Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence for an attention bias toward disgust in contamination fear

Although attention biases are common in various anxiety disorders, there is no consensus yet regarding attentional bias in obsessive–compulsive disorder. We assessed attention bias toward images involving contamination and disgust using an emotional attentional blink paradigm in a sample of university students high (HCF) or low (LCF) in contamination fear. Neutral, general-threat-, contamination-, and disgust-related images (T1) were presented followed by a discrimination task (T2) 200, 500, or 800 ms later within a rapid serial visual presentation stream of 20 images. The HCF group was overall less accurate on the attentional blink task. Response accuracy differed by image type and lag in the two groups at the trend level and revealed a large drop in performance 200 ms following presentation of disgusting images in the HCF group. No such differences were observed at later lags in the task. There were increases in negative affect following the task for the HCF but not the LCF group, which were correlated with contamination fear scores. The results suggest that a disgust-related attention bias may be present at early stages of information processing in people with contamination fear.
Doubly robust estimation in observational studies with partial interference

Interference occurs when the treatment (or exposure) of one individual affects the outcomes of others. In some settings, it may be reasonable to assume that individuals can be partitioned into clusters such that there is no interference between individuals in different clusters, that is, there is partial interference. In observational studies with partial interference, inverse probability weighted (IPW) estimators have been something else different possible treatment effects. However, the validity of IPW estimators depends on the propensity score being known or correctly modelled. Alternatively, one can estimate the treatment effect using an outcome regression model. In this paper, we propose doubly robust (DR) estimators that utilize both models and are consistent and asymptotically normal if either model, but not necessarily both, is correctly specified. Empirical results are presented to demonstrate the DR property of the proposed estimators and the efficiency gain of DR over IPW estimators when both models are correctly specified. The different estimators are illustrated using data from a study examining the effects of cholera vaccination in Bangladesh.
The Impact of higher education on body weight

A large and growing body of literature has examined the causal impact of schooling on health and health behaviors. Most of this research exploits changes in education due to compulsory schooling requirements and thus the effect is estimated at a margin—one more year of schooling—at the lower end of the education distribution. This paper is the first paper to estimate the causal effect of higher education, i.e., more than two years in addition to 12 years of primary and secondary education (e.g., a Bachelor of Art degree or a Master of Art degree), on body weight. To identify the causal effect we exploit a reform of the Danish student’s grant scheme in 1988, which involved a grant increase of approximately 60% and apply an instrumental variable approach. The grant scheme covers students’ costs of living throughout their college education. We found that completing a higher education significantly reduced the probability of being overweight (Body Mass Index >25) among men. This effect is identified for a group of people that are much more likely to come from a low income background.A large and growing body of literature has examined the causal impact of schooling on health and health behaviors. Most of this research exploits changes in education due to compulsory schooling requirements and thus the effect is estimated at a margin—one more year of schooling—at the lower end of the education distribution. This paper is the first paper to estimate the causal effect of higher education, i.e., more than two years in addition to 12 years of primary and secondary education (e.g., a Bachelor of Art degree or a Master of Art degree), on body weight. To identify the causal effect we exploit a reform of the Danish student’s grant scheme in 1988, which involved a grant increase of approximately 60% and apply an instrumental variable approach. The grant scheme covers students’ costs of living throughout their college education. We found that completing a higher education significantly reduced the probability of being overweight (Body Mass Index >25) among men. This effect is identified for a group of people that are much more likely to come from a low income background.Published: Online August 2019.
Teaching Early Literacy, Mathematics, and Patterning to Kindergartners

The effects of instructing kindergarten students (five-year-old in their first year of public school) on patterning were tested. Up to nine students in each class were randomly assigned to three groups in each of six classes, i.e., as many as three from a class in each group. One group received instruction on complex patterns similar to those employed by other researchers with first graders. Another group was instructed in early literacy, and another in early mathematics. For each group, the experimental instruction was scheduled in a counterbalanced order for 15 minutes in the morning, five days per week for most of the school year. When tested in late May-early June, the children taught patterning scored significantly better on a test of patterning. There were no significant differences on tests of mathematics and early literacy. However, there were correlations between the children’s patterning scores and some literacy scales.
Acceptability And Outcomes Of A Guided-meditation Intervention For School-age Second Language Learners

1 Second/Foreign Language Learning Anxiety . 2 Impacts on Cognitive Processing and Learning.3 Helping Students Cope with Stress and Anxiety . 5 Meditation as Self-Regulation . 6 Theorized Mechanisms Underlying Meditation . 7 Physiological Responses . 9 Psychological Treatments Involving Meditation . 11 Research on MBIs in Schools . 12 Meditation, Mindfulness, and Second Language Learning Anxiety . 14
Human Memories Can Be Linked by Temporal Proximity

Real-world memories involve the integration of multiple events across time, yet the mechanisms underlying this integration is unknown. Recent rodent studies show that distinct memories encoded within a few hours, but not several days, share a common neural ensemble, and a common fate whereby later fear conditioning can transfer from one memory to the other. Here, we tested if distinct memories could be linked by temporal proximity in humans. 74 young adults encoded two memories (A and B) close (3-h) or far apart (7-day) in time. One day after encoding the second memory (B), Memory A was updated by pairing it with electric shock (i.e., fear conditioning). We tested whether the memory and fear associated with Memory B would be stronger in the 3-h, compared with the 7-day condition. Results were generally consistent with rodent studies, where we found heightened Memory B fear expression when the two memories were encoded close, but not far apart, in time. Furthermore, there was less forgetting of Memory B in the 3-h compared to 7-day condition. Our results suggest that temporally proximal memories may be linked, such that updating one experience updates the other.
Mindfulness for musicians: The effects of teaching 8-week mindfulness courses to student musicians in higher education

Students are arriving in higher education more stressed and anxious than previously, so there is a clear benefit for institutions to provide evidence-based health and well-being interventions. Mindfulness is a widely available popular intervention, and its efficacy has been demonstrated in the clinical field and increasingly in the educational field. However, the potential benefits of teaching mindfulness to music students have not yet been explored sufficiently. This thesis reports the effects of teaching targeted 8-week mindfulness courses to singers and instrumentalists in two studies run over two years at two conservatoires and a university. Both studies used a predominantly qualitative mixed methods approach. Levels of mindfulness were measured using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ: Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006), and a specially designed Mindfulness for Musicians questionnaire. The instrumentalists’ quantitative study was quasi-experimental; the singers’ study utilised controls and randomised controls. Qualitative methods comprised of semi-structured interviews for both studies, and the singers’ study included longitudinal interviews, an anonymous diary, and a teachers’ blind study. Quantitative results showed increased levels of mindfulness among vocal and instrumentalist participants over the interventions. Participants reported a greater ability to learn instrumental technique, improved teacher/pupil relationships, more efficient and effective music practice, and enhanced communication skills in rehearsal and ensembles. Mindfulness-naive vocal teachers who taught 136 students across two institutions identified nineteen of the 31 experimental participants in the blind study. Results demonstrated predicted positive impacts on performance anxiety, but a key finding was that mindfulness was also beneficial in enhancing aspects of participants’ performances, improving their experience and increasing performance enjoyment. The evidence presented in this thesis demonstrates the clear benefit of targeted mindfulness interventions in the field of higher music education. Mindfulness training enhances the whole musician both in student learning and as a preparation for professional life.
“Knowing Me, Knowing You” the Importance of Networking for Freelancers’ Careers: Examining the Mediating Role of Need for Relatedness Fulfillment and Employability-Enhancing Competencies

Research has shown the importance of engaging in networking behaviors for employees’ career success. Networking behaviors can be seen as a proactive way of creating access to career-related social resources and we argue that this type of proactive career behaviors might be particularly relevant for freelancers who cannot depend on an organizational career system supporting their further development, yet whose careers are characterized by high levels of uncertainty and unpredictability. To date, however, our understanding of how freelancers, being a category of workers that are deprived of an organizational context of support for career development, can safeguard their employability, is limited. Therefore, this study addresses this gap and investigates whether freelancers’ networking behaviors are positively associated with career outcomes, through the mediating role of the need for relatedness fulfillment and employability-enhancing competencies. Hypotheses are tested via Structural Equation Modeling using a sample of 1,874 freelancers from Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The results generally support our hypotheses, providing evidence for a significant association between networking behaviors and need for relatedness fulfillment, and between networking behaviors and employability-enhancing competencies. Moreover, we found a significant association between need for relatedness fulfillment and employability-enhancing competencies, being the mediators in our research model and the outcomes of career satisfaction and perceived future career opportunities. Implications for career development in the contemporary workplace are discussed, with particular attention for need for relatedness fulfillment, employability-enhancing competencies, and sustainable careers of freelance workers.
A community-based programme in oral-health education targeted at pre-school children and their caregivers in Hong Kong

of thesis entitled “A Community-based Programme in Oral-health Education Targeted at Pre-school Children and Their Caregivers in Hong Kong” Submitted by Yeung Man Wai for the degree of Master of Nursing at the University of Hong Kong July 2012 Early childhood caries is a condition of rapidly progressing rampant dental caries in infants and young children. It is considered as a major public health problem affecting pre-school children and it is the most common dental disease which affects 28% of children within two to five years of age. ECC not only induces pain and discomfort, but can also affect communication, nutrition status, learning abilities, speech and quality of life, which may progress into adulthood and pose a heavy burden on the healthcare system in long-term. In Hong Kong, over 50% of children were affected by dental caries in 2001 but over 70% of children had never been to a dentist for a regular check up at age five. Thus, much of the tooth decay was remained undetected and untreated. Dental caries can be preventable and achievable. Collaboration between families, early care and health care professionals is required to promote effective oral health care. Numerous studies have found that educational programs and workshops are effective in promoting oral health and can provide children a lifelong opportunity to be free from preventable oral disease. In order to promote oral health to achieve the mission of the Department of Health in Hong Kongat least 65% of 5 years old children are free from caries by the year 2020, an evidence-based guideline for a community-based programme in oral health education was developed in the proposed setting after a critical appraisal of the reviewed evidence. The comprehensive intervention plan, including communication plan with stakeholders, training of staffs and pilot testing will be carried out to facilitate the implementation of the innovation. The oral health programme will be evaluated for its effectiveness in achieving the patient outcomes, health providers’ outcomes and system outcomes in the proposed settings. A Community-based Programme in Oral-health Education Targeted at Pre-school Children and Their Caregivers in Hong Kong by YEUNG MAN WAI BN (Hons) HKPU MBA Heriott Watt Unviersity PgD in Epidemiology & Biostatistics CUHK A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Nursing at the University of Hong Kong
Exploring the roles of government involvement and institutional environments in the internationalization of Chinese Internet companies

The interactions between government, institutions, and Internet companies have gained attention in the research on the globalization of China’s Internet. However, few studies have been conducted at the company level, and the knowledge about the roles of government and institutions remains limited. Drawing on institutional theory, this empirical study explored the roles and mechanisms of government involvement and the institutional environment in the internationalization of Chinese Internet companies. The results indicated that government involvement could improve these companies’ degree of international breadth through both state ownership and governmental affiliation. However, the results showed that state ownership had a restraining function on their degree of international depth. In the context of institutional transition in China, these effects could vary according to whether Internet companies operate in good or poor institutional environments. By revealing these relationships, this study contributes to both the theoretical and the empirical understanding of governmental influence and institutional roots in the globalization of China’s Internet.
Convergence Properties of Deep Neural Networks on Separable Data

While a lot of progress has been made in recent years, the dynamics of learning in deep nonlinear neural networks remain to this day largely misunderstood. In this work, we study the case of binary classification and prove various properties of learning in such networks under strong assumptions such as linear separability of the data. Extending existing results from the linear case, we confirm empirical observations by proving that the classification error also follows a sigmoidal shape in nonlinear architectures. We show that given proper initialization, learning expounds parallel independent modes and that certain regions of parameter space might lead to failed training. We also demonstrate that input norm and features’ frequency in the dataset lead to distinct convergence speeds which might shed some light on the generalization capabilities of deep neural networks. We provide a comparison between the dynamics of learning with cross-entropy and hinge losses, which could prove useful to understand recent progress in the training of generative adversarial networks. Finally, we identify a phenomenon that we baptize gradient starvation where the most frequent features in a dataset prevent the learning of other less frequent but equally informative features.
How Ethical Ideologies Relate to Public Attitudes Toward Nonhuman Animals: The Japanese Case

How ethical ideologies relate to public attitudes toward nonhuman animals is an increasingly prominent topic, yet it has been largely unstudied, particularly in Asian countries such as Japan. Using the Ethics Position Questionnaire (EPQ), Animal Attitude Scale (AAS), and Animal Issue Scale (AIS) in the present study, we examined how ethical ideologies and human demographics relate to public attitudes toward animals from a Japanese cultural perspective. The results of a questionnaire (N = 900) distributed throughout Japan indicate that public attitudes toward animals were positively associated with idealism and negatively associated with relativism. These findings are similar to those from China, but partly in contrast with those from the United States, where relativism was unrelated to attitudes toward animals. Our findings add to a growing recognition of how individual philosophy relates to public attitudes toward animals in Asian countries.
Teacher Educators' Use of Digital Tools and Needs for Digital Competence in Higher Education

Abstract Based on a study at two Swedish universities, this article aimed to identify teacher educators' use of digital tools and subsequent need for digital competence in higher education. Methodically, a digital survey was distributed via e-mail to 405 teacher educators representing two faculties at the two universities; in total, 105 teacher educators responded. The survey included 16 questions, with closed- and open-ended varieties. Two theoretical foundations were used: the TPACK model and, as a complement, computer self-efficacy. Through analysis of self-reported use, competence, and need for professional training in digitalization in teaching, results show that teacher educators do not use digital tools primarily for pedagogical purposes. Thus, they need extensive pedagogical support in creating digital teaching. Further, teacher educators need to identify the pedagogical surplus value in their own teaching and learning context with digital tools to increase motivation for concrete, effective, and subject-oriented successful examples as presented by experienced teachers.
Knowledge, attitude, and intentions toward concussion management among Chinese undergraduate students majored in physical education: A cross-sectional study

Knowledge and attitudes are commonly studied variables linked with an individual behaviour. Sports-related concussions are increasingly drawing attention in the school environment, making physical education (PE) teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards concussion management a topic of interest. The purpose of this study was to examine a model pertaining to factors (i.e. knowledge, attitudes, perceived norms and personal agency) associated with the intention towards concussion management. Participants were 379 Chinese undergraduate students (aged 17–24) majored in PE. The study conducted a survey to examine participants’ knowledge and attitude of concussion management. The results from structural equation modelling generated a model with a good fit index ( = 5.413, p = 0.248; CFI = 0.994, TLI = 0.987, RMSEA = 0.031, SRMR = 0.018), which showed a moderate relationship among the constructs of the integrated behavioural model. Participants’ knowledge on recognise concussion symptom (positive symptom: β = .16; p < 0.05; negative symptom: β = .13; p < 0.05) is linked by attitude towards their intention (β = .32; p < 0.04) to provide concussion management. The findings provide implications for PE teacher training programmes and establish the groundwork for future education in concussion management in China.
Localization of neural circuits involved with encoding, storage, and retrieval of spatial memories in the teleost brain

Declarative memories are paramount for the survival of an individual and their species. Declarative memories are those which are formed and reinforced through the personal history and experiences of an individual. The mammalian hippocampus plays an irreplaceable role in the formation of declarative and spatial memory. The hippocampus is vital in forming and storing a new memory, yet not completely necessary for the recall of a previously established memory.
The influence of parenting on Korean children’s language and school readiness: different roles of mothers and fathers depending on maternal employment

ABSTRACT This study examined the mediated role of children’s language in the effects of fathers’ and mothers’ parenting on children’s school readiness. The moderated roles of maternal employment and child sex were also examined. Data were drawn from the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC), using a total of 1730 families (male children: 51%). First, in families with full-time working mothers, fathers’ support parenting at age 4 predicted better language development at age 5, which in turn predicted better school readiness at age 6. Second, nonworking mothers’ behavioural control parenting at age 4 predicted children’s better language development at age 5, which in turn predicted better school readiness at age 6. Lastly, mothers’ behavioural control parenting at age 4 directly predicted children’s better school readiness at age 6. The study broadens our understanding of the influence of parenting on children’s school readiness via children’s language development.
Between hope and despair: Teacher education in the age of Trump

Abstract We are teacher educators trying to recalibrate to the world of Trump. As we search to find our new bearings, we recognize that the markers of meaning that we relied on (such as civility and truth) have been washed away, and we must now redefine how to create meaning in our work, and hope in our worlds. In this article, we combine examples of student interactions from our classes with inner dialogue to chronicle our search for hope. Working in the context of the US South, we highlight how drawing from critical theory allowed us to reach for moments of hope in dark times.