tests cannot be used as the sample size N = n+1 could be smaller than the dimension p. Although, the locally best invariant (LBI) test proposed by John (1971) and considered by Suguira (1972), and Nagao (1973) for the spherecity hypothesis and the LBI test given by Nagao (1973) for testing the hypothesis that the covariance matrix Σ is an identity matrix can be computed for all sample sizes, there appears to be no theoretical justification for using them as LBI tests cannot be obtained when n<p . Thus, we consider a distance function between the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis, and propose tests based on consistent estimators of these parametric functions of the covariance matrix Σ for testing the hypothesis of spherecity of the covarinace matrix, and for testing the hypothesis that the covarinace matrix is an identity matrix. In addition, under the same set of conditions, we provide tests for testing the hypothesis that the covarinace matrix is a diagonal matrix. Asymptotic distributions of these test statistics are given under the hypothesis as well as under the alternative hypothesis. Our focus is however for the case when n = O(p δ ), 0 <δ ≤ 1. Thus, it includes the case when (n/p) → 0. The
The Identity Trap

The purpose of this article is to create a framework for thinking about how language themes propagated in radio broadcasts start to degenerate into the reification of a culture that tolerates and even encourages classification and dehumanization. Understanding these language themes becomes an early warning system that begins to signal the beginning of a genocidal spiral. This framework is termed the Identity Trap, and it demonstrates how various linguistic conventions combine to establish a social context that builds up the speaker’s social identity while denigrating the “enemy’s” social identity, which provides the rationale for escalating conflict against that enemy. Two broadcasts from the 1994 Rwandan genocide are used as examples.
Structure, genesis and scale selection of the tropical quasi‐biweekly mode

The quasi‐biweekly mode (QBM) and the 30–60 day mode are two major intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) in the tropics. The QBM is known to have a major influence in determining the active and break conditions of the Indian monsoon during the northern summer. A westward‐propagating equatorial Rossby wave with quasi‐biweekly period influences the Australian monsoon during the northern winter. Universality between the summer and winter QBM is established through analysis of daily circulation and convection data for 10 years. It is shown that the mean spatial structure of the QBM in circulation and convection resembles that of a gravest meridional mode equatorial Rossby wave with wavelength of about 6000 km and westward phase speed of approximately 4.5 m s−1. However, the maximum zonal wind occurs at around 5°N (5°S) during the northern summer (winter). The wave structure appears to be translated northward (southward) by about 5° during the northern summer (winter). The relationship between outgoing long‐wave radiation and circulation data indicates that the mode is driven unstable by coupling with moist convection. Similarity in temporal and spatial characteristics of the mode during the two seasons leads us to propose that the same mechanism governs the genesis and scale selection of the mode in both the seasons.
High prevalence of HCMV and viral load in tumor tissues and peripheral blood of glioblastoma multiforme patients

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most prevalent and malignant tumor of the central nervous system. In the last few years, accumulating evidence has suggested an association between human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and glioblastoma multiforme. In this study, tumor tissues and peripheral blood of patients with glioblastoma multiforme were examined for the presence of HCMV DNA. Twenty‐two fresh surgical brain specimens and 20 peripheral blood samples were analyzed by real‐time PCR (qPCR) and hemi‐nested PCR (nPCR) for the presence of pp65 and (glycoprotein B) gB viral genomic regions, respectively. HCMV DNA was detected in the majority of the tumor samples analyzed (95% by qPCR and 91% by nPCR). About half of the patients with tumors positive for HCMV also had detectable viral DNA in their peripheral blood (47% by qPCR and 61% by nPCR). Genome copy numbers were determined and in the majority of the tumor samples cellular DNA outnumbers viral DNA (average of 1 infected cell in 33 cells). The gB genotypes were determined in HCMV‐positive samples and gB2 was the most prevalent genotype in the tumor and blood samples. The results show a high prevalence of HCMV in glioblastoma multiforme samples reinforcing a possible association between HCMV infection and tumor development. J. Med. Virol. 86:1953–1961, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Psychiatric in-patients, violence and the criminal justice system

There is ambivalence about prosecuting psychiatric in-patients for violent offences. This ambivalence is reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding that exists between the Crown Prosecution Service and the NHS Security Management Service. This has led to an unwelcome change in practice when the police ask for information from an individual’s consultant psychiatrist, the police requesting information about the individual’s cognitive abilities at the time of the alleged offence and using this to make decisions about prosecution. However, there is also guidance on this area from other sources. We describe this and make further suggestions for dealing with these requests.
Intergenerational ambivalence: new perspectives on intergenerational relationships in the German welfare state

ABSTRACT This paper deals with ambivalence in the working generation's attitudes towards the elder generation in the German welfare state. Whereas most researchers focus on either norms or self-interest in intergenerational relationships, ambivalence is widely neglected. Ambivalence denotes a simultaneous positive and negative evaluation of the elder generation. The theoretical framework is developed by combining two common perspectives on intergenerational relationships in the welfare state. The first is age-based self-interest that is often discussed in the context of ageing societies with scarce welfare state resources. The second perspective concerns the norms that individuals internalise when growing up both in society and in the family. Drawing on survey data from the Population Policy Acceptance Study in Germany, the empirical analysis first presents evidence of intergenerational ambivalence and, second, investigates whether the structural contradictions that confront individuals in certain situations cause ambivalent attitudes towards the elder generation. The findings show that the higher the structural contradictions of being young and holding strong societal norms towards the elder generation the higher the ambivalent attitude towards this group in the context of the welfare state.
A Causal Model of Behavioral Commitment: Evidence From a Study of Australian Blue-collar Employees

This study examines the behavioral commitment (intent to stay) of a sample of blue-collar employees from a manufacturing firm in Australia. The purpose was to test an integrated causal model of behavioral commitment based on four general classes of variables: structural, pre-entry, environmental, and employee orientations. The LISREL results indicate that variables rank ordered in terms of importance for their total causal effects on the decision process of employees to stay or leave an organization is as follows: job search, job satisfaction, job security, attitudinal commitment, union participation, environmental opportunity, physical conditions, job hazards, met expectations, equity, family responsibility, centraliza tion, supervisory support, and work group cohesion.
Monoamine Oxidase and Criminality: Identifying an Apparent Biological Marker for Antisocial Behavior

After describing how monoamine oxidase (MAO) appears to affect brain functioning, and how the activity of this enzyme, in turn, seems to be influenced by hormonal and genetic factors, studies are reviewed which link low MAO activity with high probabilities of criminality, psychopathy, childhood conduct disorders, as well as with sensation seeking, impulsivity, and drug abuse (especially alcoholism). Overall, low MAO activity appears to be associated with restless and uninhibited behavior patterns, and may reflect some of the mediating effects of serotonin and sex hormones (especially androgens) on criminal behavior. Lower MAO activity is more characteristic of males than females, and appears to be lower in Blacks than Whites, and lowest during the second and third decades of life. Interpretations of the findings reviewed in this article must be cautious, and on guard not to exaggerate their relevance to criminal behavior, however, they are very encouraging to those seeking to find some of the neurological underpinnings of human variations in criminal behavior.