Representing and Predicting Everyday Behavior

The prediction of everyday human behavior is a central goal in the behavioral sciences. However, efforts in this direction have been limited, as (1) the behaviors studied in most surveys and experiments represent only a small fraction of all possible behaviors, and (2) it has been difficult to generalize data from existing studies to predict arbitrary behaviors, owing to the difficulty in adequately representing such behaviors. Our paper addresses each of these problems. First, by sampling frequent verb phrases in natural language and refining these through human coding, we compile a dataset of nearly 4,000 common human behaviors. Second, we use distributed semantic models to obtain vector representations for our behaviors, and combine these with demographic and psychographic data, to build supervised, deep neural network models of behavioral propensities for a representative sample of the US population. Our best models achieve high accuracy rates when predicting propensities for novel (out-of-sample) participants as well as novel behaviors. This work lays the foundation for new predictive theories of everyday behavior, improving the generality and naturalism of research in the behavioral sciences.

FRIGHTENING OF CHILDREN BY PARENTS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

The article attempts to generalize data on such a complex pedagogical and psychological phenomenon as the deliberate frightening of children by adults. Despite an obvious or apparent harm, it is still included in the established set of methods of family education. In our study, we studied the origins of this phenomenon, the degree of its prevalence in the practice of family education at the present time, and the consequences of using threats in the process of education in the assessments of the adults who were brought up in this way.To achieve the research objectives, a number of former children who were frightened in childhood by their parents, the content of adults’ threats, the motives for frightening children and its influence on the further development of the child were studied.

Nowcasting Ukraine's GDP Using a Factor-Augmented VAR (FAVAR) Model

This article presents an approach for nowcasting the current value of Ukraine’s quarterly GDP. The approach uses leading indicators with a different disclosure frequency. We generalize data from a set of explanatory variables into several factors by using principal components analysis and estimate the factor-augmented VAR (FAVAR) model. Our system incorporates new data as they are published throughout a quarter to adjust GDP nowcasts. In addition, we research the influence of separate data releases on the accuracy of forecasts.

STATUS UPDATE ON THE PROBLEM OF IXODIC LYME DISEASE

An article aims to generalize data on Lyme disease’s natural nidality and it’s causative agents ecology, spectrum of carriers and reservoir hosts, mechanisms and routes. Clinical aspects, diagnosis, core principles of Borrelia diseases treatment are discussed in the paper. Once “tick-born disease” activator found in the mite’s body, the study describes immediate preventive measures with the usage of medication. Borrelia miyamotoi is been studied over the last years, as well as pathogenic diseases caused by it. Full Ixodic Lyme Disease diagnosis includes dynamic study of IgM and IgG antibodies, Immunochip and PCR. The article shows case history of a patient with erythematous Lyme disease and full disease’s management.

Viscosity Effect on Thermocapillary Rupture of Falling Liquid Films

Rupture of a subcooled liquid film flowing over an inclined plate with a 150×150 mm heater is studied for a wide range of liquid viscosity (dynamic viscosity μ = (0.91–17.2)x10−3 Pa·s) and plate inclination angle with respect to the horizon (Θ = 3–90 deg). The main governing parameters of the experiment and their respective values are: Reynolds number Re = 0.15–54, heat flux q = 0–224 W/cm2. The effect of the heat flux on the film flow leads to the formation of periodically flowing rivulets and thin film between them. As the heat flux grows the film thickness between rivulets gradually decreases, and, upon reaching a certain threshold heat flux, qidp, the film ruptures in the area between the rivulets. The threshold heat flux increases with the flow rate of liquid and with the liquid viscosity, while the plate inclination angle has little effect on qidp. Criterion Kp, which is traditionally used in the literature to predict thermocapillary film rupture, was found to poorly generalize data for high viscous liquids (ethylene glycol, and aqueous solutions of glycerol) and also data for Θ≤45 deg. The criterion Kp was modified by taking into account characteristic critical film thickness for film rupture under isothermal conditions (no heating), deduced from existing theoretical models. The modified criterion has allowed to successfully generalize data for whole ranges of μ, Re, Θ and q, studied.