Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SUBPRIME MORTGAGE CRISIS IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2007-2008: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES (PART I)

This is the second part of the qualitative and quantitative research on the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States in 2007–2008. The main purpose of this research is to determine the factors and how they contributed to the subprime mortgage crisis, what their causal links and effects on the markets and the whole economy were, and to assess what actions could have been taken by the Federal Reserve and the Government in order to mitigate or prevent the consequences of the subprime mortgage crisis and the housing bubble. In order to obtain the results, the authors performed a qualitative analysis of the scientific literature on the course of events and their development that led to the subprime mortgage crisis and focused on insufficiently regulated home mortgage market expansion, the impact on subprime mortgage crisis of financial innovations and financial engineering, poorly evaluated systemic risks and policy undertaken by both the U.S. Government and the Federal Reserve before and after the crisis. The quantitative research focused on two main parts: firstly, the analysis of dependencies between the causes of subprime mortgage crisis and the consequences using the statistical and regression analysis; secondly, an alternative path the Government and the Federal Reserve could have taken in their policy actions, and the results they could have produced have been explored. The authors believe that the results of the research could give useful guidelines to the central bankers and government officials on how to make long-term decisions that can help in preparing for the financial distress, mitigating the consequences when the crisis strikes, accelerating the recovery and even preventing the crisis in the future.
Ignorance is bliss: rationality, information and equilibrium

An information-theoretic thought experiment is developed to provide a methodology for predicting endowment distributions in the absence of information on agent preferences. The allocation problem is first presented as a stylised knapsack problem. Although this knapsack allocation is intractable, the social planner can nevertheless make precise predictions concerning the endowment distribution by using its information-theoretic structure. By construction these predictions do not rest on the rationality of agents. It is also shown, however, that the knapsack problem is equivalent to a congestion game under weak assumptions, which means that the planner can nevertheless evaluate the optimality of the unobserved allocation.
Climate Impacts on Economic Growth as Drivers of Uncertainty in the Social Cost of Carbon

We reexamine estimates of the social cost of carbon (SCC) used by agencies as the price of carbon emissions in cost-benefit analysis, focusing on those by the federal Interagency Working Group on SCC (IWG). We show that the models used by the IWG assume continued economic growth in the face of substantial temperature increases, which suggests that they may not capture the full range of possible consequences of climate change. Using the DICE integrated assessment model, we examine the possibility that climate change may directly affect productivity and find that even a modest impact of this type increases SCC estimates substantially. The SCC appears to be highly uncertain and sensitive to modeling assumptions. Understanding the impact of climate change therefore requires understanding how climate-related harms may affect productivity and economic growth. Furthermore, we suggest that misunderstandings about growth assumptions in the model may underlie the debate surrounding the proper discount rate.
Semi-analytic galaxies – II. Revealing the role of environmental and mass quenching in galaxy formation

We use the semi-analytic model of galaxy formation SAG on the MultiDark simulation MDPL2 to study the relevance of mass quenching and environmental quenching on passive satellite galaxies. We find that environmental processes dominate the star formation (SF) quenching of low mass satellites ($M_{\star} \lesssim 1.3 \times 10^{10}\, {\rm M}_{\odot}$), while mass quenching gains relevance on more massive galaxies ($M_{\star} \gtrsim 3 \times 10^{10}\, {\rm M}_{\odot}$), consistent with previous results in the literature. For a given stellar mass, SF quenching is less efficient in galaxies accreted by lower mass haloes both before and after first infall, because of the lower efficiency of both environmental and mass quenching processes, in contradiction with analysis of observational data. Quenching time-scales estimated for satellites that are active at first infall support the delay-then-rapid quenching scenario. The environment dominates the period of delayed quenching acting on the hot gas, while mass quenching is responsible for the fast decline of SF as the cold gas is consumed. The former stage is characterized by delay time-scales that range from $\approx 4\,{\rm Gyr}$ to $\approx 0.5\,{\rm Gyr}$ for low ($M_{\star} \approx 10^{10}\, {\rm M}_{\odot}$) and high ($M_{\star} \approx 10^{11}\, {\rm M}_{\odot}$) mass satellites, respectively. SF fading time-scales have the opposite trend with stellar mass, being $\approx 0.5\, {\rm Gyr}$ for low mass satellites and $\approx 2 \, {\rm Gyr}$ for high mass ones.
Upper Echelons: The Organization as a Reflection of Its Top Managers

Theorists in various fields have discussed characteristics of top managers. This paper attempts to synthesize these previously fragmented literatures around a more general “upper echelons perspective. ” The theory states that organizational outcomes—strategic choices and performance levels—are partially predicted by managerial background characteristics. Propositions and methodological suggestions are included.
The effect of some medicinal and ornamental plant extracts against Fusarium oxysporum

During the past decade, natural plant products as environmentally safe option have received attention for controlling phytopathogenic diseases. Investigation of plants containing natural antimicrobial metabolites for plant protection has been recognized as a desirable method of disease control. The fungus Fusarium oxysporum causes diseases such as root rot, damping off and Fusarium wilt and it infects many plant species and crops. Methanolic crude extracts of 30 plant species belonging to 17 families collected from the west of Iran were screened for antifungal activity against F. oxysporum during 2012. Bioassay of the extracts was conducted by agar dilution method with five replications. The inhibitory effect of the extracts was examined at concentration of 2000 ppm. Twenty out of 30 tested plant species (67%) showed inhibitory activity against mycelial growth of F. oxysporum. The most effective extracts with more than 50% inhibition belonged to Haplophyllum perforatum and Calendula officinalis. High number of plants with antifungal activity in this experiment showed that the flora in the west of Iran could be regarded as a rich source of plants with antifungal activity. Therefore, further screening of other plant species, identifying active fractions or metabolites and in vivo application of active extracts are in progress.
Blended Learning: An Alternative For Undergraduate Anatomy Teaching In Developing Countries

Anatomy, the study of tissues, organs and systems in the body, is an essential component in the curricula of many health professions. Due to curricular design, complexity of the learning material, and time devoted to teaching, anatomy learning could be compromised. Anatomy instructors and educational institutions must look for ways to complement anatomy teaching in order to better prepare students for what they will find at both, the graduate level and the work environment. In this review, we compared multiple approaches for anatomy teaching, and blended learning appears to give better results for contents comprehension, retention, and academic development.
A Nuclear Spin Selective Control over the DNA Repair Key Enzyme Might Renovate the Cancer–Fight Paradigm. DNA Polymerase Beta to Engage with a Magnetic Isotope Effect

DNA Polymerase Beta (EC 2.7.7.7) is found to be operated by magnetic isotope effect (MIE) of Calcium once the Mg 2+ ions replaced with the stable 43 Ca 2+ isotopes inside the enzyme catalytic sites. The isotope mentioned is the only paramagnetic species of the Calcium isotopic set with a 0.135 natural abundance value and the negative 7/2 nuclear spin providing a nuclear magnetic moment equal to 1.317 Bohr magnetons. As compared to the Mg/ 40 Ca substitution, a 2.25-fold enzyme inhibition has been shown to provethe 43 Ca-MIE dependent mode of the catalysis turning down.An ion-radical mechanism based on the singlet – triplet conversion of the enzyme generated intermediates (ion-radical pairs) is found to be engaged once the paramagnetic metal isotope involved into the catalysis studied.The MIE promotes a primary reaction in DNA synthesis constituting in electron transfer between the ion – radical forming partners, [Ca(H 2 O) n 2+ ] and [Ca 2+ (dNTP)]. Once the metal isotope substitution takes place inside just one of two DNA Polymerase Beta catalytic sites, a consequent 43 Ca – promoted inhibition leads to a residual synthesis of shorted DNA fragments that counts 25 – 35 nucleotides in length contrasting with the 180 n – 210 n DNA produced by either intact or 40 Ca – loaded polymerase. Being occurred simultaneously with a marked MIE – promoted enzyme inhibition, this fact itself makes possible to consider these short (“size-invalid”) DNA segments hardly efficient in the DNA base – excision repair. The latter is a survival factor in leukemic cells where the DNApolβ was found overexpressed. That supports a standpoint considering theDNApolβ a legitimate target for antitumor agents since its inhibition deprives the malignant cell from a DNA base – excision repair in neoplasma. A possible trend making role of these data in the current developments on a novel concept - establishing chemical background for cancer therapies is in a focus.
The Influence Of Winter Field Cover On Spring Nitrous Oxide Emissions

Agriculture is responsible for 58% of the anthropogenic emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a source of stratospheric ozone depletion and a greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change. In temperate regions, a majority of this N2O is emitted during freeze-thaw cycles (FTC) in the spring. Climate change models predict that warming trends in the northeast will result in less snow cover, potentially leading to colder soils that may in turn lead to higher N2O emissions. A winter soil management strategy is needed to mitigate spring N2O emissions. In this study, I examined the influence of two winter field covers, snow and winter rye, on soil temperature and nitrogen (N) content and subsequent spring N2O emissions from a NY corn field over two years. A 2 x 2 factorial of rye (+/-) by snow cover (+/) was established in a randomized complete block design. Nitrous oxide emissions were measured bi-weekly using a static chamber method. The first season (2006-07) was a cold winter (2309 h below 0°C at 8 cm soil depth), historically typical for the region. The snow removal treatment resulted in colder soils and higher N2O fluxes (73.3 vs. 57.9 ng N2O-N cm -2 h -1 ). The rye cover had no effect on N2O emissions. The second season (2007-08) was a much milder winter (1271 h below freezing at 8 cm soil depth), with lower N2O fluxes overall. Winter rye cover resulted in lower N2O fluxes (5.9 vs. 33.7 ng N2O-N cm -2 h -1 ), but snow removal had no effect. These results suggest that if winters remain typically cold in the Northeastern U.S., but snowfall is reduced, we may expect higher N2O emissions, with winter rye cover unlikely to mitigate this. If, however, less snow cover is due to warmer temperatures as predicted, we may be trending towards lower spring N2O emissions where winter rye cover cropping may be a useful mitigation tool. The field experiment showed that temperature buffering created by an insulating soil cover during the winter may lead to
A study to evaluate the causes of stillbirths according to the ReCoDe classification

Background: Foetal death or stillbirth is a major obstetrical complication and a devastating experience for the pregnant patients and relatives. Worldwide an estimate of at least 3.2 million stillbirths occurs each year. There are intensified demands on medical, political and epidemiological ground for proper determination and classification of causes of perinatal death. The aim of this study was to test a new classification system- Re. Co. De. Classification (Relevant Condition at Death) for stillbirths to improve our understanding of the main causes and conditions associated with foetal deaths. Methods: This study was a hospital based Prospective study conducted in department of obstetrics and Gynaecology, SZH, Bhopal. The study included 463 women who were admitted with Intra Uterine Foetal Demise. All cases were evaluated and after delivery the stillborn baby, the placenta and cord were examined. The causes were classified according to Re. Co. De. System. Results: The analysis of the new classification system Re. Co. De. Allowed attributable causes to about 90.72% of causes of still births explained where 9.28% were unexplained. The commonest cause was found to be class F4-Toxaemia of pregnancy (13.17%) followed by class A7- IUGR (10.58%), class C1-Abruptio placentae (10.36%), class E3-Obstructed labour (9.8%) and class A1- Lethal congenital malformations (8.42%). Conclusions: The Re. Co. De. Classification system gives us a better understanding of antecedents of stillbirths and the clinical practices, which need to be addressed to reduce perinatal mortality and have a better obstetric result in the next pregnancy.
A multivariate invariance principle for modified wild bootstrap methods with an application to unit root testing

In this paper we consider several modified wild bootstrap methods that, additionally to heteroskedasticity, can take dependence into account. The modified wild bootstrap methods are shown to correctly replicate an invariance principle for multivariate time series that are characterized by general forms of unconditional heteroskedasticity, or nonstationary volatility, as well as dependence within and between different elements of the time series. The invariance principle is then applied to derive the asymptotic validity of the wild bootstrap methods for unit root testing in a multivariate setting. The resulting tests, which can also be interpreted as panel unit root tests, are valid under more general assumptions than most current tests used in the literature. A simulation study is performed to evaluate the small sample properties of the bootstrap unit root tests.
Climate history, human impacts and global body size of Carnivora (Mammalia: Eutheria) at multiple evolutionary scales

Aim One of the longest recognized patterns in macroecology, Bergmann’s rule, describes the tendency for homeothermic animals to have larger body sizes in cooler climates than their phylogenetic relatives in warmer climates. Here we provide an integrative process‐based explanation for Bergmann’s rule at the global scale for the mammal order Carnivora.
The domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) as a model for evaluating nutritional and metabolic consequences of bariatric surgery practiced on morbid obese humans

M. Gandarillas, and F. Bas. 2009. The domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) as a model for evaluating nutritional and metabolic consequences of bariatric surgery practiced on morbid obese humans. Cien. Inv. Agr. 36(2):163-176. The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically over the last 20 years. Moreover, morbid obese patients routinely suffer from serious medical problems, especially cardiovascular disease. Medical therapy for morbid obesity offers no substantial long-term benefi t, and thus the fi rst choice therapy for severe obesity is effectively surgery. Gastrointestinal surgery for obesity, also called bariatric surgery, alters the digestive process by limiting food intake and facilitating malabsorption of nutrients from the diet. This article reviews the types and evolution of morbid obesity surgery performed in humans and proposes the pig model as an alternative when practicing new surgical techniques or improving actual procedures, as well as to evaluate the metabolic consequences of these procedures. Based on similarities between humans and pigs in terms of their anatomical, physiological and metabolic characteristics, the pig also provides an opportunity to develop, evaluate specifi c techniques in open and laparoscopic surgery. Finally, a complete review of macronutrient digestion and absorption between pigs and humans is done in order to justify the use of this model. Therefore, the objective of this article was to illustrate the use of the pig as a model for studying nutrient digestion and absorption in humans who undergo bariatric surgery and to review how, through digestibility trials, a digestion and absorption assessment of nutrients should complement classical human assessments with surgery.
Compromise, consensus, and the iteration of means

Ulrich Krause received his doctoral degree in mathematics from the University of Erlangen-Nurnberg in 1967 and a doctoral degree in economics from the University of Hannover in 1979. His interests include the theory of dynamical systems and commutative algebra as well as the economics of production and social welfare theory. Until 2006 he held the position of a professor of mathematics at the University of Bremen.
Governance Practices and Performance of Collective Organizations: Evidence from Self-Help Organizations in Siaya County, Kenya

This study examined the relationship between governance practices and the performance of self-help help organizations in Siaya County, Kenya. This was a cross-sectional survey, which covered twenty seven help organizations, out of which 243 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling. Members of the self-help organizations were the primary respondents in the study. Data was collected by use of interview schedules and then analyzed using frequency counts and percentages. Pearson and Spearman Product Moment Correlations, and Chi-Square analysis were used to carry out further analysis of the data collected. General Systems theory and Collective Action theory were used to explain the operating environment of these groups, and why people join them respectively. There was a significant relationship between group size, size of groups’ executive committees, election cycle, number of terms served by executive committees, incidences of disputes on the one hand and performance of self-help organizations in Siaya County of Kenya on the other hand. Understanding self-help organizations in terms of governance and performance is indeed significant at a time when communities through grassroots based organizations are increasingly being urged to take charge of their development needs. In terms of policy, this study recommends for the development of a national policy framework to regulate self-help organizations sector, and the establishment of financial and insurance institutions to handle financial and insurance needs of these organizations respectively.
Responses of root growth and distribution of maize to nitrogen application patterns under partial root-zone irrigation

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of varying nitrogen (N) supply andirrigation methods on the root growth and distribution of maize (Zea mays L.) in Wuwei,northwest China in 2011 and 2012. The irrigation treatments included alternate furrow irrigation(AI), fixed furrow irrigation (FI) and conventional furrow irrigation (CI). The N supply treatmentsincluded alternate N supply (AN), fixed N supply (FN) and conventional N supply (CN), wereapplied at each irrigation method. The root growth across the plant row was measured in 0-100 cmsoil profile (20 cm as an interval) at maturity. The results showed that root distribution of twosides of the row was uniform for AI or CI coupled with CN or AN. Root length density (RLD) in0-40 cm soil depth was significantly increased by AI compared to other irrigation methods whiledecreased by FN compared to other N supply treatments. Though RLD decreased more with soillayer deepening under AI, RLD in 60-100 cm soil depth in AI treatment was still larger than thatin CI and FI treatments. In general, total fine root (diametersurface area, and grain yield of maize were significantly increased by AI coupled with CN or ANwhen compared to other treatments. These results indicate that alternate partial root zone irrigationcoupled with conventional or alternate nitrogen supply is useful to improve the root growth andgrain yield of maize in the arid area.
Effect of grooming and bathing on milk yield and milk composition in crossbred cows during summer season

The experiment was carried out on 20 healthy crossbred cows divided in four groups of 5 animals each based on nearly similar age and lactation period. Four groups of grooming and bathing were adopted in the study liz control, groomed and bathed once, groomed twice and bathed once, and groomed and bathed twice a day. All cows were kept under same feeding schedule for 10 days under preliminary period to adapt the test diet followed by 60 days experimental period for records. The data were analyzed statistically. The results of study were revealed that the mean of Milk yield, Milk fat percent, Total solid and solid not fat were significantly (P<0.05) higher in group T3 followed by groups T2, T1 and T0, however the mean of specific gravity and acidity percent in milk were no significant difference in among groups. Therefore adoption of two times bathing and grooming in cross-bred cows under hot conditions may be used by dairy farmers as effective routine managemental practices to obtain higher milk yield and its compositional quality as well as reduce heat stress during summer season.
Soil biological attributes in pastures of different ages in a crop‐livestock integrated system

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the pasture (Urochloa brizantha) component age on soil biological properties, in a crop-livestock integrated system. The experiment was carried out in a Brazilian savannah (Cerrado) area with 92 ha, divided into six pens of approximately 15 ha. Each pen represented a different stage of the pasture component: formation, P0; one year, P1; two years, P2; three years, P3; and final with 3.5 years, Pf. Samples were taken in the 0–10 cm soil depth. The soil biological parameters – microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass respiration (C-CO2), metabolic quotient (qCO2), microbial quotient (qmic), and total organic carbon (TOC) – were evaluated and compared among different stages of the pasture, and between an adjacent area under native Cerrado and another area under degraded pasture (PCD). The MBC, qmic and TOC increased and qCO2 reduced under the different pasture stages. Compared to PCD, the pasture stages had higher MBC, qmic and TOC, and lower qCO2. The crop-livestock integrated system improved soil microbiological parameters and immobilized carbon in the soil in comparison to the degraded pasture.