Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sleep problems, anxiety and cognitive style in school‐aged children

The associations between sleep problems, anxiety, anxiety sensitivity and attributional style were examined in self-report data from 79 children aged 8–11 years. Total anxiety score was associated with different types of sleep problems (bedtime resistance, sleep anxiety and nightmares). Conversely, total sleep problem score was associated with different sub-scales of anxiety (from r(78) = 0.15, p = NS to r(79) = 0.47, p < 0.01). Symptoms of anxiety correlated significantly with anxiety sensitivity, but not with attributional style. After controlling for other symptoms of anxiety, school phobias (Beta = 0.26, p < 0.05), the mental incapacitation concerns scale of anxiety sensitivity (Beta = 0.26, p < 0.05), and attributional style (Beta = −0.31, p < 0.01, R2 = 0.45) predicted sleep problems. These results suggest that anxiety is associated with a range of sleep problems, and that sleep problems are associated with different types of anxiety. Furthermore, certain cognitive styles are associated with both anxiety and sleep problems and may be good candidates for further research into the association between sleep problems and anxiety in children.
Monetary Policy with Heterogeneous Households and Financial Frictions

This paper presents and estimates a sticky-price model with heterogenous households and financial frictions. Frictions in state-contingent asset markets lead to imperfect risk-sharing among households with idiosyncratic labor incomes. I study the impacts of the introduced financial frictions on optimal monetary policy by documenting implications for the central bank's objective function, the equation that characterizes inflation-output gap trade-offs, targeting rules, interest rate rules, and welfare of the economy. Employing the estimated model, the paper argues that the central bank should place a stronger emphasis on stabilizing inflation than it has, and failing to do so can generate nontrivial welfare costs.
Market Beliefs About the UK Monetary Policy Lift-Off Horizon: A No-Arbitrage Shadow Rate Term Structure Model Approach

We use a no-arbitrage shadow rate term structure model to estimate investors’ views about the timing of monetary policy ‘lift-off’ in the United Kingdom over time. Our estimates show that when the UK policy rate was first cut to 0.5%, in March 2009, investors believed that it would remain at the lower bound only for a short period, with an estimated probability of 70% that the policy rate would rise above 0.75% within twelve months. The estimated median horizon for policy rate lift-off rose sharply in 2012 but fell back to thirteen months by the end of our sample period, in May 2014.
Wealth Accumulation and Communities of Color in the United States: Current Issues

"Wealth Accumulation and Communities of Color in the United States" features innovative, interdisciplinary research about aggregate wealth levels, portfolio compositions, and asset-ownership patterns. This collection discusses a number of conceptual issues, including gender and class; the political, historical, and socio-economic contexts and consequences of wealth inequalities; intra-group inequality; the forms of wealth held by different subgroups of the U.S. population; and spatial-geographic considerations.
Toward publicly auditable secure cloud data storage services

Cloud computing is the long dreamed vision of computing as a utility, where data owners can remotely store their data in the cloud to enjoy on-demand high-quality applications and services from a shared pool of configurable computing resources. While data outsourcing relieves the owners of the burden of local data storage and maintenance, it also eliminates their physical control of storage dependability and security, which traditionally has been expected by both enterprises and individuals with high service-level requirements. In order to facilitate rapid deployment of cloud data storage service and regain security assurances with outsourced data dependability, efficient methods that enable on-demand data correctness verification on behalf of cloud data owners have to be designed. In this article we propose that publicly auditable cloud data storage is able to help this nascent cloud economy become fully established. With public auditability, a trusted entity with expertise and capabilities data owners do not possess can be delegated as an external audit party to assess the risk of outsourced data when needed. Such an auditing service not only helps save data owners¿ computation resources but also provides a transparent yet cost-effective method for data owners to gain trust in the cloud. We describe approaches and system requirements that should be brought into consideration, and outline challenges that need to be resolved for such a publicly auditable secure cloud storage service to become a reality.
Teaching and learning science and mathematics through technology practice

In this chapter we review studies of the engagement of students in design projects that emphasise integration of technology practice and the enabling sciences, which include physics and mathematics. We give special attention to affective and conceptual outcomes from innovative interventions of design projects. This is important work because of growing international concern that demand for professionals with technological expertise is increasing rapidly, while the supply of students willing to undertake the rigors of study in the enabling sciences is proportionally reducing (e.g., Barringtion, 2006; Hannover & Kessels, 2004; Yurtseven, 2002). The net effect is that the shortage in qualified workers is having a detrimental effect upon economic and social potential in Westernised countries (e.g., Department of Education, Science and Training [DEST], 2003; National Numeracy Review Panel and National Numeracy Review Secretarial, 2007; Yurtseven, 2002). Interestingly, this trend is reversed in developing economies including China and India (Anderson & Gilbride, 2003).
Presence : Human Purpose and the Field of the Future

species learn to change our self-destructive and earth-destructive ways, and to work instead towards health for ourselves and the planet? Can we learn to recognize that we are a human community and that we are choosing our future—and then make our choices consciously and wisely, through the use of new learning & timeless wisdom? Instead of building our present on our past, can we learn to build our present on our future—on what is possible, instead of merely on what has gone before? Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future By Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty Sue Flowers
Human Capital in Transition : on the Changing skill requirements and skill transferability

During the last several decades developed economies underwent salient employment shifts from manufacturing toward service production. This dissertation investigates the meaning of these changes for the occupational and skill structure of the German economy. It elaborates on the skills and occupations at risk of leaving the economy, as well as the factors that drive this risk. The altering skill structure is partly reflected in occupational switching. Therefore, in one chapter I analyze the transferability of human capital across occupations. When workers change occupations part of the previously acquired skills becomes idle at the new job and new skills have to be learnt. In the thesis, previously learnt skills which are not usable at the new occupation are called human capital redundancy and skills that yet have to be learnt are called human capital shortage. After creating measures of human capital shortage and human capital redundancy, we study their role in occupational change and wage dynamics. The major findings of the dissertation can be summarized as follows. Occupations characterized by tasks that can be explained in detailed step-by-step procedures (explicit tasks) gradually declined their share in the German economy in the observed period (1975-2004). Occupations characterized by problem-solving and interactive tasks increased their share in the economy. These changes are correlated with the outsourcing practices of plants, but not with the investments in computer technology. Furthermore, workers are less likely to make occupational switches which render their human capital redundant. They are also less likely to switch to occupations where they have to learn new skills. One exception are young workers who change occupations voluntarily. These workers likely move to more ambitious occupations as part of their career paths. Skill shortages are initially penalized at the new job through lower starting wage, but this penalty is later compensated through steeper wage growth at the new occupation. Skill redundancy is poorly rewarded at the new job.
Sensory and Striatal Areas Integrate Auditory and Visual Signals into Behavioral Benefits during Motion Discrimination

For effective interactions with our dynamic environment, it is critical for the brain to integrate motion information from the visual and auditory senses. Combining fMRI and psychophysics, this study investigated how the human brain integrates auditory and visual motion into benefits in motion discrimination. Subjects discriminated the motion direction of audiovisual stimuli that contained directional motion signal in the auditory, visual, audiovisual, or no modality at two levels of signal reliability. Therefore, this 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design manipulated: (1) auditory motion information (signal vs noise), (2) visual motion information (signal vs noise), and (3) reliability of motion signal (intact vs degraded). Behaviorally, subjects benefited significantly from audiovisual integration primarily for degraded auditory and visual motion signals while obtaining near ceiling performance for “unisensory” signals when these were reliable and intact. At the neural level, we show audiovisual motion integration bilaterally in the visual motion areas hMT+/V5+ and implicate the posterior superior temporal gyrus/planum temporale in auditory motion processing. Moreover, we show that the putamen integrates audiovisual signals into more accurate motion discrimination responses. Our results suggest audiovisual integration processes at both the sensory and response selection levels. In all of these regions, the operational profile of audiovisual integration followed the principle of inverse effectiveness, in which audiovisual response suppression for intact stimuli turns into response enhancements for degraded stimuli. This response profile parallels behavioral indices of audiovisual integration, in which subjects benefit significantly from audiovisual integration only for the degraded conditions.
The Construct Validity of Teachers' Perceptions of Change in Schools Implementing Comprehensive School Reform Models.

�his study re�orts the results of a validation study of the Co��rehensive School Restructuring �eacher Questionnaire (CSR�Q�� and the School �bservation �easure (S����, which are intended for use in evaluating co��rehensive school refor� efforts. �he CSR�Q, which �utatively �easures five �actors related to school restructuring (internal �ocus, external support, school ca�acity, �edagogical change, and restructuring outco�es��, was ad�inistered to 2,511 teachers in 83 schools that received Co�prehensive School Refor� grants. �he S��, a high-inference observation instru�ent that �easures school-wide i��le�entation of various instructional �ractices, was ad�inistered eight to ten ti�es in each o� the 83 schools. Confir�atory �actor analysis su��orted the a �riori factor structure of the CSR�Q. Hierarchical linear �odeling analysis indicated that teacher �erce�tions of �edagogical change were significantly predictive o� aggregate SOM observations o� specific teaching practices, and that the SOM ite�s reliably distinguish between schools on 26 teaching �ractices. �ean �edagogical change scores were negatively related to traditional, teacher-centered �ractices, and �ositively related to the student-centered �ractices advanced by �ost CSR restructuring designs.
Outcomes of a pilot occupational therapy wellness program for older adults.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate a pilot occupational therapy wellness program designed to teach elders the importance of participation in meaningful social and community occupations to their quality of life. METHOD Sixty-five older adults participated in this pilot wellness program held at each of three senior apartment complexes. Measures of health-related quality of life using the SF-36 Health Survey and frequencies of social and community participation from a program-specific intake form were completed by 39 participants before and after the 6-month program. Participants also evaluated components of the program through a satisfaction survey. RESULTS Scores on the SF-36 Health Survey were significantly higher in vitality, social functioning, and the mental health summary scores following participation in the program. Participants reported an increased frequency of socialization and community participation with an average of 55% participating in at least three or more activities per week before the program to an average of 66% participating after the program. Participants who benefited the most attended more classes, were older, and were nondrivers. Eighty percent of those polled rated the pilot program as good or excellent. CONCLUSION This pilot study provides additional support for prevention efforts for elders in the community. Wellness programs for seniors may be most effective if targeted to those who are older and nondrivers.
Knowledge Graph Embedding with Diversity of Structures

In recent years, different web knowledge graphs, both free and commercial, have been created. Knowledge graphs use relations between entities to describe facts in the world. We engage in embedding a large scale knowledge graph into a continuous vector space. TransE, TransH, TransR and TransD are promising methods proposed in recent years and achieved state-of-the-art predictive performance. In this paper, we discuss that graph structures should be considered in embedding and propose to embed substructures called "one-relation-circle" (ORC) to further improve the performance of the above methods as they are unable to encode ORC substructures. Some complex models are capable of handling ORC structures but sacrifice efficiency in the process. To make a good trade-off between the model capacity and efficiency, we propose a method to decompose ORC substructures by using two vectors to represent the entity as a head or tail entity with the same relation. In this way, we can encode the ORC structure properly when apply it to TransH, TransR and TransD with almost the same model complexity of themselves. We conduct experiments on link prediction with benchmark dataset WordNet. Our experiments show that applying our method improves the results compared with the corresponding original results of TransH, TransR and TransD.
An Improved Model of Heat-Induced Hyperalgesia—Repetitive Phasic Heat Pain Causing Primary Hyperalgesia to Heat and Secondary Hyperalgesia to Pinprick and Light Touch

This study tested a modified experimental model of heat-induced hyperalgesia, which improves the efficacy to induce primary and secondary hyperalgesia and the efficacy-to-safety ratio reducing the risk of tissue damage seen in other heat pain models. Quantitative sensory testing was done in eighteen healthy volunteers before and after repetitive heat pain stimuli (60 stimuli of 48°C for 6 s) to assess the impact of repetitive heat on somatosensory function in conditioned skin (primary hyperalgesia area) and in adjacent skin (secondary hyperalgesia area) as compared to an unconditioned mirror image control site. Additionally, areas of flare and secondary hyperalgesia were mapped, and time course of hyperalgesia determined. After repetitive heat pain conditioning we found significant primary hyperalgesia to heat, and primary and secondary hyperalgesia to pinprick and to light touch (dynamic mechanical allodynia). Acetaminophen (800 mg) reduced pain to heat or pinpricks only marginally by 11% and 8%, respectively (n.s.), and had no effect on heat hyperalgesia. In contrast, the areas of flare (−31%) and in particular of secondary hyperalgesia (−59%) as well as the magnitude of hyperalgesia (−59%) were significantly reduced (all p<0.001). Thus, repetitive heat pain induces significant peripheral sensitization (primary hyperalgesia to heat) and central sensitization (punctate hyperalgesia and dynamic mechanical allodynia). These findings are relevant to further studies using this model of experimental heat pain as it combines pronounced peripheral and central sensitization, which makes a convenient model for combined pharmacological testing of analgesia and anti-hyperalgesia mechanisms related to thermal and mechanical input.
Numerical Tools for the Bayesian Analysis of Stochastic Frontier Models

In this paper we describe the use of modern numerical integration methods for making posterior inferences in composed error stochastic frontier models for panel data or individual cross- sections. Two Monte Carlo methods have been used in practical applications. We survey these two methods in some detail and argue that Gibbs sampling methods can greatly reduce the computational difficulties involved in analyzing such models.
Multi-species asymmetric exclusion process in ordered sequential update

A multi-species generalization of the asymmetric simple exclusion process is studied with ordered sequential and sub-lattice parallel updating schemes. In this model, particles hop with their own specific probabilities to their rightmost empty site and fast particles overtake slow ones with a definite probability. Using the matrix product ansatz technique, we obtain the relevant algebra and study the uncorrelated stationary state of the model both for an open system and on a ring. A complete comparison between the physical results in these updates and those of random sequential introduced in Karimipour V 1999 A multi-species ASEP and its relation to traffic flow Phys. Rev. E 59 205 and Karimipour V 1998 A multi-species ASEP, steady state and correlation functions on a periodic lattice Preprint cond-mat/9809193, is made.
The Role of Strategic Technology Alliances (STA) towards Organizational Performance in Manufacturing Industry: The Perspective of Developing Countries

Purpose: This research investigates strategic technology alliances (STA) in Malaysian manufacturing firms and the impact on organizational performance. The outcomes of this paper shed light on the underpinning theories under Resource Based View (RBV) and Organizational Learning (OL) as an antecedent for the successful implementation of strategic technology alliances in the manufacturing industry. At the end of the paper provides a model that describing the success factor of strategic technology alliances en route to improve organizational performance and remain competitive.Design/methodology/Approach: Research conducted through survey design by collecting questionnaires from 335 Malaysian manufacturers. The empirical analysis performed by using structural equation modeling (SEM) to represent the findings as this statistical method is more robust compared to others.Findings: The empirical analysis show that absorptive capacity, type of alliance and strategic technology alliance has positive relationship towards improving organizational performance in terms of market share, profit, sales level and manufacturing capabilities. However, in the other coin, resource base availability is insignificant towards organizational performance. Furthermore, technology transfer also only partially mediates STA and organizational performance. Despite the onset of successful alliance formation and resultant technology transfer, firms still need to invest in developing their resources, employee skills, production methods and industrial processes in order to sustain their competitiveness in the global economy.Originality/value: Many organization embrace technology transfer as part of the strategic weapons to maintain business sustainability. However, there is lack of empirical evidence profiling the antecedent on how organization could success in becoming the developers of their own technology. Therefore, this research attempts to provide a model as guidance to managers in developing country as a key to success in forming technology alliances with foreign countries.
Attitudes to Modern Foreign Language Learning: Insights from Comparative Education

1. Introduction: Attitudes to language learning 2. Comparing: Issues and contexts 3. The Concept of Attitudes 4. Attitudes to Modern Foreign Language Learning and Educational Influences 5. Sociocultural Attitudes and Influences 6. Attitudes to Learning German, French and English 7. Modern Foreign Language Learning Attitudes in the Three Countries 8. Conclusions and Lessons List of References Index.
Single Rapid Real-Time Monitored Isothermal RNA Amplification Assay for Quantification of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Isolates from Groups M, N, and O

ABSTRACT Because human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) are spreading rapidly worldwide and are becoming less confined to a geographical area, RNA assays that can detect and quantify all HIV-1 isolates reliably are in demand. We have developed a fast, real-time monitored RNA assay based on an isothermal nucleic acid sequence-based amplification technology that amplifies a part of the long terminal repeat region of the HIV-1 genome. Real-time detection was possible due to the addition of molecular beacons to the amplification reaction that was monitored in a fluorimeter with a thermostat. The lower level of detection of the assay was 10 HIV-1 RNA molecules per reaction, and the lower level of quantification was 100 copies of HIV-1 RNA with a dynamic range of linear quantification between 102 and 107 RNA molecules. All HIV-1 groups, subtypes, and CRFs could be detected and quantified with equal efficiency, including the group N isolate YBF30 and the group O isolate ANT70. To test the clinical utility of the assay, a series of 62 serum samples containing viruses that encompassed subtypes A through G and CRFs AE and AG of HIV-1 group M were analyzed, and these results were compared to the results of a commercially available assay. This comparison showed that the quantification results correlated highly (R2 = 0.735) for those subtypes that could be well quantified by both assays (subtypes B, C, D, and F), whereas improved quantification was obtained for subtypes A and G and CRFs AE and AG. A retrospective study with six individuals infected with either a subtype A, B, C, or D or an AG isolate of HIV-1 group M, who were treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy, revealed that the assay was well suited to the monitoring of therapy effects. In conclusion, the newly developed real-time monitored HIV-1 assay is a fast and sensitive assay with a large dynamic range of quantification and is suitable for quantification of most if not all subtypes and groups of HIV-1.