Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cumulative Disadvantage or Beating the Odds? Racial Disparities in Home Foreclosure by Neighbourhood Composition in the American Deep South

ABSTRACT The racial gap in U.S. homeownership has widened since the recession of 2007–2011, partly because of housing loss from foreclosure. This study uses cumulative disadvantage theory to analyse the racial dimensions of home foreclosure activity across neighbourhoods in a Southern county. The methods involved collecting and analysing 1013 foreclosures in a population almost evenly divided between white and black residents. After creating a foreclosure ratio to measure black–white dissimilarities in homeownership, we used ArcGIS to map foreclosure landscapes in all tracts and three tracts with different racial compositions. The analysis identified racial disparities that are consistent with cumulative disadvantage theory. Although the greatest disparity occurred in significantly black areas, black homeowners were more likely to experience foreclosure compared to whites in all 45 tracts of the county. We conclude that the higher rate of foreclosure among black owners relates to discriminatory lending practices and other forms of cumulative disadvantage that affect housing outcomes in this population.
Hot money in disaggregated capital flows

ABSTRACT We explore the possible existence and behavior of hot money in six categories of disaggregated bilateral capital flows (equity inflows, equity outflows, bond inflows, bond outflows, banking credit inflows, and banking credit outflows) for 12 emerging markets vis-à-vis the US from 1995 to 2012 and provides several new findings. First, we identify the existence of hot money in all six categories above and conclude that both gross inflows and gross outflows can be the sources of hot money. Second, hot money in equity inflows (outflows) engages in positive (negative) feedback trading regarding local stock market returns. Third, some categories of hot money have a temporary influence on local stock market returns while the others have a permanent influence, supporting the explanations of both price pressures and information advantage. Finally, local stock market returns in half of our sample countries, which have tightened capital controls during the late 2000s global financial crisis (GFC), are more affected by hot money than in the other half. Our findings confirm several popular conjectures of hot money, and endorse the use of capital controls to limit financial vulnerability in the run-up to and during the GFC.
Influence of cognition and symptoms of schizophrenia on IADL performance

Abstract People with schizophrenia experience difficulties with instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), which are required for independent living. Yet, factors that influence IADL performance are still poorly understood. Identification of such factors will contribute to the rehabilitation process and recovery. The present study aimed to examine the influence of cognitive abilities, schizophrenia symptoms, and demographic variables on IADL functioning during acute hospital admission. The participants were 81 adults with DSM-IV chronic schizophrenia. They were assessed on the Revised Observed Tasks of Daily Living (OTDL-R), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (Cognistat), and the Kitchen Task Assessment (KTA) at acute hospitalization. The prediction model of IADL performance at this time consists of executive functioning (explained 21% of variance), memory and abstract thinking (explained 13.5%), negative symptoms (explained 13%), age of illness onset and years of education (explained 8%). The total explained variance is 53.5%. These results provide evidence-based guidelines for the evaluation process in inpatient settings. Such guidelines are important since planning of intervention processes and appropriate community integration programs often occurs during acute hospitalization, while the structured nature of inpatient settings limits natural variability in occupational performance.
Exploring 21st Century Teaching Development Model for Lecturers: A Case Study of Two Universities in Vietnam

The world is changing day by day and education sector is also catching up to provide sufficient education outcomes required by society in 21 st century. Teachers is one of key factors contributing to graduate quality. This study aims to explore the influence of soft skills in terms of critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, and information management skills on teaching competency of lecturers at two faculties of two universities in Vietnam. The findings of quantitative and qualitative data indicated soft skills in terms of critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills have influence on the teaching competency of lecturers within two faculties of two universities in this study. More importantly, the qualitative results also provided a deeper understanding of these soft skills on teaching competency of lecturers. Lecturers highlighted the important of communication skills regarding the presentation skills, public speaking, listening skill, problem-solving, and the method to inspire or motivate students to learn. Most lecturers preferred further opportunities to develop professional competency and doing more researches. They desired better working environments which offered more training sessions, workshop, or conference. Lastly, supports from universities or faculties particularly would be an incentive to promote them devote more in teaching path. An action plan was developed basing on the key findings of this study for a purpose to provide a road map so that lecturers can get more crucial 21 st century classroom teaching skills. Ina long term, it gradually contributes to develop the national competitiveness for its citizen as an education outcome.
Identification of periparturient mare and foal associated predictors of post parturient immunoglobulin A concentrations in Thoroughbred foals.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING THE STUDY Prior to the start of endogenous production of immunoglobulins (Igs), absorption of maternal Igs is important to protect against pathogens in the early neonatal period. It is possible that mare- or foal-associated factors may influence neonatal IgA concentrations. OBJECTIVES The temporal relationships among serum and milk IgA concentrations in Thoroughbred mare-foal pairs were explored to determine if periparturient mare- and foal-associated factors contribute to the prediction of foal serum IgA concentrations. METHODS Blood and milk samples as well as complete veterinary records, were collected for 84 Thoroughbred mare-foal pairs from one month before to 2 months after parturition. Samples were tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for concentrations of IgA. Pairwise correlation coefficients were estimated (P < 0.01) and simple linear regression used to investigate unconditional associations between mare IgA levels, mare and foal risk factors and foal serum IgA concentration at 12 h. Backwards, stepwise elimination of nonsignificant factors was used to create a final model. RESULTS There were significant temporal relationships among mare serum IgA and among colostrum and milk IgA concentrations within mares (P < 0.01). Mare serum IgA concentrations up to one month before parturition were associated with foal serum IgA concentrations at all time points and with colostrum and milk IgA concentrations. Mare serum IgA at -28 days and parity were associated with foal serum IgA concentration at 12 h (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Mare serum IgA concentrations up to 28 days before parturition, together with mare parity, are indicative of neonatal foal serum IgA concentrations. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE Mare serum and colostrum IgA concentrations may be useful peripartum predictors of neonatal mucosal immune status, enabling earlier intervention to prevent the consequences of mucosal infections.
VO2 kinetics and performance in soccer players after intense training and inactivity.

PURPOSE The study's purpose was to examine the effects of a short-term period with intensified training or training cessation of trained soccer players on VO(2) kinetics at 75% maximal aerobic speed, oxidative enzymes, and performance in repeated high-intensity exercise. METHODS After the last match of the season, 18 elite soccer players were, for a 2-wk period, assigned to a high-intensity training group (n = 7) performing 10 training sessions mainly consisting of aerobic high-intensity training (8 × 2 min) and speed endurance training (10-12 × 30-s sprints) or a training cessation group (n = 11) that refrained from training. RESULTS For the training cessation group, VO(2) kinetics became slower (P < 0.05) with a larger time constant (τ = 21.5 ± 2.9 vs 23.8 ± 3.2 s (mean ± SD, before vs after)) and a larger mean response time (time delay + τ = 45.0 ± 1.8 vs 46.8 ± 2.2 s). The amount of muscle pyruvate dehydrogenase (17%, P < 0.01) and maximal activity of citrate synthase (12%) and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA (18%, P < 0.05) were lowered. In addition, the fraction of slow twitch fibers (56% ± 18% vs 47% ± 15%, P < 0.05), Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 2 test (845 ± 160 vs 654 ± 99 m), and the repeated sprint performance (33.41 ± 0.96 vs 34.11 ± 0.92 s, P < 0.01) were reduced. For the high-intensity training group, running economy was improved (P < 0.05), and the amount of pyruvate dehydrogenase (17%) and repeated sprint performance (33.44 ± 1.17 vs 32.81 ± 1.01 s) were enhanced (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Inactivity slows VO(2) kinetics in association with a reduction of muscle oxidative capacity and repeated high-intensity running performance. In addition, intensified training of already well-trained athletes can improve mechanical efficiency and repeated sprint performance.
Tensions in Global IT Multisourcing Arrangements: Examining the Barriers to Attaining Common Value Creation

ABSTRACT Previous contributions on IT multisourcing were mainly focused on strategy and governance. The way in which actors exchange value as well as information and knowledge has been ignored. Given this void, this paper adopts the ecosystem metaphor and concepts from business model thinking to study common value creation and capturing. An exploratory, case-study is used to study a global IT multisourcing arrangement. The results indicate four barriers in ecosystems that may hinder value creation: managed interdependencies, resource integration, ecosystem boundary spanners, and formal inter-organizational contractual agreements. We contribute to IS literature by exploring, beyond the strategic decision to collaborate, the complexity and mutual dependencies of competing and collaborating actors within a global IT multisourcing context.
Polymorphisms, de novo lipogenesis, and plasma triglyceride response following fish oil supplementation

Interindividual variability in the response of plasma triglyceride concentrations (TG) following fish oil consumption has been observed. Our objective was to examine the associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within genes encoding proteins involved in de novo lipogenesis and the relative change in plasma TG levels following a fish oil supplementation. Two hundred and eight participants were recruited in the greater Quebec City area. The participants completed a six-week fish oil supplementation (5 g fish oil/day: 1.9–2.2 g eicosapentaenoic acid and 1.1 g docosahexaenoic acid. SNPs within SREBF1, ACLY, and ACACA genes were genotyped using TAQMAN methodology. After correction for multiple comparison, only two SNPs, rs8071753 (ACLY) and rs1714987 (ACACA), were associated with the relative change in plasma TG concentrations (P = 0.004 and P = 0.005, respectively). These two SNPs explained 7.73% of the variance in plasma TG relative change following fish oil consumption. Genotype frequencies of rs8071753 according to the TG response groups (responders versus nonresponders) were different (P = 0.02). We conclude that the presence of certain SNPs within genes, such as ACLY and ACACA, encoding proteins involved in de novo lipogenesis seem to influence the plasma TG response following fish oil consumption.
Hierarchical Markov Model in Life Insurance and Social Benefit Schemes

We explored the effect of the jump-diffusion process on a social benefit scheme consisting of life insurance, unemployment/disability benefits, and retirement benefits. To do so, we used a four-state Markov chain with multiple decrements. Assuming independent state-wise intensities taking the form of a jump-diffusion process and deterministic interest rates, we evaluated the prospective reserves for this scheme in which the individual is employed at inception. We then numerically demonstrated the state of the reserves for the scheme under jump-diffusion and non-jump-diffusion settings. By decomposing the reserve equation into five components, our numerical illustration indicated that an extension of the retirement age has a spillover effect that would increase government expenses for other social insurance programs. We also conducted sensitivity analyses and examined the total-reserves components by changing the relevant parameters of the transition intensities, which are the average jump-size parameter, average jump frequency, and diffusion parameters of the chosen states, with figures provided. Our computation revealed that the total reserve is most sensitive to changes in average jump frequency.
Ataxin-2 (Atxn2)-Knock-Out Mice Show Branched Chain Amino Acids and Fatty Acids Pathway Alterations*

Human Ataxin-2 (ATXN2) gene locus variants have been associated with obesity, diabetes mellitus type 1,and hypertension in genome-wide association studies, whereas mouse studies showed the knock-out of Atxn2 to lead to obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. Intriguingly, the deficiency of ATXN2 protein orthologs in yeast and flies rescues the neurodegeneration process triggered by TDP-43 and Ataxin-1 toxicity. To understand the molecular effects of ATXN2 deficiency by unbiased approaches, we quantified the global proteome and metabolome of Atxn2-knock-out mice with label-free mass spectrometry. In liver tissue, significant downregulations of the proteins ACADS, ALDH6A1, ALDH7A1, IVD, MCCC2, PCCA, OTC, together with bioinformatic enrichment of downregulated pathways for branched chain and other amino acid metabolism, fatty acids, and citric acid cycle were observed. Statistical trends in the cerebellar proteome and in the metabolomic profiles supported these findings. They are in good agreement with recent claims that PBP1, the yeast ortholog of ATXN2, sequestrates the nutrient sensor TORC1 in periods of cell stress. Overall, ATXN2 appears to modulate nutrition and metabolism, and its activity changes are determinants of growth excess or cell atrophy.
Gastric mucosal adaptation to etodolac and naproxen

Background: Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) frequently cause damage to the gastroduodenal mucosa, principally by suppressing mucosal prostaglandin synthesis. However, such acute mucosal injury usually resolves, despite continued NSAID administration, by a process known as adaptation. Newer NSAIDs, such as etodolac, have been developed to minimize effects on prostaglandin synthesis.
Inequality and Competition in State Redistributive Systems: Evidence From Welfare and Health

When determining their redistributive budgets, states must strike a subtle balance—to provide for their needy residents without becoming a “welfare magnet” and attracting poor individuals from neighboring states. We examine the competing incentives that state politicians face in federal systems and their effects on program accessibility and redistributive spending across U.S. states between 2005 and 2011. Comparing two redistributive programs under state control—Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)—we find strong evidence of interstate competition in the case of cash assistance programs, but less evidence in the case of health care. Yet our data show that states do not alter their policies in response to rising inequality, that is, when the median voter becomes poorer than the average voter. Moreover, the Great Recession had a greater impact on TANF than Medicaid. We attribute these differential effects to different funding mechanisms used by the federal government to finance the two state-administered programs.
Changing contributions of stochastic and deterministic processes in community assembly over a successional gradient.

Successional dynamics in plant community assembly may result from both deterministic and stochastic ecological processes. The relative importance of different ecological processes is expected to vary over the successional sequence, between different plant functional groups, and with the disturbance levels and land-use management regimes of the successional systems. We evaluate the relative importance of stochastic and deterministic processes in bryophyte and vascular plant community assembly after fire in grazed and ungrazed anthropogenic coastal heathlands in Northern Europe. A replicated series of post-fire successions (n = 12) were initiated under grazed and ungrazed conditions, and vegetation data were recorded in permanent plots over 13 years. We used redundancy analysis (RDA) to test for deterministic successional patterns in species composition repeated across the replicate successional series and analyses of co-occurrence to evaluate to what extent species respond synchronously along the successional gradient. Change in species co-occurrences over succession indicates stochastic successional dynamics at the species level (i.e., species equivalence), whereas constancy in co-occurrence indicates deterministic dynamics (successional niche differentiation). The RDA shows high and deterministic vascular plant community compositional change, especially early in succession. Co-occurrence analyses indicate stochastic species-level dynamics the first two years, which then give way to more deterministic replacements. Grazed and ungrazed successions are similar, but the early stage stochasticity is higher in ungrazed areas. Bryophyte communities in ungrazed successions resemble vascular plant communities. In contrast, bryophytes in grazed successions showed consistently high stochasticity and low determinism in both community composition and species co-occurrence. In conclusion, stochastic and individualistic species responses early in succession give way to more niche-driven dynamics in later successional stages. Grazing reduces predictability in both successional trends and species-level dynamics, especially in plant functional groups that are not well adapted to disturbance.
A kinetic analysis of hybridoma growth and metabolism in batch and continuous suspension culture: Effect of nutrient concentration, dilution rate, and pH

Hybridomas are finding increased use for the production of a wide variety of monoclonal antibodies. Understanding the roles of physiological and environmental factors on the growth and metabolism of mammalian cells is a prerequisite for the development of rational scale‐up procedures. An SP2/0‐derived mouse hybridoma has been employed in the present work as a model system for hybridoma suspension culture. In preliminary shake flask studies to determine the effect of glucose and glutamine, it was found that the specific growth rate, the glucose and glutamine metabolic quotients, and the cumulative specific antibody production rate were independent of glucose concentration over the range commonly employed in cell cultures. Only the specific rate of glutamine uptake was found to depend on glutamine concentration. The cells were grown in continuous culture at constant pH and oxygen concentration at a variety of dilution rates. Specific substrate consumption rates and product formation rates were determined from the steady state concentrations. The specific glucose uptake rate deviated from the maintenance energy model1 at low specific growth rates, probably due to changes in the metabolic pathways of the cells. Antibody production was not growth‐associated; and higher specific antibody production rates were obtained at lower specific growth rates. The effect of pH on the metabolic quotients was also determined. An optimum in viable cell concentration was obtained between pH 7.1 and 7.4. The viable cell number and viability decreased dramatically at pH 6.8. At pH 7.7 the viable cell concentration initially decreased, but then recovered to values typical of pH 7.1–7.4. Higher specific nutrient consumption rates were found at the extreme pH values; however, glucose consumption was inhibited at low pH. The pH history also influenced the behavior at a given pH. Higher antibody metabolic quotients were obtained at the extreme pH values. Together with the effect of specific growth rate, this suggests higher antibody production under environmental or nutritional stress.
Acaricidal Properties of Artemisia absinthium and Tanacetum vulgare (Asteraceae) Essential Oils Obtained by Three Methods of Extraction

Abstract Essential oils of Artemisia absinthium L. and Tanacetum vulgare L. were extracted by three methods, a microwave assisted process (MAP), distillation in water (DW) and direct steam distillation (DSD), and tested for their relative toxicity as contact acaricides to the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch. All three extracts of A. absinthium and of T. vulgare were lethal to the spider mite but to variable degrees. The LC50 obtained from the DSD oil of A. absinthium was significantly lower (0.04 mg/cm2) than that of the MAP (0.13 mg/cm2) and DW (0.13 mg/cm2) oil of this plant species. DSD and DW extracts of T. vulgare were more toxic (75.6 and 60.4% mite mortality, respectively, at 4% concentration) to the spider mite than the MAP extract (16.7% mite mortality at 4% concentration). Chromatographic analysis indicated differences in composition between the more toxic DSD oil of A. absinthium and the other two extracts of this plant, indicating that a sesquiterpene (C15H24) compound present in the DSD oil and absent in the other two may enhance the toxicity of the DSD oil. Chemical analysis of the T. vulgare extracts indicated that β-thujone is by far the major compound of the oil (>87.6%) and probably contributes significantly to the acaricidal activity of the oil.
Menopause and schizophrenia

We have come a long way from our understanding of the menopause as it was described in the 11th century by Trotula of Salerno, a female gynaecologist who said ‘there are older women who give forth blood matter especially as menopause approaches them’. Yet very little is known about the impact menopause has on the mental health of women especially severe and enduring illnesses like schizophrenia. A lot of research has shown that estrogen acts as a protective factor due to its antidopaminergic properties, thus providing an explanation for the increase in risk of a new psychotic disorder during the menopause. This has further led to the hypothesis of hormone replacement therapy providing benefits in the management of these disorders in menopausal women. This review article highlights the importance of a clear understanding of this phase of life in patients suffering from or who present with a risk of developing schizophrenia.