Index Of Fear Research Articles

Behavioral Changes, Adaptation, and Supports among Indonesian Female Sex Workers Facing Dual Risk of COVID-19 and HIV in a Pandemic.

The objective of this study is to explore the impacts of COVID-19 and changes taking place among the Indonesian female sex worker (FSW) community during the COVID-19 pandemic and the predictors of these changes. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey and selected the participants using a purposive snowball sampling technique. Incentives were provided to participants in the form of a 5 USD e-wallet balance. Variables of interest included adaptation to online sex work, adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures during sex work, number of clients, income reduction, social support, condom access, and condom use frequency. Sociodemographic data and COVID-19 fear index values were also collected. Final analysis included 951 FSWs, of whom 36.4% of had adapted to online sex work and 48.6% had practiced COVID-19 prevention measures. Major reductions in client frequency and income were reported by 67.8% and 71.1% of respondents, respectively. However, only 36.3% of FSWs reported they had ever received any form of social support from any parties, public or private. Meanwhile, 16.7% encountered difficulties in accessing condoms and 12.5% reported less frequent condom use during the pandemic. Easy access to condoms was the main factor influencing the frequency of condom use. As expected, staying in employment protected FSWs from major income loss, while education and younger age predicted adaptive behavioral changes, such as taking up online sex work. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted access to socioeconomic support systems and HIV prevention services among FSWs and has further exposed them to the dual jeopardy of HIV and COVID-19 infections.

CAN BITCOIN BE A SAFE HAVEN IN FEAR SENTIMENT?

This paper explores how fear sentiment affects the price of Bitcoin by employing the rolling-window Granger causality tests. The analysis reveals negative influences from the volatility index (VIX) to Bitcoin price (BTC), which ascertains that Bitcoin can not be considered a haven in fear sentiment. Due to the liquidity in economic downside risks, BTC may decrease with high VIX to hedge losses, increasing during low VIX periods. The empirical results conflict with the intertemporal capital asset pricing model, which underlines that the increasing VIX can promote the price of Bitcoin. In turn, BTC positively impacts VIX, which shows that Bitcoin price can be treated as the main indicator for a more comprehensive analysis of the fear index. Under severe global uncertainty and changeable fluctuation of market sentiment, investors can optimize investment decisions based on market fear sentiment. The government can also consider VIX to grasp the trend of BTC to participate in cryptocurrency speculation effectively.

Dynamic Responses of Major Pacific Rim Emerging Equity Markets to the US Crude Oil Fear Index (OVX)

Dynamic Responses of Major Pacific Rim Emerging Equity Markets to the US Crude Oil Fear Index (OVX)

Convergent Coding of Recent and Remote Fear Memory in the Basolateral Amygdala

BackgroundIn both rodents and humans, the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is essential for encoding and retrieving conditioned fear memories. Although the BLA is a putative storage site for these memories, recent evidence suggests that they become independent of the BLA with the passage of time. MethodsWe systematically examined the role for the BLA in the retrieval of recent (1 day) and remote (2 weeks) fear memory using optogenetic, electrophysiological, and calcium imaging methods in male and female Long-Evans rats. Critically, we used a behavioral design that permits within-subjects comparison of recent and remote memory at the same time point; freezing behavior served as the index of learned fear. ResultsWe found that BLA c-Fos expression was similar after the retrieval of recent or remote fear memories. Extracellular single-unit recordings in awake, behaving animals revealed that single BLA neurons exhibit robust increases in spike firing to both recent and remote conditioned stimuli. Fiber photometry recordings revealed that these patterns of activity emerge from principal neurons. Consistent with these results, optogenetic inhibition of BLA principal neurons impaired conditioned freezing to both recent and remote conditioned stimuli. There were no sex differences in any of the measures or manipulations. ConclusionsThese data reveal that BLA neurons encode both recent and remote fear memories, suggesting substantial overlap in the allocation of temporally distinct events. This may underlie the broad generalization of fear memories across both space and time. Ultimately, these results provide evidence that the BLA is a long-term storage site for emotional memories.

The Return on IPO Stocks during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Abstract. Conducting an initial public offering (IPO) during the COVID-19 pandemic is not easy due to the current high level of economic uncertainty. This study aims to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the initial return on IPO shares in Indonesia. In the study, a cross-sectional regression was applied, using a sample of 51 companies that conduct IPOs. It was found that the fear index over the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the initial return. The higher the fear index, the lower the return on IPO stocks on the first listing day. The results therefore demonstrates that the fear of COVID-19 influenced the IPO market return in Indonesia. This study extends the literature on the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on the initial return on IPOs. Practically, this research also provides insight into the issuers regarding the appropriate timing of IPOs during the crisis, particularly for investors who wish to buy IPO shares during an uncertain time. Policymakers are expected to mitigate the cases and deaths of COVID-19 in Indonesia, which may reduce investors’ fear related to COVID-19. This paper's limitation is that it only examines data from 2020, as this was the year in which COVID-19 first announced. Future research could include the short-term and long-term performance of IPOs, and also broaden the sample area to a larger region. Keywords: Initial return, IPO, COVID-19, fear index, Indonesia

A Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization to Forecast Implied Volatility Risk

The application of optimization methods to prediction issues is a continually exploring field. In line with this, this paper investigates the connectedness between the infected cases of COVID-19 and US fear index from a forecasting perspective. The complex characteristics of implied volatility risk index such as non-linearity structure, time-varying and non-stationarity motivate us to apply a nonlinear polynomial Hammerstein model with known structure and unknown parameters. We use the Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization (HPSO) tool to identify the model parameters of nonlinear polynomial Hammerstein model. Findings indicate that, following a nonlinear polynomial behaviour cascaded to an autoregressive with exogenous input (ARX) behaviour, the fear index in US financial market is significantly affected by COVID-19-infected cases in the US, COVID-19-infected cases in the world and COVID-19-infected cases in China, respectively. Statistical performance indicators provided by the developed models show that COVID-19-infected cases in the US are particularly powerful in predicting the Cboe volatility index compared to COVID-19-infected cases in the world and China (MAPE (2.1013%); R2 (91.78%) and RMSE (0.6363 percentage points)). The proposed approaches have also shown good convergence characteristics and accurate fits of the data.

Dental Anxiety and Fear Levels, Patient Satisfaction, and Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Orthodontic Treatment: Is There a Relationship?

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between dental anxiety and fear levels, patient satisfaction, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. The study was conducted in the Department of Orthodontics, Sivas Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Dentistry. This cross-sectional study included 252 patients, aged 11-14 years undergoing orthodontic treatment. The data collection tools were the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C+), the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ 11-14), the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Clinical Examination Data Form. The CPQ 11-14 was used to measure OHRQoL. Descriptive statistics, the independent samples t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Cronbach's alpha, and Pearson coefficient were used for statistical analysis at a significance level of 0.05. The CPQ 11-14 parameters were sufficiently reliable, and the patients mostly had problems with oral symptoms. A significant difference was observed between the type of treatment, the initiation of treatment, emotional well-being, and social well-being (P < .05). The relationship between treatment satisfaction and all parameters was significant (P < .05). There was a significant relationship between IDAF-4C+ and CPQ 11-14, while a moderate correlation was found between dental anxiety and emotional well-being. According to the results of this study, the type of treatment, the initiation of treatment, and dental anxiety impact the quality of life. It was found that treatment satisfaction and a positive patient-dentist relationship positively affect the quality of life and dental anxiety.

Are ESG stocks safe-haven during COVID-19?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate safe-haven properties of environmental, social and governance (ESG) stocks in global and emerging ESG stock markets during the times of COVID-19 so that portfolio managers and equity market investors could decide to use ESG stocks in their portfolio hedging strategies during times of health and market crisis similar to COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a wavelet coherence framework on four major ESG stock indices from global and emerging stock markets, and two proxies of COVID-19 fear over the period from 5 February 2020 to 18 March 2021.FindingsThe results of the study show a positive co-movement of the global COVID-19 fear index (GFI) with ESG stock indices on the frequency band of 32 to 64 days, which confirms hedging and safe-haven properties of ESG stocks using the health fear proxy of COVID-19. However, the relationship between all indices and GFI is mixed and inconclusive on a frequency of 0–8 days. Further, the findings do not support the safe-haven characteristics of ESG indices using the market fear proxy (IDEMV index) of COVID-19. The robustness analysis using the CBOE VIX as a proxy of market fear supports that ESG indices do not possess safe-haven properties. The results of the study conclude that the safe-haven properties of ESG indices during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is contingent upon the proxy of COVID-19 fear.Practical implicationsThe findings have important implications for the equity investors and assetty managers to improve their portfolio performance by including ESG stocks in their portfolio choice during the COVID-19 pandemic and similar health crisis. However, their investment decisions could be affected by the choice of COVID-19 proxy.Originality/valueThe authors believe in the originality of the paper due to following reasons. First, to the best of the knowledge, this is the first study investigating the safe-haven properties of ESG stocks. Second, the authors use both health fear (GFI) and market fear (IDEMV index) proxies of COVID-19 to compare whether safe-haven properties are characterized by health fear or market fear due to COVID-19. Finally, the authors use the wavelet coherency framework, which not only takes both time and frequency dimensions of the data into account but also remains unaffected by data stationarity and size issues.

Translation and Validation of Italian Version of Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C+): A Cross-Sectional Study.

Dental anxiety (DA) is defined as unreasonable apprehension toward dental procedures. About 4–20% of the worldwide adult population presents DA, with peaks of 30% in the younger population. Managing patients with dental anxiety and fear with a reliable and valid instrument is necessary to understand the multidimensional dimensions of dental fear. This work aimed to validate the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C+) into Italian. Two hundred and eighty dental students attending an Italian university were enrolled. The IDAF-4C+ was translated by experts and a native English translator, blinded to the original version. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) was used to assess the validity of IDAF-4C+. Spearman correlation coefficients and Exploratory Factorial Analysis (EFA) were used. Reliability was evaluated by Cronbach’s alpha. The reliability of the Italian version of IDAF-4C+ was good (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.88). Correlation between IDAF-4C+ and MDAS ranged between 0.42 to 0.68. From EFA, one factor explained 58.76% of the common variance. Women showed a higher level of dental fear. The Italian IDAF-4C+ is a valid and reliable tool to assess DA in any clinical context. This instrument allows for a proper understanding and management of DA, and therefore a better patient oral health-related quality of life and compliance with the dentist’s instructions.

How Can We Reduce Dental Fear in Children? The Importance of the First Dental Visit.

Dental fear is a common problem amongst children. It can affect children’s psychological well-being, quality of life, and oral and systemic health. The aim of this study was to identify whether the patients’ age at which visits to the paediatric dentist begin as well as the periodicity of these visits are factors that can prevent dental fear. This observational transversal study was conducted on 575 school children (average age 6.85 ± 0.78) and their mother/father/guardian. Parents completed a survey on the characteristics of dental visits and the child completed the index of dental anxiety and fear (IDAF-4C) to assess dental fear. The correlation between dental fear and age at first visit (r = −0.36 p < 0.01) and dental fear and frequency of visit (r = −0.65 p < 0.01) were statistically significant. The regression analysis performed showed that both variables predicted 44.4% of the dental fear in the child. In conclusion, the age of initiation to the paediatric dentist (before 2 years) and the periodic revisions (every 6 months or every year) could protect the child from dental fear.

Translation and validation of modified dental anxiety scale based on adult Taiwan population

BackgroundDental anxiety is associated with negative experiences of dental treatment and dental-visiting behavior. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) is widely used for assessing dental anxiety. The study aims to establish the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the MDAS based on the Taiwan sample (i.e., T-MDAS).MethodsThe T-MDAS and dental-visiting behavior and experience were assessed for 402 adult subjects recruited from community and clinical sites. The following psychometric properties were assessed: (a) internal consistency, (b) temporal stability, (c) criterion-related validity (i.e., the association with the score of Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear, IDAF-4C), (d) discrimination validity (i.e., the difference in scores between the subjects with and without a habit of a regular dental visit, and (e) the construct validity from a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results. The T-MDAS showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.88) and temporal stability (ρ = 0.69, p < 0.001). The score was significantly correlated with the score of the IDAF-4C (ρ = 0.76, p < 0.001) and differed between subjects who regularly visited a dentist or not, supporting good criterion-related validity and discrimination validity. Results from CFA supports good construct validity. Furthermore, higher dental anxiety was related to the lack of a regular dental visit, feeling pain during treatment, and feeling insufficient skills and empathy of dentists. A higher proportion of high-dental anxiety subjects in female subjects (8.5%), compared to male subjects (5.0%), was noted.ConclusionsThe T-MDAS is a valid tool for assessing adult dental anxiety. The score is highly associated with dental-visiting behavior and experience of dental patients.

Fear in commodity return prediction

Stock variance, which is the sum of squared daily returns on the S&P 500, implies the level of investor fear in stock market and performs well at predicting the return of index commodity futures. This prediction still holds after controlling for the sample period and macroeconomic variables. Also, the fear index performs very well at predicting index commodity futures returns out-of-sample, and the asset allocation exercise based on predictive regressions also shows that stock variance generates economic performance. The results remain robust while considering different macroeconomic conditions, such as recession (expansion), contango (backwardation), or inflation up (down).

Safe-haven properties of soft commodities during times of Covid-19

We use wavelet coherence analysis on global COVID-19 fear index and, soft commodities’ spot and futures prices to investigate safe-haven properties of soft commodities over the period from January 28, 2020 to April 29, 2021. Our findings show that each of the sampled soft commodities shows safe-haven behavior in one of the spot or futures markets and for one of the short-term or long-term investors during the times of COVID-19. Our results also show that safe-haven properties of soft commodities are contingent upon the nature of the commodity. The findings of our mean-variance portfolio analysis indicate that the portfolios with commodity futures are less risky and efficient compared to the portfolio containing stocks only, thus robustly supporting the safe-haven properties of soft commodities during COVID-19. Our results not only have important implications for individual investors and asset managers in suggesting particular soft commodities to strengthen safe-haven and diversification features of their portfolios but also can assist the policy makers to understand and disentangle health fear dimension of several interlocking dynamics affecting the spot and futures prices of soft commodities during COVID-19.

VCRIX — A volatility index for crypto-currencies

Public interest, explosive returns, and diversification opportunities gave stimulus to the adoption of traditional financial tools to crypto-currencies. While the CRIX offered the first scientifically-backed proxy to the crypto-market (analogous to S&P 500), measuring the forward-oriented risk in the crypto-currency market posed a challenge of a different kind. Following the intuition of the “fear index” VIX for the American stock market, the VCRIX volatility index was created to capture the investor expectations about the crypto-currency ecosystem. VCRIX is built based on CRIX and offers a forecast based on the Heterogeneous Auto-Regressive (HAR) model. The HAR model was selected as the most suitable out of a horse race of volatility models, with two proxies for implied volatility, namely the 30 days mean annualized volatility and realized volatility. The model was further examined by the simulation of VIX (resulting in a correlation of 78% between the actual VIX and a “VIX” version estimated with the VCRIX technology). Trading strategies confirmed the predictive power of VCRIX and supported the selection of the 30 days means annualized volatility proxy. The best performing trading strategy with the use of VCRIX outperformed the benchmark strategy for 99.8% of the tested period and 164% additional returns. VCRIX provides forecasting functionality and serves as a proxy for the investors’ expectations in the absence of a developed crypto derivatives market. These features provide enhanced decision making capacities for market monitoring, trading strategies, and potentially option pricing.

Defining the Gothic Arch Angle (GAA) as a radiographic diagnostic tool for instability in hip dysplasia

In recent years, there has been a controversial discussion about whether borderline dysplastic hips should be treated with an arthroscopic procedure or rather with an acetabular reorientation. New research suggests that a classification into stable and unstable hips may be helpful. The aim of the study was to validate (1) the intra- and interobserver reliability of a newly defined radiographic parameter named the Gothic Arch Angle, (2) the association between the GAA and previously existing measurements used to define severity of acetabular dysplasia, and (3) the correlation between radiographic measurements of acetabular dysplasia with MRI findings previously suggestive of hip instability. We defined and validated the GAA in 10 standardized radiographs of asymptomatic hips by two observers and calculated intra- and interobserver coefficients at two individual dates. Subsequently, a consecutive series of 100 patients with dysplastic hips (LCEA < 25°, Toennis grade ≤ 1) were evaluated for signs of instability on anteroposterior (a.p.) pelvic radiographs and direct MR arthrography and were divided in two groups: stable and unstable. In these patients the LCEA, the AI, the FEAR index and the GAA were radiographically evaluated. Correlation analyses and a logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the predictive value of instability for each radiographic parameter. Cutoff probabilities analysis was performed using standard receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to rate the predictive efficiency value of the GAA. The GAA showed excellent inter- and intraobserver reliability. A correlation was found between GAA and FEAR index. A logistic regression analysis showed that LCEA, FEAR index and GAA are distinct predictors of instability in hip dysplasia. The GAA showed the largest area under the curve (AUC 0.96), indicating it to be the best predictor of instability with an optimal cutoff value of 90° (sensitivity, 0.95; specificity, 0.93). The GAA is a new available indicator for instability and is thus suggested to be used as a future radiographic parameter for the stability of dysplastic hips. Further studies are needed to understand how this parameter might additionally predict clinical outcome in the treatment of hip dysplasia.Level of evidence: Level III, diagnostic study.

VIX (Korku Endeksi) ile BİST Endeksleri Arasındaki Volatilite Etkileşiminin DCC-GARCH Modeliyle Analizi(Analysis of Volatility Interaction Between VIX (Fear Index) and BIST Indexes With DCC-GARCH Model)

Purpose – In this study, It is aimed to examine and interpret the volatility interaction between some indexes operating in Borsa Istanbul and VIX (Fear Index). Design/methodology/approach – In the study, daily income series of BIST 30, BIST Corporate Governance, BIST Industry, BIST Trade, BIST Insurance and BIST Leasing and Factoring Indices and VIX (Fear Index), which are active in Borsa Istanbul, constituting the period 02.01.2015-31.12.2020 were used. . For the volatility of the return series, DCC-GARCH models, one of the multivariate GARCH models, were used Findings – As a result of the analysis, it is seen that volatility effect and volatility clusters occur in many of the VIX (Fear Index) and BIST indices. In addition, the volatility formed in VIX (Fear Index) increases some of the volatility of BIST indices. There is a positive and strong relationship between the returns of most of the BIST indices and the returns of VIX (Fear Index) that changes over time. In one, positive and low degree of correlation was found. Discussion – It will be important for the relevant persons and institutions to shape their investments and savings by taking into account the results of the VIX (Fear Index) and BIST indices by stocks investors and companies operating in the stock exchange.

Energy pricing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Predictive information-based uncertainty indexes with machine learning algorithm

The study investigates the impact of uncertainties on energy pricing during the COVID-19 pandemic using five uncertainty measures that include the COVID-Induced Uncertainty (CIU), Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU), Global Fear Index (GFI); Volatility Index (VIX), and the Misinformation Index of Uncertainty (MIU). The data, which span between 2-January, 2020 and 19-January, 2021, corresponding to the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study finds energy prices to respond significantly to the examined uncertainty measures, with EPU seen to affect the prices of most energy types during the pandemic. We also find predictive potentials inherent in VIX, CIU, and MIU for global energy sources.

Business Uncertainty during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Assessment Based on the Pandemic Fear Index and Economic Surveys

Purpose: The article presents an assessment of the situation of business enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/Methodology/Approach: The analysis uses the Pandemic Fear Index (PFI) and more detailed analyses based on Business Tendency Surveys (BTS). The proposed PFI considers critical factors in a pandemic, such as reported cases of illness and death and government actions that restrict business operations. Findings: The study indicates a clear differentiation of the situation among businesses depending on the nature of the business activity. The changes in the PFI index turned out to be like the changes observed in the BTS in individual sectors of the economy. An exceptionally high correlation was found between the indicator and the results of the “pandemic module” of the BTS. Practical Implications: The analysis uses data from the Polish economy, but the proposed methodology of identifying and assessing the impact of a pandemic on the economy may be used in other countries, depending on data availability. A broader application of the presented approaches considering pandemic shock may be one of the directions for further research in the future. Originality/Value: The PFI, specially designed for the pandemic period, is a proxy for assessing business uncertainty during a pandemic. The advantage of the indicator is the ability to observe the daily changes of its value along with any incoming information. The added value of applying the proposed methods is the possibility of a detailed analysis of the occurrence of subsequent pandemic waves and the emerging discrepancies in the shaping of uncertainties that appear during the pandemic in individual sectors of the economy.

The Effectiveness of Facial Expression Recognition in Detecting Emotional Responses to Sound Interventions in Older Adults With Dementia.

This research uses facial expression recognition software (FaceReader) to explore the influence of different sound interventions on the emotions of older people with dementia. The field experiment was carried out in the public activity space of an older adult care facility. Three intervention sound sources were used, namely, music, stream, and birdsong. Data collected through the Self-Assessment Manikin Scale (SAM) were compared with facial expression recognition (FER) data. FaceReader identified differences in the emotional responses of older people with dementia to different sound interventions and revealed changes in facial expressions over time. The facial expression of the participants had significantly higher valence for all three sound interventions than in the intervention without sound (p < 0.01). The indices of sadness, fear, and disgust differed significantly between the different sound interventions. For example, before the start of the birdsong intervention, the disgust index initially increased by 0.06 from 0 s to about 20 s, followed by a linear downward trend, with an average reduction of 0.03 per 20 s. In addition, valence and arousal were significantly lower when the sound intervention began before, rather than concurrently with, the start of the activity (p < 0.01). Moreover, in the birdsong and stream interventions, there were significant differences between intervention days (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Furthermore, facial expression valence significantly differed by age and gender. Finally, a comparison of the SAM and FER results showed that, in the music intervention, the valence in the first 80 s helps to predict dominance (r = 0.600) and acoustic comfort (r = 0.545); in the stream sound intervention, the first 40 s helps to predict pleasure (r = 0.770) and acoustic comfort (r = 0.766); for the birdsong intervention, the first 20 s helps to predict dominance (r = 0.824) and arousal (r = 0.891).

Financial Fear Index in the Digital Financial Assets Market

The relevance of the research topic is due to the increasing role of non-traditional financial instruments that contribute to financial instability. Therefore, various indicators are required to reflect the situation in the digital financial assets market, the volatility quotes, and the level of investor confidence. The aim of the study is to develop and test on empirical data a generalized indicator of financial instability (financial fear index) in the digital financial assets market. The novelty of the research lies in the adaptation of the classic model of building the volatility index to the cryptocurrency market.The authors use statistical methods for collecting and processing data, analyzing time series, weighing, designing economic indicators. The paper summarizes the results of modern research on the correlation between digitalization and financial instability. The authors conclude that at certain short periods of 2020 the ruble-dollar volatility was comparable or even higher than the ruble-bitcoin one. In addition, there is much less fear and uncertainty in the cryptocurrency market today than there was at the end of 2018. The main result of the study is the financial fear index model based on the method of calculating the weighted average option price of the underlying asset and hedging of price risks. The model has been tested using data on the bid and ask prices of cryptocurrencies at a specific point in time. Estimates have been obtained indicating the growing instability in the digital financial asset market. The authors offer recommendations regarding the index threshold values, which indicate the level of investors’ fear.