Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Building, Losing, and Reconstructing Social Identities: An Investigation Into the Symbolic Use of Credit by Poor Consumers in Brazil

ABSTRACT Financial services, and credit in particular, are consumed like any other product or service: they carry cultural meaning and are used symbolically to transfer meaning to the life of the consumer. This study aimed to investigate the symbolic meanings attached to financial services and credit by poor consumers and how these meanings are translated into their social lives. The research adopted an interpretive approach, based on in-depth interviews of poor consumers. The results showed that financial services are part of a complex web of meanings in which issues such as status, hierarchy, distinction, cooperation, and reciprocity play a part. RESUMEN. Los servicios financieros y especialmente el crédito se consumen como cualquier otro producto o servicio: todos ellos contienen un significado cultural y se usan simbólicamente para transferir significado a la vida del consumidor. El propósito de este estudio es investigar el significado simbólico que los consumidores pobres dan a los servicios financieros y líneas crediticias, y la forma en que los mismos se traducen a sus vidas sociales. La investigación adoptó un enfoque interpretativo, basado en amplias entrevistas con consumidores pobres. Los resultados obtenidos demostraron que los servicios financieros son parte integrante de una compleja red de significados donde temas tales como el estado, la jerarquía, la distinción, cooperación y reciprocidad tienen un papel a jugar. RESUMO. Os serviços financeiros, e o crédito, em particular, são consumidos como qualquer outro produto ou serviço: eles carregam um significado cultural, sendo usados, simbolicamente, para proporcionar um sentido à vida do consumidor. O propósito deste estudo é investigar os significados simbólicos atrelados aos serviços financeiros e ao crédito pelos consumidores de baixa renda e como tais significados refletem-se na sua vida social. A pesquisa adotou uma abordagem interpretativa, baseada em entrevistas abrangentes com consumidores pobres. Os resultados mostraram que os serviços financeiros fazem parte de uma complexa trama de significados, onde temas como status, hierarquia, excelência, cooperação e reciprocidade exercem um papel específico.
Changes in free amino acids and polyamine levels in Satsuma leaves in response to Asian citrus psyllid infestation and water stress

The effects of biotic and abiotic stresses on changes in amino acids and polyamine levels in Satsuma orange (Citrus unshiu; cultivar Owari) leaves were investigated. Asian citrus psyllids Diaphorina citri (Kuwayama) (ACP) infestation was used to induce biotic stress while a water deficit was imposed to induce abiotic stress. Potted trees were infested by placing 50 psyllids on 3 citrus leaves enclosed in nylon mesh bags for 5 d. A parallel set of plants were kept water stressed by maintaining the soil at 20% water holding capacity for 5 d. Levels of total free amino acids were higher in water stressed and ACP infested leaves. Polyamine putrescine increased in infested leaves but not in water stressed leaves. Proline was the most abundant amino acid and its levels significantly increased by both biotic and abiotic stresses. Proline levels in infested leaves were significantly higher than the water stressed leaves. Histidine, methionine, asparagine, arginine, serine, and leucine levels also increased significantly in infested leaves, but in water stressed leaves only leucine, methionine, and threonine increased. Levels of amino acids, such as tyrosine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, glutamic acid, and alanine, declined in infested leaves. Under water stress asparagine, phenylalanine, serine, and histidine also declined compared to controls. This indicates that while proteolysis occurred under both stresses, metabolic conversion of amino acids was different under the two stresses. In ACP infested leaves some amino acids may be used as feeding material and/or converted into secondary metabolites for defense.
Differential SLC1A2 Promoter Methylation in Bipolar Disorder With or Without Addiction

While downregulation of excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2), the main transporter removing glutamate from the synapse, has been recognized in bipolar disorder (BD), the underlying mechanisms of downregulation have not been elucidated. BD is influenced by environmental factors, which may, via epigenetic modulation of gene expression, differentially affect illness presentation. This study thus focused on epigenetic DNA methylation regulation of SLC1A2, encoding for EAAT2, in BD with variable environmental influences of addiction. High resolution melting PCR (HRM-PCR) and thymine–adenine (TA) cloning with sequence analysis were conducted to examine methylation of the promoter region of the SLC1A2. DNA was isolated from blood samples drawn from BD patients (N = 150) with or without addiction to alcohol, nicotine, or food, defined as binge eating, and matched controls (N = 32). In comparison to controls, the SLC1A2 promoter region was hypermethylated in BD without addiction but was hypomethylated in BD with addiction. After adjusting for age and sex, the association of methylation levels with nicotine addiction (p = 0.0009) and binge eating (p = 0.0002) remained significant. Consistent with HRM-PCR, direct sequencing revealed increased methylation in CpG site 6 in BD, but decreased methylation in three CpG sites (6, 48, 156) in BD with alcohol and nicotine addictions. These results suggest that individual point methylation within the SLC1A2 promoter region may be modified by exogenous addiction and may have a potential for developing clinically valuable epigenetic biomarkers for BD diagnosis and monitoring.
Caste dominance and inclusive growth: Evidence from a panel data set for India

Using a unique panel data set for rural India for the period 1993/94 – 2004/05 we test the hypothesis that disadvantaged groups (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Muslims) fare worse in terms of income growth and poverty reduction when they live in villages that are dominated by forward castes. We consider dominance in the sense of numerical dominance, having a political majority, an economic majority, and both a political and an economic majority. Scheduled Castes and Muslims in particular perform much better when they live in villages that are dominated by their own group than when they live in villages that are dominated by forward castes. This result is robust to controlling for household demographic, occupational and educational characteristics and village infrastructure variables. However, the quantitative contribution of these effects to a measure of inclusive growth is relatively small. The main reason for this is that it is the relatively richer, not the poorer, households belonging to disadvantaged groups that are mainly affected by the type of village they live in.
Lifecycle Portfolio Choice with Systematic Longevity Risk and Variable Investment — Linked Deferred Annuities

This paper assesses the impact of variable investment-linked deferred annuities (VILDAs) on lifecycle consumption, saving, and portfolio allocation patterns given stochastic and systematic mortality. Insurers have taken two approaches to manage systematic mortality risks, namely self-insurance and risk transfer to purchasers of the annuity products. We demonstrate that self-insurance leads to high loadings, so that households offered a choice would favor the risk transfer scheme. Reservation loadings on the actuarially fair VILDA price for non-participation are 0.5-8%; if insurers cannot hedge within this range, they will transfer systematic longevity risks to the annuitants. Our findings have implications for new payout products that may be attractive to older households seeking to protect against retirement shortfalls.
An intersectionality framework for transformative services research

The authors introduce the theory of intersectionality which refers to the interactivity of social identities such as race, class, and gender in shaping individuals’ experiences. Intersectionality is explored using cases and examples from healthcare services, which involve high contact encounters with consumers who may possess multiple disadvantages (e.g. low income, illness, immigrant status) and therefore make for interesting contexts for intersectional analyses. Intersectionality is proposed as a framework that can shed light on the experiences of consumers who belong to multiple disadvantaged social groups, such as being black and low income, immigrant, and in poor health. Detailed guidelines for conducting intersectionality-driven services research are provided, which take into account the interconnected nature of multiple disadvantages. The authors emphasize that intersectionality offers a holistic look at the co-created nature of services and it can be instrumental in designing tailored and fair services to improve consumer and societal well-being.
Wine tourism as a development initiative in rural Canary Island communities

Purpose - Many studies underline the critical relationship between local communities and rural-based industries. However, the dynamics of the relationship between wineries and local communities is rarely considered in research despite the importance of these links for rural communities. This paper investigates this dimension from the perspective of Canary Islands' small wine growers. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 23 winery operations located on the islands of Tenerife and La Palma accept the invitation to participate in the form of face-to-face interviews. Findings - The level of participation and contribution to the community varies between operations, with some small family operations in particular limiting their external involvement, while others see it as a necessary and/or beneficial relationship. Most wineries in the study are active in their communities, participating in local events and employing local residents. However, generational changes that threaten both the wine business and tradition, or mass tourism leading to land value increases are critical challenges to the winery-community relationship. Research limitations/implications - With over 200 largely small-family wineries in the Canary Islands, it is acknowledged that the sample of wineries in this paper may not be representative of the region's wine industry. Practical implications - The strengthening relationships between wineries and local communities for cultural events can build nostalgia for local wine production. This, in turn, appears to be vital for preserving the local wine culture and tradition by making winery ownership and work well-regarded by the local community. Originality/value - To date limited research has been conducted on the redeveloping Canary Islands' wine industry, particularly from winery operators' points of view.
International Capital Flows and U.S. Interest Rates

Foreign official purchases of U.S. government bonds have an economically large and statistically significant impact on long-term interest rates. Federal Reserve credibility, as evidenced by dramatic reductions in both long-term inflation expectations and the volatility of long rates, contributed much to the decline of long rates in the 1990s. More recently, however, foreign flows have become important. Controlling for various factors given by a standard macroeconomic model, we estimate that had there been no foreign official flows into U.S. government bonds over the past year, the 10-year Treasury yield would currently be 90 basis points higher. Our results are robust to a number of alternative specifications.
Technological Innovation and Exports: Unpacking Their Reciprocal Causality

The authors aim to advance extant understanding of the dynamics of firms operating abroad by considering the effects of innovation (research-and-development intensity, product and process innovations) on exports (breadth and depth), and vice versa. The study analyzes a panel data set of 696 Spanish manufacturing firms during 1994–2005 using Tobit and logit regressions and the Granger test of causality to offer a more complete picture of this complex relationship. They find broad support for the notion that innovation and exports have a reciprocal causal relationship, although the findings are partly nuanced by positive but nonsignificant associations between product innovation and exports and between export depth and process innovation. Furthermore, both export and innovation processes Granger-cause each other, demonstrating that there is a double causal relationship.
Prevention of endotoxin-induced sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium leak improves mitochondrial and myocardial dysfunction*

Objective:Growing evidence suggests that mitochondria function is impaired in sepsis. Here, we tested the hypothesis that lipopolysaccharide would induce mitochondrial Ca2+ overload and oxygen utilization abnormalities as consequences of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ handling derangements that are typically observed in sepsis. As lipopolysaccharide-induced sarcoplasmic reticulum dysfunction was mainly characterized by reduced sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ uptake and Ca2+ leak, we tested whether dantrolene, a sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium ATPase leak inhibitor, would prevent mitochondrial and cardiac contractile dysfunction. Design:Randomized controlled trial. Setting:Experimental laboratory. Subjects:Male Sprague Dawley rats. Interventions:Sepsis was induced by injection of endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (10 mg/kg/intravenously). Assessment of contractile function and Ca2+ handling was performed 4 hr after lipopolysaccharide. The relative contribution of the different Ca2+ transporters to relaxation in intact cardiomyocytes was studied during successive electrically evoked twitches and caffeine stimulation. Sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles and mitochondria from ventricles of rats treated or not with lipopolysaccharide were prepared to evaluate Ca2+ uptake-release and oxygen fluxes, respectively. Effects of dantrolene (10 mg/kg) treatment in rats were evaluated in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, mitochondria, and isolated hearts. Measurements and Main Results:Lipopolysaccharide challenge elicited cardiac contractile dysfunction that was accompanied by severe derangements in sarcoplasmic reticulum function, i.e., reduced Ca2+ uptake and increased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ leak. Functional sarcoplasmic reticulum changes were associated with modification in the status of phospholamban phosphorylation whereas SERCA was unchanged. Rises in mitochondrial Ca2+ content observed in lipopolysaccharide-treated rats coincided with derangements in mitochondrial oxygen efficacy, i.e., reduced respiratory control ratio. Administration of dantrolene in lipopolysaccharide-treated rats prevented mitochondrial Ca2+ overload and mitochondrial oxygen utilization abnormalities. Moreover, dantrolene treatment in lipopolysaccharide rats improved heart mitochondrial redox state and myocardial dysfunction. Conclusion:These experiments suggest that sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ handling dysfunction is an early event during endotoxemia that could be responsible for, or contribute to, mitochondrial Ca2+ overload, metabolic failure, and cardiac dysfunction.
Is Your Project Turning into a Black Hole?

Any seasoned executive knows that information technology (IT) projects have a high failure rate. Large IT projects can become the business equivalent of what astrophysicists know as black holes, absorbing large quantities of matter and energy. Resources get sucked in, but little or nothing ever emerges. Of course, projects do not become black holes overnight. They get there one day at a time through a process known as escalating commitment to a failing course of action. Without executive intervention, these projects almost inevitably turn into black holes. This article sheds light on the insidious process through which projects that devour resources, yet fail to produce business value, are created and gradually evolve into black holes. It presents a framework that explains the creation of black hole projects as a sequence of three phases: drifting, treating symptoms, and rationalizing continuation. The framework is illustrated through two cases: EuroBank and California DMV. The article then presents recommendations to prevent escalating projects from becoming black holes and provides a means for detecting problems at an early stage.
Structural and functional consequences of removal of the interdomain disulfide bridge from the isolated C‐lobe of ovotransferrin

The interdomain disulfide bond present in the C‐lobe of all the transferrins was postulated to restrict the domain movement resulting in the slow rate of iron uptake and release. In the present study, the conformational stability and iron binding properties of a derivative of the isolated C‐lobe of ovotransferrin in which the interdomain disulfide bond, Cys478‐Cys671 was selectively reduced and alkylated with iodoacetamide were compared with the disulfide intact form at the endosomal pH of 5.6. Pyrophosphate and chloride mediated iron release kinetics showed no difference between the disulfide‐intact and disulfide‐reduced/alkylated forms; the two protein forms yielded similar observed rate constants showing an apparent hyperbolic dependency for anion concentrations. The conformational stability evaluated by unfolding and refolding experiments was greater for the disulfide‐intact form than for the disulfide‐reduced/alkylated form: the ΔGD H 2O values at 30°C obtained by using urea were 9.0 ± 0.8 and 6.0 ± 0.4 kJ/mol for the former and latter protein forms, respectively, and the corresponding values obtained by using guanidine hydrochloride were 6.2 ± 0.9 and 4.3 ± 0.5 kJ/mol. The dissociation constant of iron (kd) was almost the same for the two protein forms, and it varied only subtly with urea concentrations but increased markedly with GdnHCl concentrations. The nonidentical values of ΔGD H 2O and kd for urea and GdnHCl can be attributed to the ionic nature of the later denaturant, in which chloride anion may influence the structure and iron uptake‐release properties of the ovotransferrin C‐lobe. Taken together, we conclude that the interdomain disulfide bond has no effect on the iron uptake and release function but significantly decreases the conformational stability in the C‐lobe.
The characteristics of karyotype and telomeric satellite DNA sequences in the cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus (Orthoptera, Gryllidae)

The chromosomes derived from the Japanese population of Gryllus bimaculatus were characterized by C-banding and Ag-NOR staining. The chromosome number, 2n = 28 + XX (female)/XO (male), corresponded with that of other populations of G. bimaculatus, but the chromosome configuration in idiograms varied between the populations. NORs were carried on one pair of autosomes and appeared polymorphous. The positive C-bands located at the centromere of all chromosomes and the distal regions of many chromosome pairs, and the size and the distribution pattern of the distal C-heterochromatin showed differences among the chromosomes. In addition, this paper reports on the characteristics of HindIII satellite DNA isolated from the genome of G. bimaculatus. The HindIII repetitive fragments were about 0.54 kb long, and localized at the distal C-bands of the autosomes and the interstitial C-bands of the X chromosome. Molecular analysis showed two distinct satellite DNA sequences, named the GBH535 and GBH542 families, with high AT contents of about 67 and 66%, respectively. The two repetitive families seem to be derived from a common ancestral sequence, and both families possessed the same 13-bp palindrome sequence. The results of Southern blot hybridization suggest that the sequence of the GBH535 family is conserved in the genomic DNAs of Gryllus species, whereas the GBH542 family is a species-specific sequence.
Discrete Interval Truth Values Logic and Its Application

In this paper, we focus on functions defined on a special subset of the power set of (0,1,.,r-1) (the elements in the subset will be called discrete interval truth values) and operations on the truth values. The operations discussed in this paper will be called regular because they are one of the extensions of the regularity, which was first introduced by Kleene in his ternary logic. Mukaidono investigated some properties of ternary functions which can be represented by the regular operations. He called such ternary functions "regular ternary logic functions. " Regular ternary logic functions are useful for representing and analyzing ambiguities such as transient states and/or initial states in binary logic circuits that Boolean functions cannot cope with. Furthermore, they are also applied to studies of fail-safe systems for binary logic circuits. In this paper, we will discuss an extension of regular ternary logic functions to functions on the discrete interval truth values. First, we will suggest an extension of the regularity, in the sense of Kleene, into operations on the discrete interval truth values. We will then present some mathematical properties of functions on the discrete interval truth values consisting of regular operations and one application of these functions.
Age estimation of immature human skeletal remains from the metaphyseal and epiphyseal widths of the long bones in the post-natal period.

OBJECTIVES This study provides regression and classical calibration models for the estimation of age from the dimensions of the metaphyses and epiphyses of the six long bones. METHODS A sample of 148 known sex and age individuals (56 females and 92 males), aged between birth and 12 years of age, selected from Portuguese and English skeletal collections. Age estimation models were obtained separately for each sex and for the sexes combined, for the entire sample and for the sample divided into two subsamples at the age of 2 years. RESULTS The best performing epiphysis is the proximal epiphysis of the tibia. For the metaphyses, the distal metaphysis of the tibia and the proximal metaphysis of the femur are best for individuals below and above 2 years of age, respectively. Growth of the metaphyses is similar to that of the diaphysis. Results suggest that age can be as accurately estimated from the width of the metaphyses and epiphyses as from the length of the diaphyses, or as from the length of the deciduous and permanent teeth. CONCLUSIONS These models may be useful for fragmentary material in both archaeological and forensic contexts. However, due to the background of the samples, the models would be most applicable to individuals exposed to adverse environmental conditions during growth and development. Metaphyseal and epiphyseal widths may be less affected by ecological conditions than diaphyseal length.
The DM20 Protein of Myelin: Intracellular and Surface Expression Patterns in Transfectants

Abstract: DM20 is an abundant CNS myelin‐specific protein whose role in myelinogenesis is unknown. We have cloned the DM20 cDNA from adult mouse brain total RNA using the polymerase chain reaction and expressed it in HeLa cells. DM20, detected by immunofluorescence in stable transfectants, is present in some cells in large, intensely fluorescent intracellular clumps that probably represent elements of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. Frequently, intense DM20 fluorescence could be detected at the plasma membrane. These findings are consistent with previous studies demonstrating that an intracellular “pool” of DM20 and its larger isoform, proteolipid protein, exists and that a substantial lag occurs between synthesis and insertion of these proteins into the expanding myelin membrane. Permanent DM20 expressors in contact with one another do not display any ultrastructural rearrangements at regions of cell–cell contact, in contrast to what we have previously reported for P0, a PNS‐specific protein shown to mediate adhesion of the extracellular faces of the Schwann cell during PNS myelinogenesis. We believe that these results indicate that if DM20 is indeed an adhesion molecule, this property is likely to be significantly more subtle than P0‐mediated adhesion.