Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Channels of Restructuring in Privatized Czech Companies

The main contribution of this paper to the literature on restructuring in the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe is the analysis of productivity-growth effects for different channels of restructuring. It examines a panel of 737 voucher-privatized Czech companies in the first years after the transfer of ownership (between 1993 and 1998). The results indicate that asset sales and employee incentives serve as restructuring channels through which productivity of the privatized companies increases. The analysis also indicates that capital expenditures, labour shedding and CEO replacements are not significantly correlated to productivity growth. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that the availability of bank loans is positively associated with productivity growth, but not for less profitable firms. This provides some evidence in support of soft budget constraints accommodated via bank lending.
Psychomotor therapy for anger and aggression in mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning: an Intervention Mapping approach

Abstract Difficulties with anger regulation in individuals with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF) are often associated with aggressive behaviour. Psychomotor therapy (PMT), a mind-body intervention often applied in Dutch facilities for this target group, uses body awareness and physical activities as a medium to learn how to gain control over one’s anger and reduce aggressive behaviour. With Intervention Mapping as a framework, 17 Dutch psychomotor therapists were asked to describe their PMT programme to investigate its content and coherence. Results suggested that interoceptive awareness (IA) and adaptive coping skills (ACS) are key elements of the PMT programmes. The theoretical basis of the PMT programmes is however limited and specific instruments for evaluating PMT are not available yet, especially for IA. Psychomotor therapists would gain from a well-described PMT programme. Future research is warranted on IA, and specific instruments need to be developed and validated for this target group.
Participation in cognitively stimulating activities and risk of incident Alzheimer disease.

CONTEXT Frequent participation in cognitively stimulating activities has been hypothesized to reduce risk of Alzheimer disease (AD), but prospective data regarding an association are lacking. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that frequent participation in cognitive activities is associated with a reduced risk of AD. DESIGN Longitudinal cohort study with baseline evaluations performed between January 1994 and July 2001 and mean follow-up of 4.5 years. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING A total of 801 older Catholic nuns, priests, and brothers without dementia at enrollment, recruited from 40 groups across the United States. At baseline, they rated frequency of participation in common cognitive activities (eg, reading a newspaper), from which a previously validated composite measure of cognitive activity frequency was derived. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Clinical diagnosis of AD by a board-certified neurologist using National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria and change in global and specific measures of cognitive function, compared by cognitive activity score at baseline. RESULTS Baseline scores on the composite measure of cognitive activity ranged from 1.57 to 4.71 (mean, 3.57; SD, 0.55), with higher scores indicating more frequent activity. During an average of 4.5 years of follow-up, 111 persons developed AD. In a proportional hazards model that controlled for age, sex, and education, a 1-point increase in cognitive activity score was associated with a 33% reduction in risk of AD (hazard ratio, 0.67; 95% confidence interval, 0.49-0.92). Results were comparable when persons with memory impairment at baseline were excluded and when terms for the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele and other medical conditions were added. In random-effects models that controlled for age, sex, education, and baseline level of cognitive function, a 1-point increase in cognitive activity was associated with reduced decline in global cognition (by 47%), working memory (by 60%), and perceptual speed (by 30%). CONCLUSION These results suggest that frequent participation in cognitively stimulating activities is associated with reduced risk of AD.
Basic emotions, relations among emotions, and emotion-cognition relations.

From the cognitive theory perspective that emotions are cognition dependent and contain cognitive components, Ortony and Turner (1990) questioned the validity of the concept of basic emotions. They argued that the so-called basic emotions were neither psychologically or biologically "primitive" nor "irreducible building blocks" for generating the "great variety of emotional experiences. " In the biosocial theory tradition, researchers have identified multiple noncognitive activators of emotion and demonstrated the usefulness of defining the essential components of emotion as phenomena that do not require cognitive mediators or constituents. In this framework, emotions are seen as basic because their biological and social functions are essential in evolution and adaptation. Particular emotions are called basic because they are assumed to have innate neural substrates, innate and universal expressions, and unique feeling-motivational states. The great variety of emotional experiences is explained as a function of emotion-cognition interactions that result in affective-cognitive structures.
Attachment, Emotion Regulation and Coping in Portuguese Emerging Adults: A Test of a Mediation Hypothesis

Although the quality of parent-adolescent emotional bonds has consistently been proposed as a major influence on young adult's psycho-emotional functioning, the precise means by which these bonds either facilitate or impede adaptive coping are not well-understood. In an effort to advance this inquiry, the present study examined interrelationships among measures of parental attachment, emotion regulation processes, and preferred coping strategies within a sample of 942 college freshmen. Structural Equation Modelling was used to test whether the link between attachment to parents and the use of particular coping strategies is mediated by differences in emotion regulation mechanisms. As hypothesized, differences in attachment to parents predicted differences in the use of emotion regulation mechanisms and coping strategies. More specifically, having a close emotional bond, feeling supported in autonomy processes and having (moderately) low levels of separation anxiety toward parents predict more constructive emotion regulation mechanisms and coping strategies. Additionally emotion regulation was found to (partly or totally) mediate the association between attachment and coping. Aunque la calidad de los lazos emocionales entre padres y adolescentes siempre ha sido propuesta como una importante influencia en el funcionamiento psico-emocional del adulto joven, los mecanismos precisos por los cuales estos lazos facilitan o impiden el afrontamiento adaptativo no son bien conocidos. En un esfuerzo por avanzar en esta indagación, el presente estudio examinó las interrelaciones entre las medidas de apego parental, los procesos de regulación emocional, y las estrategias preferidas de afrontamiento en una muestra de 942 estudiantes de primer año de universidad. Para probar si la relación entre el apego a los padres y el uso de determinadas estrategias de afrontamiento está mediada por las diferencias en los mecanismos de regulación emocional, se utilizaran Modelos de Ecuaciones Estructurales. Como fue hipotetizado, las diferencias en el apego a los progenitores se demostraron predictivas de diferencias en el uso de los mecanismos de regulación emocional y estrategias de afrontamiento. Más específicamente, tener un vínculo afectivo cercano con los padres, sentir su apoyo en los procesos de autonomía y sentir niveles (moderadamente) bajos de ansiedad de separación hacia los progenitores, son condiciones predictivas de mecanismos de regulación emocional y estrategias de afrontamiento más constructivos. Además, se encontró en la regulación emocional un mediador (total o parcial) para la asociación entre el apego y el afrontamiento.
The Effect of Electronic Word of Mouth , Trust and Perceived Value on Behavioral Intention from the Perspective of Consumers

Several factors influence the ways customer tends to buy online and develop a habit for their Online purchases. Many experts know creating and developing secure and reliable process, will be the key of success in behavioral intention in Internet shopping. Yet the meaning of Behavioral Intention in e-commerce is still shrouded in mystery convention. The aim of present study is to examine factors that affecting the formation Behavioral Intention in Isfahan City. In this regard, factors were considered in the overall format of the Behavioral Intention, electronic word of mouth, perceived value and trust. This research used a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the causalities in the proposed model. Trust has high effect on behavioral intention.
Digital Experience and Citizen Participation in Bridging Ethnic Divide: An Analysis of Young Generation in Malaysia

Information and communication technologies provide communities, service providers and advocates with mechanisms through which service can be more effectively and efficiently provided to the young generation. The young generation and these technologies can unite to create an agenda for positive change that will ultimately benefit them and society. The role that information and communication technologies may play and the impact they may have on the ethnic divide and national unity among the young generation in a multicultural society are not well understood, and there are gaps in the evidence base surrounding the possibilities and approaches for national integration that involves information technologies. This paper investigates the usage of ethnic media and issues related to the ethnic divide in multicultural Malaysian society. More specifically, internet use, types of participation, ethnic identity and their interrelations were observed. A national sample of 1,640 respondents between the ages of 21 and 40 years were interviewed. The results indicated that those with more experience and longer usage of the Internet showed higher levels of online and offline participation. The high penetration of information and communication technology among the young generation provides an opportunity for active citizen participation that could lead to a better understanding of the citizens’ rights and responsibilities, which can form the basis for bridging the ethnic divide. Keywords: Ethnic divide, citizenship, young generation, participation, Internet.
On the Knowledge Underlying Multimedia Presentations

Abstract : We address one of the problems at the heart of automated multimedia presentation production and interpretation. The media problem can be stated as follows: how does the producer of a presentation determine which information to allocate to which medium, and how does a perceiver recognize the function of each part as displayed in the presentation and integrate them into a coherent whole? What knowledge is used, and what processes? We describe the four major types of knowledge that play a role in the allocation problem as well as interdependencies that hold among them. We discuss two formalisms that can be usedto represent this knowledge and, using examples, describe the kinds of processing required for the media allocation problem. Multimedia presentations, Human-computer interaction, Presentation planning.
Static Complexity Analysis of Programs

In this paper we explicate the proof calculus introduced in Kristiansen & Jones [10]. We consider an imperative programming language that is natural, in the sense that it is an essential fragment of many popular real-life programming languages, and powerful, in the sense that it yields full Turing computability. By doing derivations in our calculus, we are able to establish useful information about the computational complexity of programs.
Hydrodynamic Behavior of Dendrigraft Polylysines in Water and Dimethylformamide

Abstract: The four first generations of dendrigraft poly-L-lysine have been studied in dimethylformamide (aprotic solvent) and in 0.2 M NaCl aqueous solutions by isothermal translation diffusion, 1 H NMR and viscometry methods. The relationships between diffusion coefficient, intrinsic viscosity and molar mass have been determined for dendrigraft poly-L-lysines, and the scaling index values have been compared to classical trifunctional dendrimers. Dendrimers and dendrigraft poly-L-lysines exhibited similitudes in their hydrodynamic behaviors. Nevertheless, dendrigraft poly-L-lysines displayed a specific behavior in solution. In contrast to dendrimers, a significant change of hydrodynamic dimension of dendrigraft poly-L-lysines according to the nature of the solvent has been observed. In aprotic solvent, the dendrigraft poly-L-lysine dimensions are about two times lower than in aqueous media ( i.e. , the hydrodynamic volume is contracted by a factor 8 in dimethylformamide), revealing the softness of dendrigraft poly-L-lysine compared to classical trifunctional dendrimers.
Understanding teacher turnover in two charter schools: principal dispositions and practices

Abstract US charter schools experience higher rates of teacher turnover than traditional public schools. The purpose of this study was to examine charter principals’ professional dispositions and practices that might contribute to teacher turnover. Specifically we asked – How do charter school principal professional dispositions and practices affect school working conditions and impact teacher commitment to remain or leave a charter schools? The study design was an embedded three-year case study of principal leadership in two charter schools. Data sources included principal and teacher interviews, school observations, and artifacts. Themes were derived from two constant comparative analyses, one of principal dispositions, a second of principal practices that might impact teacher working conditions. Analysis indicated that principals’ dispositions were related to practices that affected working conditions, which in turn, impacted teacher turnover. Principals’ dispositions – autocratic ‘no excuses’ attitudes and valuing management leadership and accountability results – led to practices that created limited support for teachers, both organizationally and personally.
Serological Survey of Neospora caninum Infection in Cattle Herds From Western Romania

Abstract: Serum samples from 376 randomly selected adult cattle, from 25 farms located in 3 counties (Arad, Bihor, and Timiş) from western Romania, were sampled for Neospora caninum antibodies using a commercial ELISA-kit. Seroprevalence values and risk factors for neosporosis (cow age, breed, herd size, farming system, previous abortion, and number of farm dogs) were examined using a generalized linear mixed model with a binomial distribution. Overall, the seroprevalence of N. caninum was 27.7% (104/376) with a prevalence of 27.9% (24/86) in Arad, 26.9% (25/93) in Bihor, and 27.9% (55/197) in Timiş. Of 25 cattle herds, 23 were seropositive with a prevalence ranging from 10.0 to 52.2%. No correlation was found between N. caninum seropositivity and age, breed, herd size, breeding system, and previous abortion. The number of farm dogs was the only factor (PWald = 0.03) positively associated with seroprevalence in cows and can be considered the risk factor in the acquiring of infection. The present work is the first regarding serological evidence of N. caninum infection in cattle from western Romania.
Capital Structure and Product Markets Interactions: Evidence from Business Cycles

This paper provides firm- and industry-level evidence on the effects of capital structure on product market outcomes for a large cross-section of industries. The analysis uses shocks to aggregate demand as surrogates for exogenous changes in the product market environment, dealing with concerns about the endogenous nature of the relation between financial structure and competitive performance. I find that debt financing has a negative impact on firm (relative-to-industry) sales growth in industries where rivals are relatively unlevered during recessions, but not during booms. In contrast, no such effects are observed for firms competing in high-debt industries. At the industry level, I find that markups are more countercyclical when industry debt is high. The cyclical dynamics I find for firm sales growth and for industry markups are consistent with Chevalier and Scharfstein's (1996) prediction that firms that rely more heavily on external financing are more prone to boost short-term profits at the expense of future sales in response to negative shocks to demand, and that the competitive outcomes resulting from such actions depend on the financial structures of their industry rivals.
Sampling of Attributed Networks from Hierarchical Generative Models

Network sampling is a widely used procedure in social network analysis where a random network is sampled from a generative network model (GNM). Recently proposed GNMs, allow generation of networks with more realistic structural characteristics than earlier ones. This facilitates tasks such as hypothesis testing and sensitivity analysis. However, sampling of networks with correlated vertex attributes remains a challenging problem. While the recent work of \cite{Pfeiffer:14} has provided a promising approach for attributed-network sampling, the approach was developed for use with relatively simple GNMs and does not work well with more complex hierarchical GNMs (which can model the range of characteristics and variation observed in real world networks more accurately). In contrast to simple GNMs where the probability mass is spread throughout the space of edges more evenly, hierarchical GNMs concentrate the mass to smaller regions of the space to reflect dependencies among edges in the network---this produces more realistic network characteristics, but also makes it more difficult to identify candidate networks from the sampling space. In this paper, we propose a novel sampling method, CSAG, to sample from hierarchical GNMs and generate networks with correlated attributes. CSAG constrains every step of the sampling process to consider the structure of the GNM---in order to bias the search to regions of the space with higher likelihood. We implemented CSAG using mixed Kronecker Product Graph Models and evaluated our approach on three real-world datasets. The results show that CSAG jointly models the correlation and structure of the networks better than the state of the art. Specifically, CSAG maintains the variability of the underlying GNM while providing a ≥ 5X reduction in attribute correlation error.
Exploring person-centred support in adults with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour supported by paid carers in the community

Background: Deinstitutionalisation and the movement of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) to the community have seen the emergence of care philosophies aimed at tailoring services to individuals’ needs. Person-centred support has been widely advocated and considered synonymous of good care. It is useful to investigate if day-to-day support provided by paid carers in the community is person-centred. / Aims: 1. To explore person-centred support and choice in adults with ID and challenging behaviour. 2. To investigate correlates of person-centred support, including challenging behaviour. 3. To investigate whether the results of self-report questionnaires and direct- observations are comparable. / Methods: 1. Self-report measures of person-centred support typically used by staff supporting older adults with dementia were adapted for use by staff supporting adults with ID and challenging behaviour. A measure of choice availability was also updated. 2. A cross-sectional study of 109 paid carers supporting adults with mild to severe ID was conducted to address aims 1 and 2. 3. Naturalistic observations of eighteen participants with ID were conducted to complement the results of the cross-sectional study. Data was collected using momentary time-sampling and narrative descriptions. / Results: Paid carers reported high levels of person-centred support and choice availability for service-users. No significant associations were found between person-centred support and characteristics of the living environments, however choice availability was significantly higher in supported living compared to residential care homes and in living environments with fewer residents. Carers who reported higher levels of person-centred support experienced less subjective burden in their jobs. There was an association between choice and service-users’ adaptive behaviour. No association was found between person-centred support/choice and global challenging behaviour; stereotyped behaviour however was negatively associated with autonomy and carers’ knowledge of individuals with ID. The findings from the observations showed lower levels of person-centred support than those reported by paid carers, suggesting desirability effects in carers’ responses. Low levels of engagement in meaningful activities, assistance and contact from staff were observed, although there was much variability at the individual level. There were few instances of challenging behaviours and these mostly consisted of stereotyped/repetitive movements which were prevalent in disengaged participants. / Implications: The support for people with ID and challenging behaviour requires improvement but quality evaluation criteria adopted by inspectors and regulators may need to be reconsidered. Improvements in day-to-day support could reduce stereotyped behaviour but input from skilled professionals may be required for other types of challenging behaviour.
Factors Associated to Non-Attendance to Dental Care among Adolescents—Suggesting a Model

Background: Understanding why adolescents miss dental appointments is central to promoting people’s oral health into adulthood. Studies on non-attendant adolescents are rare. Method: Using information from a population-based survey of schoolchildren in Örebro County, Sweden, we aimed to find factors associated with adolescents’ dental non-attendance and to suggest a risk-factor model for non-attendance. The 2014 survey of all pupils in three grades (~ages 13, 15, and 17) in the county (N = 7399) had a response rate of 80%. The questionnaire asked 67 or 86 questions (depending on grade) on five components: socioeconomic conditions, quality of life, social relations, lifestyle and health (with two specific questions on dental care and oral health), social cohesion and social capital. Using a model based on risk factors identified in the literature, we used descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and logistic regressions to find associations between dental attendance and potential risk factors. Results: Youth were non-attendant (n = 171) and attendant (n = 4236). Strong associations were found between non-attendance being a boy, being born outside Sweden, and living with parents not in the labor market. Health and health behaviors such as consuming sweet drinks or foods every day and being overweight were also associated with non-attendance. A model for risk of non-attendance based on variables significant in the analysis is presented. Conclusions: This study shows a strong association between non-attendant behavior and sociodemographic factors and health behavior. It also adds knowledge of the increased vulnerability to non-attendance in adolescents having at least one disability and/or experience of critical life.