Basic Singular Spectrum Analysis and Forecasting with R

Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) as a tool for analysis and forecasting of time series is considered. The main features of the Rssa package, which implements the SSA algorithms and methodology in R, are described and examples of its use are presented. Analysis, forecasting and parameter estimation are demonstrated by means of case study with an accompanying code in R

Self-concept and facial appearance of individuals with an intellectual disability:A scoping review

This paper looks at how self-concept is related to facial appearance. Very little information can be found on how persons with intellectual disabilities think and feel about their own facial appearance. In this review 19 articles on subject of self-concept in people with intellectual disabilities were included. Results show that self-concept of individuals with intellectual disabilities is affected by the relationships they have (positively and negatively). The perceptions of caregivers, peers and their awareness of stigma effects self-concept. How facial appearance affects the self-concept of persons with intellectual disabilities remains unclear and should be a focus of research in future. Abstract: Background The mental health and well-being of individuals can be positively affected by improving facial appearance through orthodontic treatment. However, research is limited on the relationship between facial appearance and self-concept of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Materials and methods This scoping review includes 19 articles and is aimed to examine the self-concept of individuals with intellectual disabilities and determine how the self-concept might be impacted by facial appearance. Furthermore, this review is exploratory in the way that an attempt was made to extract constructs that contribute to the self-concept of persons with intellectual disabilities. Results Unfortunately, no articles were found on how individuals with intellectual disabilities think about their own facial appearance. However, the articles on self-concept in persons with intellectual disabilities do mention some interesting facts: social comparisons lead to social stigma that can contribute negatively to the self-concept of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Also, the ability to communicate and express oneself can contribute to one's self-esteem. Furthermore, parents/caregivers often influence the concept of oneself. Moreover, an individual's relationship with their social environment defines their self-concept. Conclusion It is currently unknown how individuals with intellectual disabilities view their own facial appearance and whether their self-concept is influenced by their appearance. Questionnaires which address attitudes on facial appearance could provide a deeper understanding of the self-concept of individuals with intellectual disabilities and possibly make way for orthodontic treatment. However, caution is needed concerning changing the physical appearance of persons with intellectual disabilities. One should also battle stigma by encouraging the social inclusion of persons with intellectual disability

Pathways to mental health services for young people: a systematic review

Purpose: While early access to appropriate care can minimise the sequelae of mental illnesses, little is known about how youths come to access mental healthcare. We therefore conducted a systematic review to synthesise literature on the pathways to care of youths across a range of mental health problems. Methods: Studies were identified through searches of electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, HealthSTAR and CINAHL), supplemented by backward and forward mapping and hand searching. We included studies on the pathways to mental healthcare of individuals aged 11–30 years. Two reviewers independently screened articles and extracted data. Results: Forty-five studies from 26 countries met eligibility criteria. The majority of these studies were from settings that offered services for the early stages of psychosis, and others included inpatient and outpatient settings targeting wide-ranging mental health problems. Generally, youths’ pathways to mental healthcare were complex, involved diverse contacts, and, sometimes, undue treatment delays. Across contexts, family/carers, general practitioners and emergency rooms featured prominently in care pathways. There was little standardization in the measurement of pathways. Conclusions: Except in psychosis, youths’ pathways to mental healthcare remain understudied. Pathways to care research may need to be reconceptualised to account for the often transient and overlapping nature of youth mental health presentations, and the possibility that what constitutes optimal care may vary. Despite these complexities, additional research, using standardized methodology, can yield a greater understanding of the help-seeking behaviours of youths and those acting on their behalf; service responses to help-seeking; and the determinants of pathways. This understanding is critical to inform ongoing initatives to transform youth mental healthcare

The Potential Role of the cABR in Assessment and Management of Hearing Impairment

Hearing aid technology has improved dramatically in the last decade, especially in the ability to adaptively respond to dynamic aspects of background noise. Despite these advancements, however, hearing aid users continue to report difficulty hearing in background noise and having trouble adjusting to amplified sound quality. These difficulties may arise in part from current approaches to hearing aid fittings, which largely focus on increased audibility and management of environmental noise. These approaches do not take into account the fact that sound is processed all along the auditory system from the cochlea to the auditory cortex. Older adults represent the largest group of hearing aid wearers; yet older adults are known to have deficits in temporal resolution in the central auditory system. Here we review evidence that supports the use of the auditory brainstem response to complex sounds (cABR) in the assessment of hearing-in-noise difficulties and auditory training efficacy in older adults

An IPA assessment of international guests’ perceptions on hotel service operations / Anderson Ngelambong…[et al.]

The purpose of this paper is to examine international guests’ perceptions on the importance and performance of eight key areas of hotel operation. From in depth review of the literature, eight attributes of hotel operation were identified namely accommodation services, resort day activities, dining services, bar/lounge, night entertainment, airport transfers, check-in/out, and in-house service. The findings of the study are imperative to provide valuable information for hotel managements to improve their operation performance and guests’ satisfaction. Also, the results may present useful facts with regards to potential future expansion or reduction/removal in hotel operation services. The study was conducted at Batu Feringghi, Pulau Pinang with the participation of international guests at five hotels. A total of 110 questionnaires were returned from 150 distributed to the respondents who stay at the hotels. Due to missing values and alike, the sample was further reduced to 104 respondents representing a total rate of 69.33 per cent. An Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) technique was used to determine the importance guests assign to salient attributes and to assess their satisfaction with the hotels performance on each of the attributes. A mean statistic for each item was generated by using Excel Database before being plotted to the IPA grid presentation. The study found that among the eight attributes of the hotel operation bar/lounge was rated as the least importance. While in terms of guests’ satisfaction, night entertainment received the lowest mean ratings

The effect of Facebook use on academic job performance / Nina Farisha Isa... [et al.]

As an academic use of social networking sites (SNS) has been playing a vital role in the way of doing business in education industry. Therefore, the present study is to propose a concept of ‘task characteristics’ using task- technology fit model. In this regard, this paper extend knowledge from Lee and Lee (2018) model that examine the use of Facebook on office workers. However, there is still lack of study about the relationship between SNS use and job performance in the context of academic industry especially in hospitality and tourism faculty. Thus, this study has implications for academic industry that are concerned about formulating policies related to academic use of SNS