Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maintenance of Perceptual Information in Speech Perception

Acoustic and contextual cues to linguistic categories (e.g., phonemes or words) tend to be temporally distributed across the speech signal. Optimal cue integration thus requires maintenance of subcategorical information over time. At the same time, previous work suggests that finite sensory memory or processing capacity strongly limits how much subcategorical information can be maintained (or for how long). We argue that previous work might have over-interpreted the role of these limitations. In two perception experiments, we find no limit in the ability to maintain subcategorical information. We also find that maintenance seems to be the default, neither limited to perceptually particularly ambiguous signals, nor a learned strategy specific to our experiment. In contrast, listeners’ decision for how long to delay categorization, we find, is a function of perceptual ambiguity. It is therefore crucial to distinguish between in-principle abilities (even when they reflect default processing), and decisions made within the bounds of those abilities.
Informal micro-finance schemes: the case of funeral insurance in South Africa

Based on a study carried out in the Grahamstown township, examines means available for obtaining the cash required to finance a funeral. Compares and evaluates four types of funeral insurance providers: formal assistance insurers, formal friendly societies and informal non-profit and for-profit insurers. Explores reasons why consumers prefer informal insurers and draws lessons for the formal insurance sector.
Reconciling the Old and New Census Bureau Education Questions: Recommendations for Researchers

Beginning with the 1990 Census and the January 1992 Current Population Survey (CPS), the Bureau of the Census changed the emphasis of its educational-attainment question from years of education to degree receipt. Using a matched sample from the 1991 and 1992 March CPS, this article addresses how to reconcile the old and new questions. The effects of those methods on the estimated return(s) to education are then examined. Both the estimated linear return and the estimated college-high-school wage differential are slightly larger using information from the new question.
Emerging Equity Market Comovements: Trends and Macroeconomic Fundamentals

Emerging equity markets have become increasingly interrelated over the past two decades. For a sample of 32 emerging markets from four different regions we find significant positive time trends in cross-country correlations within regions, correlations across regions and in comovements with the rest of the world. Furthermore, we examine the economic mechanisms that drive these trends. We find that official market liberalization, a continuous measure of equity market openness, equity market development, and to some extent, trade openness all play a role. However, we show important heterogeneity across regions, both in the speed at which comovements increase over time and in the underlying macro-economic channels.
Retinopathy in non diabetics, diabetic retinopathy and oxidative stress: a new phenotype in Central Africa?

AIM To evaluate the rates of retinopathy without diabetes and diabetic retinopathy (DR), associated with some markers of oxidative stress, antioxidants and cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS We determined the prevalence of DR in 150 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, that of retinopathy in 50 non diabetics, the levels of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, lipids, 8-isoprostane, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), gamma-glutamyl transferase GT (GGT), oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL), thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), uric acid, creatinine, albumin, total antioxidant status (TAOS), zinc, selenium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, glucose, apolipoprotein B (ApoB). RESULTS The prevalences of DR at 53y and Rtp at 62y were 44% (n=66) and 10% (n=5), respectively. The highest levels of 8-isoprostane, 8-OHdG, TBARS, SOD, and OxLDL were in DR. The lowest levels of vitamin D, vitamin C, TAOS, and vitamin E were in DR. In the case-control study discriminant analysis, the levels of vitamin C, vitamin D, ApoB, 8-OHdG, creatinine, Zn, vitamin E, and WC distinguished significantly non-diabetics without DR (controls), T2DM patients without DR and T2DM patients with DR. CONCLUSION Anticipation of DR onset is significantly associated with the exageration of oxidative stress biomarkers or decrease of antioxidants in African type 2 diabetics. Prevention of oxidative stress and abdominal obesity is needed. Supplementation in vitamin C, D, and E should be recommended as complement therapies of T2DM.
The relationship between attachment styles and internalizing or externalizing symptoms in clinical and nonclinical adolescents

Studies regarding the relationship between attachment and psy- chopathology during adolescence have been performed separately for cli- nical and nonclinical adolescents and have used different assessment measures, which together might produce a methodological bias that in- creases the association between attachment and psychopathology. With the aim of avoiding this bias, the present study used identical measures to ex- plore the relationship between attachment styles and internalizing or exter- nalizing symptoms in clinical and nonclinical samples of adolescents. The sample consisted of 258 adolescents, 129 clinical and 129 nonclinical, aged between 14 and 18 years. The adolescents in each sample were matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Attachment was assessed using the CaMir Q-sort, and psychopathological symptoms were assessed by means of the Youth Self Report (YSR). The relationships between attachment and psychopathology were similar for clinical and nonclinical adolescents. A preoccupied attachment style predicted internalizing and externalizing symptoms, somatic complaints, anxious-fearful behavior, verbal aggression, attention-seeking behavior, and thinking problems. Compared to previous studies, this research has made it possible to identify broader, stronger, and more specific associations between preoccupied attachment style and psy- chopathological symptoms in adolescents.
Data offloading in two-tier networks: A contract design approach

Offloading data from cellular networks to WiFi or femtocell networks is an efficient way to alleviate the network congestion caused by rapidly increasing demands for mobile data. To this end, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is willing to deploy WiFi/femtocell networks. With the advent of such networks, it is necessary to analyze how the ISP sets data plans to improve its profit while mobile data offloading is supported. In this paper, we develop a contract-based scheme to deal with data plan setting problem in two-tier networks. The contract offered by the ISP is a set of data plans which provide different combinations of data volume and price. We classify consumers into different types according to their percentages of data traffic offloaded to WiFi/femtocell networks. Each consumer can choose its own data plan based on its type, which is private information. Under asymmetric information scenario, we provide the necessary and sufficient conditions for the feasibility of a contract and then we derive the optimal contract which maximizes the ISP's profit. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of our scheme and indicate that the ISP can improve its profit by raising the throughput of its WiFi/femtocell networks and/or lowering its energy cost.
Effects of multilateral and preferential trade policy reform in Africa: The case of Uganda

Abstract This paper estimates the effects on production, trade and economic welfare of current trade policy regimes throughout the world on Uganda relative to other economies. This will be a benchmark against which to examine various multilateral and preferential trade policy scenarios that might emerge over the next decade as part of the WTO's Doha Round and from the expected move later this decade towards Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union. The results suggest modest gains or worse for Uganda, in part because it already has low tariffs and ready preferential access to rich-country markets. Several important caveats to this type of analysis are stressed though, before drawing out some trade and policy implications for Uganda.
Pricing and Hedging Interest Rate Options: Evidence from Cap-Floor Markets

This paper examines the pricing and hedging performance of interest rate option pricing models in the U.S. dollar interest rate cap and floor markets. We evaluate alternative one-factor and two-factor term structure models on daily data from March-December 1998, consisting of actual cap and floor prices across both strike rates and maturities. Results show that fitting the skew of the underlying interest rate distribution provides accurate pricing results within a one-factor framework. However, for hedging performance, introducing a second stochastic factor is more important than fitting the skew of the underlying distribution. Modeling the second factor allows a better representation of the dynamic evolution of the term structure by incorporating expected twists in the yield curve. Thus,the interest rate dynamics embedded in two-factor models appears to be closer to the one driving the actual economic environment, leading to more accurate hedges. This constitutes evidence against claims in the literature that correctly specified and calibrated one-factor models could replace multi-factor models for consistent pricing and hedging of interest rate contingent claims.
Honor Among Thieves: Open Internal Reporting and Managerial Collusion

Firms have increasingly adopted open work environments. Although openness is thought to have benefits, it could also expose firms to an unanticipated cost. An open (closed) internal reporting environment makes it more (less) likely that managers will observe a colleague's communications with senior executives. This increase in what one manager knows about another manager's communication to senior executives could facilitate employee collusion to extract resources from the firm. To test whether internal reporting openness results in more collusion, we conduct an experiment in which two managers each make separate reports to the firm about cost information they know in common but that remains unknown by the firm. Because both managers face the same truth-inducing contract, conventional economic theory predicts that they will not collude to misreport costs regardless of reporting openness. However, using behavioral theory involving trust and reciprocity, we predict and find that managers honor their nonbinding collusive agreements and successfully collude more often in an open versus closed internal reporting environment, leading to lower firm welfare in the open environment. These results suggest that firms should consider how the cost of collusion compares to the benefits of openness.
Capital Regulation, Monetary Policy and Financial Stability

This paper examines the roles of bank capital regulation and monetary policy in mitigating procyclicality and promoting macroeconomic and financial stability. The analysis is based on a dynamic stochastic model with imperfect credit markets. Macroeconomic stability is defined in terms of a weighted average of inflation and output gap volatility, whereas financial stability is defined in terms of three alternative indicators (real house prices, the credit-to-GDP ratio, and the loan spread), both individually and in combination. Numerical experiments associated with a housing demand shock show that in a number of cases, even if monetary policy can react strongly to inflation deviations from target, combining a credit-augmented interest rate rule and a Basel III-type countercyclical capital regulatory rule may be optimal for promoting overall economic stability. The greater the degree of policy interest rate smoothing, and the stronger the policymaker’s concern with financial stability, the larger is the sensitivity of the regulatory rule to credit growth gaps.
Decoding Nucleation and Growth of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Thin Films with Atomic Force Microscopy and Vibrational Spectroscopy

Abstract The synthesis of metal‐organic framework (MOF) thin films has garnered significant attention during the past decade. By better understanding the parameters governing the nucleation and growth of such thin films, their properties can be rationally tuned, empowering their application as (reactive) membranes. Here, a combined AFM‐vibrational spectroscopy research strategy is employed to detail the chemistries governing the nucleation and growth of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) thin films, in particular isostructural Co‐ZIF‐67 and Zn‐ZIF‐8. First, a single step direct synthesis approach is used to investigate the influence of different synthesis parameters –metal/linker ratio, temperature, and metal type– on the thin film nucleation and growth behaviour. While the metal/linker ratio has a pronounced effect on the thin film nucleation rate, the temperature mainly influences the growth kinetics of nuclei forming the thin film. In addition, the nucleation and growth of ZIF thin films is shown to be highly dependent on the electronegativity of the metal type. Thin‐film thickness control can be achieved by using a multistep synthesis strategy, implying repetitive applications of single step deposition under identical synthesis conditions, for which a growth mechanism is proposed. This study provides insight into the influence of synthesis parameters on the ZIF thin film properties, using tools at hand to rationally tune MOF thin film properties.
EFFECTS OF U.S. PRESIDENTS' LEADERSHIP ROLES ON GLOBAL SECURITY: A CASE OF CARTER AND BUSH

This qualitative historical case study explored the effects of U.S. Presidents on global security. The study selected President G. W. Bush, but added former President Jimmy Carter, not in a mere comparison and contrast exercise, but in an effort to underscore the historical characterization of global terrorism. The literature review revealed limited studies done in this area of serious concern (Cannistaro, 1995; Carens, 2003). The archival data collected for a content analysis of security decisions showed that although both presidents were concerned about global security, the presidents showed two different leadership styles: transactional and transformational. The study analyses, done by a triangulation approach, considered how the various arms of the presidents’ leadership consortia interacted, and concluded that the two presidents affected global security. The hope is to generate more interest in future research that would further enhance leadership roles within the purview of systems thinking, especially pertaining to global security.
Psychological and Social Forces Behind Aggregate Financial Market Behavior

The cycle of boom and crash is a “natural” element in financial market history, and numerous research works have provided evidence that market prices spend far more time deviating from postulated theoretical equilibrium than actually tending towards it. In particular, nonmean-reverting dynamism in financial markets may be produced by mass psychological dynamics in the patterns of human aggregate behavior, which result from nonrational herding impulses sensed by market participants in complex and uncertain situations. Based on a literature review and the analysis of several case studies, this paper elucidates postulated mechanisms behind, and characteristics of, herding in financial markets. The main goal is to raise awareness of the often little-understood point that collective behavior does not simply sum up preexisting individual motives and preferences. Thus, the paper focuses on the mechanism of how individually unintended aggregate outcomes such as financial market booms and panics are shaped by collective dynamics and social interactions between traders and their social environment.
Education, job satisfaction and gender in Kuwait

This study explores the relationship between education (level and field) and job satisfaction among Kuwaiti women employees in the Kuwaiti private banking sector. The analysis is focused on the responses of the female employees to their own jobs as indicated by their level of job satisfaction. Specifically, the research involved a stratified sample of the Kuwaiti women employees in the whole private banking sector in Kuwait. This study differs from previous investigations of job satisfaction in two principal ways: in dealing with the private sector (rather than the more common public sector in studies of the Middle East) and in taking into account education (level and field) in the privatesector work setting. The major findings of this research indicate that a much broader approach towards increasing satisfaction than focusing on the job itself is required. The study shows that the respondents' education background is of substantial importance in affecting job satisfaction.
Foreign Subsidiary Performance: Evidence from Ghana

The objective of this study is to examine the influence of selected ownership, location, and internalization-specific factors on performance of foreign subsidiaries in Ghana. Our analysis was based on 75 manufacturing investments made by MNEs from different countries in 1994–2008. The results indicated that market size, host country experience, greenfield establishment mode, and joint venture ownership mode had positively impacted performance of foreign subsidiaries independent of the measure of performance. Furthermore, international experience and cultural distance had influenced performance when the total performance measure was used. Finally, the ownership mode significantly influenced performance only in greenfield investments, and not in acquisition mode.
Teacher perspectives about lesson study in secondary school departments: a collaborative vehicle for professional learning and practice development

Two departments in a secondary school in England participated in ‘lesson study’ projects over a five-month period to explore its usefulness as a vehicle for professional development. Through a cycle of two research lessons, conducted separately in each department, teachers identified challenges that inhibited the learning of their students and collaboratively prepared innovative approaches to address the learning challenges. The process yielded multiple sets of data: DVD-recorded lessons, lesson plans and resources, transcripts of preparation and evaluation meetings and individual interviews at the end of the project. This paper draws principally on detailed qualitative analysis of end-of-project interviews about teacher experiences of learning and practice development in the two contexts. While the teachers encountered some logistical challenges to the implementation of lesson study, a number of important gains were reported: collaboration in lesson study reduced feelings of professional isolation; teachers reported a sharper focus on pupil learning and more confidence to take risks with approaches to teaching, which led to greater opportunities for pupils to engage in interactive activities, for example, involving problem-solving and peer teaching in groups.
Validation of the partner version of the multidimensional vaginal penetration disorder questionnaire: A tool for clinical assessment of lifelong vaginismus in a sample of Iranian population

Background: The role of spousal response in woman's experience of pain during the vaginal penetration attempts believed to be an important factor; however, studies are rather limited in this area. The aim of this study was to develop and investigate the psychometric indexes of the partner version of a multidimensional vaginal penetration disorder questionnaire (PV-MVPDQ); hence, the clinical assessment of spousal psychosexual reactions to vaginismus by specialists will be easier. Materials and Methods: A mixed-methods sequential exploratory design was used, through that, the findings from a thematic qualitative research with 20 unconsummated couples, which followed by an extensive literature review used for development of PV-MVPDQ. A consecutive sample of 214 men who their wives’ suffered from lifelong vaginismus (LLV) based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th version (DSM)-IVTR criteria during a cross-sectional design, completed the questionnaire and additional questions regarding their demographic and sexual history. Validation measures and reliability were conducted by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbach's alpha coefficient through SPSS version 16 manufactured by SPSS Inc. (IBM corporation, Armonk, USA). Results: After conducting EFA PV-MVPDQ emerged as having 40 items and 7 dimensions: Helplessness, sexual information, vicious cycle of penetration, hypervigilance and solicitous, catastrophic cognitions, sexual and marital adjustment and optimism. Subscales of PV-MVPDQ showed a significant reliability (0.71-0.85) and results of test-retest were satisfactory. Conclusion: The present study shows PV-MVPDQ is a multi-dimensional valid and reliable self-report questionnaire for assessment of cognitions, sexual and marital relations related to vaginal penetrations in spouses of women with LLV. It may assist specialists to base on which clinical judgment and appropriate planning for clinical management.
Upper-limb muscular electrical stimulation driven by EEG-based detections of the intentions to move: A proposed intervention for patients with stroke

This study proposes an intervention for stroke patients in which electrical stimulation of muscles in the affected arm is supplied when movement intention is detected from the electroencephalographic signal. The detection relies on the combined analysis of two movement related cortical patterns: the event-related desynchronization and the bereitschaftspotential. Results with two healthy subjects and three chronic stroke patients show that reliable EEG-based estimations of the movement onsets can be generated (on average, 66.9 ± 26.4 % of the movements are detected with 0.42 ± 0.17 false activations per minute) which in turn give rise to electrical stimuli providing sensory feedback tightly associated to the movement planning (average detection latency of the onsets of the movements was 54.4 ± 287.9 ms).
THE TEMPORAL CAUSALITY BETWEEN FISCAL DEFICITS AND INTEREST RATES

Conventional wisdom suggests that higher government fiscal deficits cause higher (long-term) interest rates. Much empirical work-generally standard ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis-has examined this issue and has produced mixed findings. Even if these standard OLS studies conclude that deficits and interest rates are related, they do not answer the question of which came first-the higher deficit or the higher interest rate? A few studies have used Granger causality to consider the question of temporal causality, generally with short-term interest rates. Tliis paper employs the relatively new cointegration and error-correction methodology to reexamine the temporal causality between fiscal deficits and interest rates-both long term and short term. This study finds evidence that federal deficits cause the long-term interest rate. Copyright 1991 Western Economic Association International.