Search

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB The quantity and quality of social contacts have been related to self-esteem, and both social relationships and self-esteem have been implicated in the pathways to paranoia. However, how social relationships interplay with self-esteem to trigger paranoia is not well understood. This study aims to investigate whether different measures of social connectedness (social support, loneliness, and desired friendship), as well as the frequency of social contact, impact paranoia and other positive and negative psychotic-like experiences (PLE) through the indirect effect of self-esteem. Data from a sample of 169 nonclinically ascertained participants oversampled for schizotypy scores were analyzed using two different approaches: retrospective trait-like and ecological momentary measures of social connectedness. Results showed that self-esteem mediates the pathways from poor social support and social longing, but not from loneliness, to paranoia and other cognitive PLE. In contrast, pathways from social connectedness toperceptual PLE and negative PLE were not mediated by self-esteem. Results were consistent across trait-like and momentary measures. Finally, self-esteem was not implicated in the pathways from the frequency of social contact and paranoia or other forms of PLE. These results provide a comprehensive picture of how social connectedness drives specific symptoms of psychosis through self-esteem. Findings underscore the need to explore separately the quality and quantity of social relationships and suggest that the subjective experience of meaningful social bonds is key social determinants of mental health. Therefore, addressing inadequacies of social connectedness could substantially improve symptomatic and functional outcomes of psychosis.

Highlights • Directional spillover effects and connectedness for both return and volatility. • Nine US dollar exchange rates of globally most traded currencies. • Asymmetric spillovers and connectedness among these currencies with trade policy uncertainty. • The stronger volatility spillover than the return connectedness. • The role for predicting currency market dynamics with the trade policy uncertainty patterns., This paper analyses the directional spillover effects and connectedness for both return and volatility of nine US dollar exchange rates of globally most traded currencies under the influence of trade policy uncertainty. We find two interesting results over the study period ranging from December 1993 to July 2019. First, there exists asymmetric spillovers and connectedness among the considered exchange rates when trade policy uncertainty is present. Second, the volatility spillover is stronger than the return connectedness between exchange rate and trade policy uncertainty. These findings are robust to the presence of economic policy uncertainty effects. Concomitantly, the trade policy uncertainty patterns are also found to be useful for predicting currency market dynamics. Our findings contribute to the debate on the impact of trade policy uncertainty on the global economy and financial sector.

Our aim is to obtain a suitable characterization of certain topological properties of a random closed set through its capacity functional. The main technique mixes two different fields: on the one hand, the abstract simplicial complex associated to a covering, whose topology coincides with the topology of the original set thanks to the nerve theorem. On the other hand, the celebrated Choquet-Kendall-Matheron theorem, which states that a random closed set is characterized by its capacity functional.

This study analyzes systemic risk contagion across the euro area by employing the Diebold-Yilmaz and the frequency connectedness methodologies with data from January 1, 1999, to January 25, 2021. We use the daily Composite Indicator of Systemic Stress (CISS) series for 11 countries in the euro area developed by Hollo et al. (2012) and calculate the overall connectedness between the series by employing two pioneering approaches. Additionally, we estimate the short-, medium-, and long-cycle connectedness of systemic risk over the study period that covers three financial burst periods: the global financial crisis (GFC), the European sovereign debt crisis (ESDC), and the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, spillover indexes notably rise around well-known financial/geopolitical events over the study period. Finally, we examine the network connectedness of systemic risk spillovers during the GFC, the ESDC, and COVID-19 periods and thereby compare them. Our results highlight an efficient regulatory mechanism to control systemic risk contagion.

In this paper, we present a new approach to the Mandelbrot set via fuzzy set theory. We introduce and characterize the fuzzy Mandelbrot set by describing its membership function that determines the degrees of belonging of the points to this set under the iteration even if the orbit of the point is not limited. Then we investigate the basic topological properties of the fuzzy Mandelbrot set and its strong α-cut such as closedness, openness, boundness, connectedness and simply connectedness.

Objective Impaired cognition increases suicide risk while social connectedness protects against suicide risk in late life. We examined the independent and interactive effects of social connectedness and cognition on suicide risk in late life. Methods Participants included 570 individuals aged 50+ from a late-life suicide study. The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List and Social Network Index were used to assess perceived and objective social connectedness, respectively, while the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale and Executive Interview were used to assess cognition. Results Suicide attempters and ideators reported lower perceived social connectedness and exhibited worse executive function than non-suicidal depressed and healthy comparison participants, while only attempters had worse objective social connectedness relative to the other groups. Executive dysfunction was linked to low objective social connectedness in attempters but higher objective social connectedness in healthy comparisons. Conclusion Interventions targeting suicide risk may consider bolstering social connectedness, particularly in those with low cognitive health.

This paper investigates various aspects of asymmetric connectedness among the stock markets in China, Japan, and Korea. Based on the realized semi-volatility indices, we find that the impact of bad volatility strictly dominates good volatility in generating transmission across the Northeast Asian markets. We also present evidence that the impacts of the U.S. volatility shock on other countries have been due primarily to bad volatility. In the dynamic analysis, we observe highly volatile patterns in the connectedness measures with several peaks during major economic shocks. Most influential episodes of volatility connectedness have been witnessed, inter alia, during the global financial crisis and the European debt crisis. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has also caused turmoil by damaging the health of the global financial market.

Being the health pandemic with the highest impact on the global financial market, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant risk transmissions across stock markets. Although an increasing number of studies have examined the effects of the pandemic on financial markets, we provide novel insights into the volatility connectedness between conventional and Islamic stock markets. First, the analysis is conducted at the sectoral level, considering nine sectors for each category. Second, a greater novelty is applied by determining if the actual COVID-19 occurrence or speculations or sentiments raised by it is responsible for the connectedness. Summarily, findings show that markets are strongly connected. In addition, the Technology and Utilities sectors of both stock market types, and the Oil and Gas conventional stocks are the net receivers of volatility shocks. On average, however, Islamic markets tend to be more immune to the pandemic than conventional markets. Finally, both causal factors considered significantly affect the connectedness measures, although the effect is heterogeneous and stronger for the speculative/sentiment indicators. These findings provide appropriate policy clues for both investors and policy makers.

In this study, we explore the concept of international student connectedness (as well as its negative congener: disconnectedness) in order to better understand how international students can develop and achieve connectedness during their study abroad, especially while impacted by COVID-19. Through a literature review and thematic analysis of recent research on the international student experience and international student connectedness—with a particular focus on the Australian context—we highlight the multidimensional nature of connectedness by identifying and bringing together five different elements of connectedness: (1) social, (2) cultural, (3) political, (4) place, and (5) translocal. This allows for a more nuanced view of the international student experience, its bases as well as its challenges, enabling stakeholders with an interest in supporting international students to consider a multidimensional approach to their engagement with this student group.

Co-exposure networks offer a useful tool for analyzing audience behavior. In these networks, nodes are sources of information and ties measure the strength of audience overlap. Past research has used this method to analyze exposure to content on social media and the web. However, we still lack a systematic assessment of how different choices in the construction of these networks impact the results. Here we evaluate three different filtering rules that have been used in the literature to eliminate noise in raw data and identify the strongest connections (i.e., those above a certain weight). Moreover, we also provide a mathematical heuristic to choose the optimal threshold. To illustrate our approach, we use two observed networks measuring co-exposure to news sources on the web. We then formulate the problem of filtering the networks as a trade-off between network sparsity (i.e., the need to remove the weakest ties) and connectedness (i.e., the need to preserve the observed connectivity). Our mathematical approach resolves this problem by finding the threshold that maximizes the number of edges removed while minimizing the number of nodes becoming isolates. This analytical technique is generalizable and can be applied to the analysis of any weighted structure that requires solving a similar trade-off between network measures.

Background Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, nearly 93% of US students engaged in some distance learning. These school disruptions may negatively influence adolescent mental health. Protective factors, like feeling connected to family or school may demonstrate a buffering effect, potentially moderating negative mental health outcomes. The purpose of the study was to test our hypothesis that mode of school instruction influences mental health and determine if school and family connectedness attenuates these relationships. Methods The COVID Experiences Survey was administered online or via telephone October –November 2020 to adolescents ages 13-19 using NORC’s AmeriSpeak Panel, a probability-based panel recruited using random address-based sampling with mail and telephone non-response follow-up. The final sample included 567 adolescents in grades 7-12 who received virtual, in person, or combined instruction. Unadjusted and adjusted associations among four mental health outcomes and instruction mode were measured, and associations with school and family connectedness were explored for protective effects. Results Students attending school virtually reported poorer mental health than students attending in-person. Adolescents receiving virtual instruction reported more mentally unhealthy days, more persistent symptoms of depression, and a greater likelihood of seriously considering attempting suicide than students in other modes of instruction. After demographic adjustments school and family connectedness each mitigated the association between virtual vs. in-person instruction for all four mental health indicators. Conclusion As hypothesized, mode of school instruction was associated with mental health outcomes, with adolescents receiving in-person instruction reporting the lowest prevalence of negative mental health indicators. School and family connectedness may play a critical role in buffering negative mental health outcomes.

The Internet of Things is an increasingly important scientific, social and economic topic. Combined with the internet connectedness and the robust data analysis capabilities promising to change the way we operate, live, and play is consumer products, durable goods, automobiles and vehicles, manufacturing and service components, sensors, and other everyday items. IoT's Internet and economic impact projections are remarkable. The Internet of Things (IoT) promotes growth and new opportunities in the computer domain by bringing every protest, shopper, and activity. In the meantime, pushing organizations, by summarizing each delegate, implement comparable changes within their companies. Furthermore, manage administration. The expansion and choice of standard gauges of associated gadgets combined with improved, cheaper innovation steps only extend IoT-competent skills across companies.

We examine a crowdfunding platform that connects artists with funders. Although the Internet reduces many distance-related frictions, local and distant funders exhibit different funding patterns. Local funders appear less responsive to information about the cumulative funds raised by an artist. However, this distance effect appears to proxy for a social effect: it is largely explained by funders who likely have an offline social relationship with the artist (“friends and family”). Yet, this social effect does not persist past the first investment, suggesting that it may be driven by an activity like search but not monitoring. Thus, although the platform seems to diminish many distance-sensitive costs, it does not eliminate all of them. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the abilities and limitations of online markets to facilitate transactions and convey information between buyers and sellers with varying degrees of social connectedness.

This paper aims to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on the interconnectedness between the Chinese stock market and major financial and commodity markets—gold, silver, Bitcoin, WTI, S&P 500, and Euro STOXX 50—and analyze the portfolio design implications. Using daily data from 2018 to 2021, we first apply the wavelet power spectrum (WPS) to visualize volatility shifts. In contrast to previous research, we empirically identify the precise COVID-19 outbreak dates for each market using the Perron (1997) breakpoint test. Finally, we employ the bivariate DCC-GARCH model to analyze the connectedness between markets. The findings reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic caused volatility shifts of different intensities for all of the studied markets. Moreover, each return series exhibits one break date, which is specific to each market and corresponds to a distinct COVID-19-related event. Correlations, hedge ratios, and optimal portfolio weights changed significantly after the COVID-19 outbreak. There is evidence of contagion effects between the Chinese stock market and S&P 500, Euro STOXX 50, gold, and silver. Interestingly, the latter two assets lost their safe haven property with SSE. However, WTI and Bitcoin act as safe havens against SSE risks.

The extensionality of ⊤-convergence spaces is verified for a complete residuated lattice L with the top element ⊤. And also the E -connectedness of ⊤-convergence spaces for a class E of ⊤-convergence spaces is proposed by generalizing Preuss's connectedness of topological spaces. Then we establish a necessary and sufficient condition that for a class K of ⊤-convergence spaces, there exists a class E of ⊤-convergence spaces such that each space of K is E -connected, where we stress the point that the conclusion benefits from the extensionality of the category of ⊤-convergence spaces. We further present a deep relationship between E -connectedness and T 1 -separation for ⊤-convergence spaces, that is, the E -connectedness of each subset in a ⊤-convergence space implies that of its closure if and only if E precisely is a class of ⊤-convergence spaces being T 1 -separated, and as a natural result, the product theorem for E -connected ⊤-convergence spaces is obtained.

Investment portfolio performance can improve with the addition of alternative assets such as commodities or by using styles such as sector investing. How volatility is transmitted between individual commodities and specific industry sectors, however, is not well understood. The dynamics of volatility transmission matters for risk management and asset allocation, given increases in commodity-equity correlations. We investigate the dynamics of volatility transmission and connectedness over 1/1999-12/2016 using data on futures for crude oil, gold, copper and corn as well as six industry SPDRs (Standard and Poor's Depository Receipts). We find that Financials and Technology are consistently the strongest volatility transmitters, while Consumer Durables and commodities are usually net receivers. Gold and corn appear to be more insulated from volatility transmission. All sectors and assets show time variation in net volatility transmission. Most sectors and indexes show reversals of net volatility transmission during market downturns or financial crises.

This study analyzes the connectedness effect among the News Headlines Sentiment Index (SI), Infectious Disease Equity Market Volatility Tracker (IDEMV), financial markets (financial stress (FS), crude oil future prices (WTI)), and macroeconomic indicators (economic index (WEI), 1-Month Treasury Constant Maturity rate (R)) for returns and volatility in the US. We employ a mixed approach consisting of the Diebold-Yilmaz framework in static analysis and time-varying parameter vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) model in dynamic analysis. The most noteworthy findings of this study are that there is a strong interdependence between SI, IDEMV, and WEI, and that SI and IDEMV have greater contributions to WEI compared to its impact on FS, R, and WTI for the return system, but not for volatility.

This study investigates dynamic frequency connectedness for volatility differences among eight popular cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dash, Monero, Ripple, Nem and Stellar). It employs the methodologies of Diebold and Yilmaz (2014; 2016) and Barunik and Křehlik (2018). Furthermore, an analysis of diversification benefits and downside risk reductions is carried out. The results demonstrated dynamic spillovers, which intensified after 2017. Furthermore, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin are net transmitters of risk, which can be a contagion source; Dash, Ripple, Monero, Stellar, and Nem are net receivers of risk. Moreover, the short-term risk spillover is more pronounced than the medium- and long-term risk spillovers, which also increased after 2017. The directional spillovers among cryptocurrencies is sensitive to frequencies. Finally, adding a cryptocurrency to a benchmark Bitcoin portfolio provides diversification benefits and downside risk reductions. In contrast, adding Bitcoin to a cryptocurrency portfolio do not offers diversification opportunities.

Many social mammals form discrete social communities within larger populations. For nonterritorial, polygynous, size-dimorphic species, sex- and age-class differences in life-history requirements might mediate differences in social connectedness and transitions among communities. We conducted social network analysis and community detection with an extensive data set of 1081 individually identified wild giraffes, Giraffa camelopardalis, over 5 years to test predictions that adult males and young of both sexes show greater social connectedness (degree, closeness and betweenness centrality) and transition more often among social communities than adult females, which form stronger and more stable relationships. We also expected that young animals would be more socially connected than adults. Using both static and dynamic network clustering techniques, we detected four distinct mixed-sex social communities, which we termed ‘super-communities’ to differentiate this apex level of social organization from intermediate-level female-only communities. Most (∼70%) giraffes remained within their same super-community, and those (usually adult males) that visited a different super-community often returned to their original super-community. Males – both adults and calves – had higher social centrality scores than females, and adult males were closer to all other individuals in the network and transitioned among super-communities twice as often as females and calves, reflecting their roaming reproductive strategy of seeking females in oestrus. Of all age and sex classes, young males had the most social ties and highest betweenness (moved most often among groups), which we attributed to social exploration prior to natal dispersal. Overall, female giraffes have stronger social associations than males, but males exceed females in measures of social connectedness, reflecting differences in reproductive and life-history profiles. Our findings suggest that giraffe translocations that do not consider sociality are likely to break up established social associations and potentially reduce fitness.

While the literature is obviously flooded with studies on the nexus between oil and metal market, the volatility connectedness dynamics that measures the forward and backward spillover linkage between different classes of oil price shocks and the metal market remains understudied. Thus, little is known about the feedback risk transmissions between individual components of oil shocks and globally traded metals. Extending the recent work of Mokni et al. (2020) which partly addresses this concern, we find strong connectedness between the four different types of oil shocks considered and five precious and industrial metals. Besides, all the oil shocks serve as net pairwise receivers of volatility spillovers, showcasing the increased financialization of oil, but its inability to hedge investors in all the metals. In entirety, gold is a net shock receiver in the system, indicating its inappropriateness to provide diversification benefits for other assets. Another important discovery is that the strong connectedness is found to be driven by economic policy uncertainty both for causality-in-conditional mean and causality-in-conditional variance. Appropriate policy suggestions are drawn accordingly.

Since that connectedness between different financial markets has always been the focus of theoretical and empirical research, we construct several connectedness indicators to measure the information spillover in financial markets based on the TVP-SV-VAR model. Under this framework, we measure the dynamic connectedness of financial asset returns in major financial markets in China and America, with our empirical results showing that the major financial markets of China and America are highly connected and that the US stock market is at the core of information spillover. Besides, most financial markets only resonate with domestic financial markets, while a few financial markets are relatively independent.

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link. This study explores how global and local forces influence the processes of consumer re-acculturation amongst third-generation British Sikhs in the United Kingdom (U.K.). Data is collected over a three-year period using multiple methods that focus on the experiential consumption of shaadi.com by third-generation British-born Sikhs. Data is analysed using thematic analysis, and findings reveal three transcultural identity patterns: accommodating, re-acculturating, and resisting Sikh culture. We argue that the emergent identity patterns are fluid, as our participants feel neither wholly British, wholly Sikh, nor wholly British-Sikh, positioning themselves beyond, rather than against, Sikh or British culture. We uncover the connectedness between the traditional cultural practices of arranged marriages and the space of shaadi.com, a matrimonial website. We interpret this website as a medium through which transcultural identities are constructed. We contribute to theory by showing the development of transcultural patterns of consumption and consistent transcultural identity construction in non-migrating ethnic communities.

Objective Sexual minority young women endorse higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than heterosexual women, but the reasons for these disparities remain unclear. One hypothesis is that the two groups of women share peer-related risk factors, but the magnitude of effect is stronger for sexual minority women. Method We utilized 6 years of data drawn from a community sample of women (N = 2078; 26% sexual minority) to examine rates of suicidality in early adulthood, adolescent peer influences on later suicidal ideation and behavior, and whether sexual minority status moderated the impact of peer influences on suicidality. Results Across the study period, rates of suicidality were higher among sexual minority women compared to heterosexual women. In prospective analyses, peer victimization increased risk for future suicidality whereas peer connectedness attenuated risk for the entire sample. Additionally, sexual minority status moderated the magnitude of these relationships for suicidal ideation and behavior. Specifically, the effect of peer connectedness on suicidal ideation was stronger for heterosexual women than sexual minority women, whereas the effect of peer connectedness on suicidal attempts was stronger for sexual minority than for heterosexual women. In addition, peer victimization increased risk for suicide attempts among sexual minority women. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of peer experiences in late adolescence for suicidality during the transition to young adulthood, and how such relations vary by sexual minority status.

This paper examines the direction and extent of the asymmetric volatility connectedness among international equity markets using 5-minute interval data from 16 stock markets. We analyze asymmetric volatility connectedness using realized volatility and identify the magnitude of the volatility spillover and of the connectedness through networks. We decompose realized volatility into good and bad, and volatility spillover is time-varying and asymmetric. Bad volatility dominates good volatility in international stock markets. Macroeconomic shocks (negative interest rates in Japan, economic stress in China, a recession in Russia, and double-digit inflation in Brazil) increased volatility asymmetry. Asian markets are responsible for stronger negative spillover, thereby necessitating regulations to reduce the strong negative volatility connectedness with Asian markets.

The Finnish population is a unique example of a genetic isolate affected by a recent founder event. Previous studies have suggested that the ancestors of Finnic-speaking Finns and Estonians reached the circum-Baltic region by the 1(st) millennium BC. However, high linguistic similarity points to a more recent split of their languages. To study genetic connectedness between Finns and Estonians directly, we first assessed the efficacy of imputation of low-coverage ancient genomes by sequencing a medieval Estonian genome to high depth (23×) and evaluated the performance of its down-sampled replicas. We find that ancient genomes imputed from >0.1× coverage can be reliably used in principal-component analyses without projection. By searching for long shared allele intervals (LSAIs; similar to identity-by-descent segments) in unphased data for >143,000 present-day Estonians, 99 Finns, and 14 imputed ancient genomes from Estonia, we find unexpectedly high levels of individual connectedness between Estonians and Finns for the last eight centuries in contrast to their clear differentiation by allele frequencies. High levels of sharing of these segments between Estonians and Finns predate the demographic expansion and late settlement process of Finland. One plausible source of this extensive sharing is the 8(th)–10(th) centuries AD migration event from North Estonia to Finland that has been proposed to explain uniquely shared linguistic features between the Finnish language and the northern dialect of Estonian and shared Christianity-related loanwords from Slavic. These results suggest that LSAI detection provides a computationally tractable way to detect fine-scale structure in large cohorts.

Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Considers the significance of corporate identity, internal corporate brand/identity images, and corporate brand identification for corporate brand orientation. Three propositions based on the above are formulated. By highlighting the importance of these concepts, scholars are more fully able to comprehend the importance and connectedness between the concepts. The same is true for senior managers who have responsibility for managing and nurturing meaningful corporate brand orientated organizations. They also need to be cognizant of these dimensions and regularly appraise them.

We study fibers of the commutator map on general linear maps using representation theory. Especially, we give detailed information on dimension and geometric connectedness of those fibers over regular semisimple and central elements.

Detecting communities or clusters in networks becomes a decisive issue in various interdisciplinary areas in recent years. Numerous methods are proposed to uncover community in networks, although the fundamental problem of most of the methods is the evolving nature of the networks and the presence of the imprecise number of communities. Since, real-world networks are scale-free networks and due to the preferential attachment properties, the low degree nodes are attracted towards the hub nodes showing the power-law distributions. Hub nodes are highly surrounded by their neighbors and connectedness among the nodes within a community is larger than the others. As a result, the underlying structural details facilitate to uncover precise community structure. In this work, we present a multi-phase model ma-CODE to uncover communities based on the inherent association without having any prior information about the presence of the number of communities. The multi-phase approach contains the identification of high degree nodes, label propagation and community merging. The high degree nodes are identified based on the voting by the adjacent members; the label propagation is to assign the same community identification number to those members showing high similarity; the community merging is performed among the different communities only when there is a significant increase in the modularity after combination. We examine the competence of our proposed methods in the light of twelve (12) popular real-world social networks and eight (08) artificial networks. Experiments and simulation results using five (05) different statistical assessment parameters show that ma-CODE is superior over contemporary community detection methods.

Objective To test the acceptability and effectiveness of a lay-coach-facilitated, videoconferenced, short-term behavioral activation (Tele-BA) intervention for improving social connectedness among homebound older adults. Methods We employed a two-site, participant-randomized controlled trial with 89 older adults (averaging 74 years old) who were recipients of, and initially screened by, home-delivered meals programs. All participants reported loneliness; many reported being socially isolated and/or dissatisfaction with social support. Participants received five weekly videoconference sessions of either Tele-BA or Tele-FV (friendly visits; active control). Three primary outcomes were social interaction (Duke Social Support Index [DSSI] Social Interaction Subscale), subjective loneliness (PROMIS Social Isolation Scale), and DSSI Satisfaction with Social Support Subscale. Depression severity (PHQ-9) and disability (WHODAS 2.0) were secondary outcomes. Mixed-effects regression models were fit to evaluate outcomes at 6- and 12-weeks follow-up. Results Compared to Tele-FV participants, Tele-BA participants had greater increase in social interaction (t [81] = 2.42, p = 0.018) and satisfaction with social support (t [82] = 2.00, p = 0.049) and decrease in loneliness (t [81] = −3.08, p = 0.003), depression (t [82] = −3.46, p = 0.001), and disability (t [81] = −2.29, p = 0.025). Conclusion A short-term, lay-coach-facilitated Tele-BA is a promising intervention for the growing numbers of homebound older adults lacking social connectedness. The intervention holds promise for scalability in programs that already serve homebound older adults. More research is needed to solidify the clinical evidence base, cost-effectiveness and sustainability of Tele-BA delivered by lay coaches for homebound and other older adults.

Objective To describe our modification of Behavioral Activation to address social isolation and loneliness: Brief Behavioral Activation for Improving Social Connectedness. Our recent randomized clinical trial demonstrated the effectiveness of the intervention, compared to friendly visit, in alleviating loneliness, reducing depressive symptoms, and increasing social connectedness with lonely homebound older adults receiving home-delivered meals. Methods We modified Brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression to address social isolation and loneliness by addressing each of its key elements: Psychoeducation; intervention rationale; exploration of life areas, values and activities; and activity monitoring and planning. The intervention consisted of six weekly sessions, up to 1 hour each. Interventionists were bachelor's-level individuals without formal clinical training who participated in an initial 1-day training as well as ongoing supervision by psychologists and social workers trained in BA throughout the study delivery period. Results We provide three case examples of participants enrolled in our study and describe how the intervention was applied to each of them. Conclusions Our preliminary research suggests that Behavioral Activation modified to address social connectedness in homebound older adults improves both social isolation and loneliness. This intervention has potential for scalability in programs that already serve homebound older adults. Further research is needed to solidify the clinical evidence base, replicate training and supervision procedures, and demonstrate the sustainability of Brief Behavioral Activation for Improving Social Connectedness for homebound and other older adults.

HIGHLIGHTS • What is the primary question addressed by this study? Does peer companionship delivered by an aging services agency to socially disconnected older adult primary care patients result in improvement in suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, and psychological connectedness? • What is the main finding of the study? Older adults who received the peer companionship intervention had greater improvement in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and feelings of being a burden on others than those who did not have a peer companion. Levels of suicidal ideation and feelings of belonging improved in both groups. • What is the meaning of the finding? By improving social connectedness, peer companionship as delivered by community-based social services can contribute to the mental health and well-being of older adults., Objectives To determine whether peer companionship delivered by an aging services agency to socially-disconnected older adult primary care patients was associated with improvement in suicidal ideation depression, anxiety, and psychological connectedness. Design Pragmatic, non-blinded, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial comparing peer companionship, The Senior Connection (TSC), to care-as-usual (CAU). Setting Lifespan, a non-medical, community-based aging services agency. Participants Adult primary care patients ages ≥60 years who endorsed feelings of loneliness or being a burden on others. Intervention TSC was delivered by Lifespan volunteers who provided supportive visits and phone calls in the subjects’ homes. CAU involved no peer companion assignment. Measurements The primary outcome was suicidal ideation assessed by the Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale; secondary outcomes were depression, anxiety, and feelings of belonging and being a burden on others. Data were collected at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-months. Results Subjects (55% female) had a mean age of 71 years. There was no difference between groups in change in suicidal ideation or belonging. Subjects randomized to TSC had greater reduction in depression (PHQ-9; 2.33 point reduction for TSC vs. 1.32 for CAU, p=0.05), anxiety (GAD-7; TSC 1.52 vs. CAU 0.28, p=0.03), and perceived burden on others (INQ; 0.46 TSC vs. 0.09 CAU, p

This study investigates fear transmission between the U.S. financial market and the Euro-Asian financial markets. Our spatial regression models show that the U.S. VIX index (Chicago Board Options Exchange implied volatility index CBOE VIX) and six European and Asian VIX indexes collectively have the explanatory ability for each other in static time conditions. Regarding a significant spatial spillover effect, dynamic interaction is also demonstrated between the U.S. market and European and Asian markets, implying a significant transmission of risk over time. Moreover, we highlight that the U.S. domestic risk is dominant in explaining the U.S. fear index relative to international risks (European and Asian fear indexes). On the contrary, we highlight that the U.S. fear index outperforms European domestic risks in explaining fear in European financial markets. However, this is not the case for Asian markets, where the results showed that all Asian fear index reactions are more affected by the Asian realised volatilities than by the U.S. fear index.

In recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an important aspect of corporate marketing that underpins an organisation’s social connectedness and responsiveness. This study focused on how perceived internal CSR affects employees’ life satisfaction and the role of mediating variables, such as job satisfaction and corporate identification. The results indicate that perceived internal CSR has an indirect effect on life satisfaction through its effects on job satisfaction. It also affects job satisfaction via organisational identification. Accordingly, CSR activities have a particularly important role in employees’ lives at work and beyond, pointing to the potential of (ethical) corporate marketing to expand its influence beyond employees’ work lives.

This study investigated the relationship between social connectedness and overseas life satisfaction in addition to the mediating effect of cultural intelligence (CQ) and the moderating effect of socioeconomic status (SES) respectively. We adopted the social capital theory to support the relations among the proposed variables. Data were collected through online questionnaires from Taiwanese students studying abroad; 431 valid responses were analyzed. The results demonstrated that social connectedness was positively related to CQ; moreover, CQ was positively related to students’ overseas life satisfaction, and partially mediated the relationship between social connectedness and overseas life satisfaction. Concurrently, SES was observed to moderate the relationships of social connectedness with CQ and CQ with overseas life satisfaction. Furthermore, the indirect effect of social connectedness on overseas life satisfaction through CQ was moderated by varying SES levels. Our findings confirm that social connectedness affects CQ, and that CQ serves as the mediation mechanism between social connectedness and life satisfaction among overseas students. In addition, SES plays a significant role in the moderated mediation relationship. Limitations of this study and recommendations for future studies are also discussed.

The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 has drastically altered the medical landscape and profoundly affected the way we conduct our vascular surgery practices. The pandemic was a time of change, not only in the way health care was provided, but also in how people in the health care systems interacted. Social media has rapidly become a crucial communication tool, combining physical distancing and digital connectedness. This article provides an overview of the use of online platforms in vascular surgery as a response of our community to the pandemic.

Using high frequency data and connectedness measures based on a time-varying parameter vector autoregression (TVP-VAR) model, we study dynamic connectedness among the realized volatility of 15 commodity futures (Gold, Heating oil, Light crude oil, Natural gas, Copper, Platinum, Cocoa, Coffee, Corn, Cotton, Orange Juice, Soybean, Soybean meal, Sugar, and Wheat) from September 22, 2008 to May 28, 2020. The results show strong and moderate levels of volatility connectedness among energy and metals and moderate connectedness levels within the group of agricultural commodities. Cross-commodity connectedness can explain a large portion of volatility connectedness in some cases, highlighting the importance of conducting realized volatility connectedness within a model allowing realized volatilities to be endogenously and simultaneously determined. Connectedness is robust to alternative specifications and varies with time. It is mostly driven by macroeconomic variables and uncertainty, including the term spread of interest rates and real economic activity. However, the analysis shows that some of the drivers of connectedness differ between upper and lower quantiles.

We propose multilayer information spillover networks, including return spillover layer, volatility spillover layer, and extreme risk spillover layer in the variance decomposition framework for comprehensively investigating the information spillovers and connectedness among 30 Chinese financial institutions (i.e., banks, securities, and insurers) during the period 2011–2018. We analyze the topological characteristics of static and dynamic multilayer networks at the system and institution levels. We find that (i) at a system level, each layer exhibits a unique network structure and spillover evolution behavior, and multilayer information spillover networks provide synthetic information on the connectedness among financial institutions, and (ii) at an individual level, institutions from different financial sectors play different roles in receiving or sending shocks based on different information spillover or contagion channels. Our findings supply valuable knowledge for investors when they assess risk and optimize asset allocation, and for regulators when they measure connectedness and prevent system risk.

This study examined the validity and predictive utility of the three-step theory (3ST) of suicide in psychiatric patients. Participants were 190 consecutively admitted adult psychiatric inpatients (53% female, 60% White, ages 18–73) assessed at three time points: baseline, 4 weeks later (n = 112), and 3 months postdischarge (n = 102). Results were broadly supportive of the 3ST. First, at baseline, an interactive model of pain and hopelessness accounted for substantial variability in suicidal desire, even when controlling for depression and lifetime ideation. This result replicated in different genders and age ranges (i.e., 18–32 and 33–73). Further, pain and hopelessness were robust predictors of suicidal desire weeks and months into the future. Second, among those with pain and hopelessness, lower connectedness, as well as the extent to which pain exceeds connectedness, were robust predictors of higher suicidal desire. Last, a baseline measure of practical capability for suicide predicted suicide attempts both retrospectively and prospectively, even when controlling for lifetime ideation—however, dispositional and acquired contributors to capability were less predictive. Results support the validity and predictive utility of the 3ST, and suggest that the theory may have utility for guiding risk assessment and intervention.

The authors (Mathew and Sunitha (2010) [9] ) introduced the concept of fuzzy arc cuts for improving the definition of the so-called cut-sets proposed by Yeh and Bang, both generalizing edge cuts from classic graph theory to the fuzzy settings. They argued that non-strong edges need not be considered in a fuzzy arc cut as such edges would not change the strength of connectedness between any vertices. However, we give a counterexample in the paper, which illustrates that this viewpoint may contain some flaws. Based on this observation, a more general definition of fuzzy arc cuts (called fuzzy edge cuts) is given. Moreover, we define fuzzy edge connectivity with two parameters, this definition allows us to talk about edge connectivity more precisely. The concepts of fuzzy local edge cuts and fuzzy local edge connectivity are also introduced. We investigate the relations between fuzzy edge cuts and fuzzy local edge cuts. A characterization for the weight of a minimal fuzzy local edge cut is obtained. Finally, we provide some algorithms to compute fuzzy edge connectivity and fuzzy local edge connectivity of special graphs. Besides, applications of two connectivity parameters in communication networks are presented.

In this paper, the finite-time synchronization problem for multi-coupling fuzzy cellular neural networks (FCNNs) with stochastic perturbations and mixed delays is addressed. Compared with exponential synchronization and asymptotic synchronization in existing literature, finite-time synchronization of stochastic FCNNs is studied for the first time, which is of better significance. Combining graph-theoretical technique and Lyapunov method, under the framework of feedback control, some finite-time synchronization conditions are derived. Besides, from the perspective of the connectedness of FCNNs, we just demand at least one directed path on the digraph between different vertices in networks, instead of each sub-network. Then, the convergence time is explicitly proposed, which is connected with the parameters of control and topological structure of networks. Eventually, a numerical example is also carried out to demonstrate the practicability and validity of our proposed results. Furthermore, a secure communication synchronization problem is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.

This paper derives an explicit formula for the effective diffusion tensor by using the solutions to some effective cell problems after homogenizing Road effective boundary conditions (EBCs). The concept of Road EBCs was proposed recently by H. Li and X. Wang, and in this paper, we extend the effective conditions on closed curves to those on patterns, especially on the included nodes. We also prove that homogenization process commutes with the derivation of Road EBCs. By analyzing the effective diffusion tensor, we obtain several rules for maximizing its trace with given Road-effective-diffusivity/scale and length/scale in each cell and define a notion of balanced patterns. Moreover, we give an estimate of the trace of the effective diffusion tensor of patterns satisfying some connectedness as Road-effective-diffusivity/scale goes to infinity.

We develop a technique to exploit forecast error variance decompositions to evaluate the macroeconomic connectedness embedded in any multi-country macroeconomic model with an approximate vector autoregressive (VAR) representation. We apply our technique to a large global VAR model covering 25 countries and derive vivid representations of macroeconomic connectedness. We find that the US exerts a dominant influence in the global economy and that Brazil, China, and the Eurozone are also globally significant. Recursive analysis over the period of the global financial crisis shows that shocks to global equity markets are transmitted rapidly and forcefully to real trade flows and real GDP.

Peer is one of the contributing factors in developing nursing students' caring behaviour. This research aims to determine the relationship between peers caring behaviour and nursing students' caring behaviour. The cross-sectional study recruited 94 students from two nursing undergraduate programmes in Jakarta and Depok who selected using the simple random sampling technique. The study used the Peer-Group Caring Interaction Scale (PGCIS) and Caring Behaviours Inventory (CBI-24). Pearson test results showed a relationship between peer and student caring behaviours to patients (p

The development of a comprehensive set of skills, including technical, professional, and technology expertise, is critical to succeeding in the increasingly competitive global job marketplace. We proposed to develop such skills in our junior students (third year) via a flipped-classroom approach, a PO-PBL problem, and interactive e-learning tools. The intervention was implemented in the core course of Unit Operations and led to an increase in the students’ perception of the development of teamwork and people-related skills. Despite the benefits of promoting student learning, our intervention revealed that we still need to conduct work to approach more robust peer-to-peer interactions and connectedness. In this regard, students showed a marked tendency to have superficial discussions, which reflected their inability to develop superior emotional connections with peers. This is critical to promote complex thinking and ideation as well as continued engagement with the course contents and will be the focus of our future work.

The amount we give often depends on how closely connected we are to those we are giving to. However, economic models typically ignore the impact that social connections have on giving behaviour. To address this, this paper proposes a utility function which intertwines preferences relating to social connectedness with inequality aversion and self-interest. This model is tested using behaviour observed in a modified three-person dictator game from an incentivised lab-in-the-field experiment in Uganda (n=156). Preference parameters are estimated at the individual-level and the Dirichlet distribution is used to flexibly model ‘noise’ in decision making. Results show that social connectedness has large and significant effects on giving; with distinctions between self-other and between-other trade-offs emerging. Giving behaviour is found to be complex and extensively heterogeneous, yet, the model proposed explains and fits the observed behaviour well.

This study examines the dynamic volatility connectedness between different types of policy uncertainty and sectoral stock markets in both the time and frequency domains in China. Using the time–frequency connectedness index approach, we find extremely high connectedness between policy uncertainty and Chinese sectoral stock markets mainly in the medium and long terms. In particular, uncertainty regarding monetary policies makes the weakest contribution to spillovers among the four policy uncertainties, while uncertainty regarding trade policies contributes prominently. The energy, financial, IT, telecommunication services and utilities sectors are the most vulnerable to policy uncertainties.

This study sought to examine whether and how social connectedness impacts the association between physical activity and loneliness among older people in Ghana. Data for the analysis were obtained from the 2016-2017 Aging, Health, Psychological Wellbeing and Health-seeking Behavior Study (AgeHeaPsyWel-HeaSeeB) (N = 1200; mean age 66±12 years; women = 63%). Loneliness was assessed with the Short Form Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Multivariate linear regressions showed that increases in physical activity were associated with decreases in loneliness in the overall sample (β= -0.338, p0.005) and for men (β= -0.712, p0.005) but not in women (β = -0.039, p = 0.840). The negative association between physical activity and loneliness was moderated by social connectedness such that persons highly connected were much less likely to experience loneliness following physical activity engagement (β= -0.709, p = 0.023). Age-based analysis showed differential effects of physical activity on loneliness among the 65+ group (β = -0.437, p = 0.002) compared to the 50-64 group (β= -0.502, p = 0.031). Later life social connectedness tempers with the beneficial impact of physical activity on loneliness. Interventions to heal loneliness and for active aging should target physical activity and interpersonal engagements among older adults.

Objective This study aimed to further knowledge of older Veterans’ experiences with transitioning to the community from Veterans Affairs nursing homes (Community Living Centers or CLCs) with emphasis on social functioning. Design A qualitative study design was used in addition to administration of standardized depression and mental status screens. Setting and Participants Veterans (n = 18) and caregivers (n = 14) were purposively sampled and recruited from 2 rural CLCs in Upstate New York. Methods Semistructured interviews were completed with Veterans in the CLC prior to discharge (to explore experiences during the CLC stay and expectations regarding discharge and returning home) and in the home 2–4 weeks postdischarge (to explore daily routines and perceptions of overall health, mental health, and social functioning). Caregivers participated in 1 interview, completed postdischarge. The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire and the Brief Interview for Mental Status were administered postdischarge. Results Thematic analysis of verbatim transcriptions revealed 3 inter-related themes: (1) Veterans may experience improved social connectedness in CLCs by nature of the unique care environment (predominantly male, shared military experience); (2) Experiences of social engagement and connectedness varied after discharge and could be discordant with Veterans’ expectations for recovery prior to discharge; and (3) Veterans may or may not describe themselves as “lonely” after discharge, when physically isolated. Veterans lacked moderate to severe cognitive impairment (Brief Interview for Mental Status: range = 14–15); however, they reported a wide range in depressive symptom severity postdischarge (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire: mean = 4.9, SD = 6.1, median/mode = 3, range = 0–23). Conclusions and Implications This study identified a potential for increased social isolation and disengagement after discharge from Veterans Affairs nursing homes. Nursing homes should integrate social functioning assessment for their residents, while extending care planning and transitional care to address patient-centered social functioning goals.

The causal relationship between systemic risk and global economic policy uncertainty remains unexplored, even though the latter serves as an important factor in asset pricing and macroeconomic forecasting. This study extends Adrian and Brunnermeier’s (2016) framework, combining it with mixed data sampling (MIDAS) to calculate the systemic risk in the crude oil market based on monthly frequencies. We employ Diebold and Yilmaz’s (2009, 2014) connectedness measures to identify the causal relationship between systemic risk in the crude oil market and global economic policy uncertainty. We find that global economic policy uncertainty is economically significant in determining systemic risk, although its role weakens during financial crises. In other words, less disagreement in economic policies may decrease systemic risk. Therefore, both policymakers and financial practitioners should be aware of the causality changes and increasing connectedness within the system and make decisions accordingly.

Formal thought disorder is a cardinal feature of psychotic disorders, and is also evident in subtle forms before psychosis onset in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR-P). Assessing speech output or assessing expressive language with speech as the medium at this stage may be particularly useful in predicting later transition to psychosis.Speech samples were acquired through administration of the Thought and Language Index (TLI) in 24 CHR-P participants, 16 people with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and 13 healthy controls. The CHR-P individuals were then followed clinically for a mean of 7 years (s.d. = 1.5) to determine if they transitioned to psychosis. Non-semantic speech graph analysis was used to assess the connectedness of transcribed speech in all groups.Speech was significantly more disconnected in the FEP group than in both healthy controls (p .01) and the CHR-P group (p .05). Results remained significant when IQ was included as a covariate. Significant correlations were found between speech connectedness measures and scores on the TLI, a manual assessment of formal thought disorder. In the CHR-P group, lower scores on two measures of speech connectedness were associated with subsequent transition to psychosis (8 transitions, 16 non-transitions; p .05).These findings support the utility and validity of speech graph analysis methods in characterizing speech connectedness in the early phases of psychosis. This approach has the potential to be developed into an automated, objective and time-efficient way of stratifying individuals at CHR-P according to level of psychosis risk.