Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dissecting Mechanisms of Financial Crises: Intermediation and Sentiment

We develop a model of ﬁnancial crises with both a ﬁnancial ampliﬁcation mechanism, via frictional intermediation, and a role for sentiment, via time-varying beliefs about an illiquidity state. We confront the model with data on credit spreads, equity prices, credit, and output across the ﬁnancial crisis cycle. In particular, we ask the model to match data on the frothy pre-crisis behavior of asset markets and credit, the sharp transition to a crisis where asset values fall, disintermediation occurs and output falls, and the post-crisis period characterized by a slow recovery in output. A pure ampliﬁcation mechanism quantitatively matches the crisis and aftermath period but fails to match the pre-crisis evidence. Mixing sentiment and ampliﬁcation allows the model to additionally match the pre-crisis evidence. We consider two versions of sentiment, a Bayesian belief updating process and one that overweighs recent observations. Both models match the crisis patterns qualitatively, while the non-Bayesian model better matches the pre-crisis froth quantitatively. Finally, we show that a lean-against-the-wind policy has a quantitatively similar impact in both versions of the belief model, indicating that policy need not condition on true beliefs.
Economic and political determinants of social sector expenditures: evidence from Indian states

ABSTRACT Political parties aim at getting re-elected and their actions are often in conflict with the economic and welfare objectives of the government. In this context, the paper endeavours to study the economic and political determinants of social sector spending in India and understand their relative importance. For this state-level panel analysis from 2001 to 2013, the states are classified into less developed and developed states. The findings show that both economic and political factors determine the social sector expenditure; however, the Shapley decomposition analysis indicates that the relative contribution of economic factors is much higher as compared to political variables.
Exploring the relationship between mindfulness, compassion and unfamiliar face identification

ABSTRACT Research has related empathy to face recognition. Empathy is proposed as part of compassion, while compassion relates to self-compassion and mindfulness, which may be more effective in face recognition than empathy alone. Experiment 1 investigated the relationship between compassion, self-compassion and empathy, and unfamiliar face recognition memory and matching. Self-compassion, including its facets of mindfulness and common humanity, were related to better recognition, but not matching. Results did not support a relationship between face identification and empathy or compassion. Experiments 2 and 3 further investigated common humanity and mindfulness and found both constructs to relate to face recognition memory. Furthermore, aspects of mindfulness (i.e., act aware and describe) positively related to face recognition. Experiment 3 used an array matching task to further show that matching did not relate to mindfulness or common humanity. The present findings may inform new directions in face recognition research, aiming to practically assist face recognition.
Continuity, Change, and New Product Performance: The Role of Stream Concentration
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Product development teams often face the challenge of designing radically new products that cater at the same time to the revealed tastes and expectations of existing customers. In new product development projects, this tension guides critical choices about continuity or change concerning product attributes and team composition. Research suggests these choices interact, but it is not clear whether they are complements or substitutes and if the level of change in one should match or not the level of change in the other. In this article, we examine the interaction between product attribute change, team change, and a new team‐level factor, that we term stream concentration, as it captures differences among team members in terms of familiarity with the knowledge domain of the new product being developed. We measure stream concentration as team members’ prior NPD experience within a given set of products and assess its impacts on the management of change in new product development projects using longitudinal data from the music industry. We analyze 2621 new product development projects between 1962 and 2008 involving 34,265 distinct team members. Results show that stream concentration is a critical factor in new product development projects that, together with product attributes and team composition, affects new product performance. We discuss implications for research and practice.
IMPACT OF USED MOTOR OIL ON THE SOIL QUALITIES OF ORJI MECHANIC VILLAGE OWERRI, NIGERIA

The study investigated the effects of used motor oil on soil physical and chemical variables and their particle size distribution. Two (2) replicate soil samples were collected from three radial coordinates 50 31.114N 70 02.703E, 50 31.165 N 70 2.670E and 5023.35N 6059.176E respectively from the auto-mechanic village and agricultural land which serves as control; at depths of 0-15cm and 15-30cm. Standard methods were adopted both for field and laboratory analysis, utilizing such instruments as Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (model FS 240 Varian), Jewniary, digital pH meter, Refractometer (model E- Line R.ATC- ), lovibond instrument model Cm-21 and mercury-in-built thermometer. Twenty three (23) different soils parameters were analyzed comprising total organic carbon, heavy metals, soil texture and particle size (clay, sand and silt) organic carbon, exchangeable cations (Na, Ca and Mg), conductivity, salinity, nutrients (N, P, K), bulk density and organic matter. The result indicated a variation at the mechanic site and control point. The pH of the auto-mechanic soils were acidic with the range of 4.3- 5.0 in comparison with the control point which had a mean value of 5.6. Heavy metals had higher values in auto mechanic soils than in the control and their concentration decreased in this trend, Cu 0.940> Hg 0.211> Ni 0.093> Zn 0.051> Pb 0.021> Cd 0.015 > Ar 0.003; Hg 1.385> Cu 0.853> Ni 0.079> Zn 0.041> Cd 0.04> Pb 0.034> Ar 0.004. This showed that disposal of used motor oil on the soil affected the soil quality negatively. It is therefore; recommended that there should be a legislation to stop the indiscriminate dumping of spent oil and lubricants on the surface of the soil at Orji Mechanic village without treatment prior to disposal.
Effect of graded levels of chromium supplementation on certain serum biochemical parameters in broilers

Three experimental trials were conducted for a period of 6 weeks to evaluate the effect of graded levels of chromium supplementation on serum biochemical parameters in broilers. The same dose was repeated in all the 3 experiments to confirm results. Chromium was supplemented as chromium picolinate. In each trial, day old broiler chicks were randomly distributed in completely randomized design into 4 treatment groups each with 2 replicates of 14 chicks. The broilers of treatment group T1 (control) were provided water without chromium while those of T2, T3 and T-+ were provided water containing 200, 400 and 600 ppb chromiumllitre respectively. The results of the experiments indicated that the serum lipid profile in terms of cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly reduced in broilers of chromium supplemented groups while HDL cholesterol increased significantly. Chromiun1 supplementation significantly reduced serum glucose of broilers.
Origin, diversity, and conservation of karst-associated Bent-toed Geckos (Genus Cyrtodactylus) in Myanmar (Burma)

Fifty-eight percent of the 43 known species of the Bent-toed Geckos (Cyrtodactylus) from Myanmar are found only in karstic habitats in the Shan Plateau and Salween and Ayeyarwady basins. A stochastic character mapping analysis indicated that the occupation of karstic habitats evolved at least four times independently in Burmese lineages with both Sundaic and Indian origins. Karstic habitats not only serve as foci for speciation but are refugia for species extirpated from the surrounding forested habitats due to agricultural development. Despite the high levels of biodiversity and site-specific endemism in karstic habitats in Myanmar, they are some of the least protected ecosystems. The immense financial returns from unsustainable resource extraction (cement manufacturing) makes the challenge of legal karst conservation extremely difficult. Sadly, their continued exploitation for limestone shows no signs of abating. Until karst habitats in Myanmar are thoroughly investigated, a significant portion of this country’s herpetological diversity will remain underestimated and unprotected.
A Note on Relative Controllability of Higher Order Linear Delayed Discrete Systems

This article is concerned with relative controllability of higher order linear discrete delayed systems with a single delay. By a formula that uses special matrix functions (discrete delayed matrix sine and cosine) to compute the solution of the initial problem, a criterion is found for relative controllability. In terms of special matrix functions, a control function is constructed to solve the problem of relative controllability. It is shown that the transformation of a given system into a higher dimensional system without delays leads to a nonequivalent problem of relative controllability. The results are illustrated by an example.
A Survey on Illicit Drug Use among University Students by Binary Randomized Response Technique: Crosswise Design

This paper aims to introduce Randomized Response Techniques (RRT’s) and show that how RRT’s are implemented in surveys in which sensitive behaviors are investigated. For this purpose, the most popular designs of the Binary RRT are summarized and an experimental study is conducted on drug use among dormitory students at a public university in Ankara, Turkey. Despite the wide applicability of the drug use studies in Turkey, surprisingly any applications using indirect questioning techniques are not observed in the literature. In this study, for the first time, drug use behavior is investigated with Crosswise design which is the most frequently used indirect questioning technique and indirect questioning method (Crosswise design) is compared with direct questioning method to evaluate the effectiveness of the RRT. Results revealed that when Crosswise design is provided on asking sensitive questions, considerably minor response refusals are happened and significantly higher drug-use estimates are observed.
A network-based approach to elucidate determinants of platelet reactivity in aspirin-treated cardiovascular patients

High residual platelet reactivity (PR) in aspirin-treated cardiovascular patients (CV) is at risk for ischemic events. The determinants of this phenotype are unknown but suggested to be genetically determined. PR was assessed in 110 CV patients treated with aspirin 100mg/day. CV patients with extreme high or low PR were selected for ‘omic analysis, characterizing about 1000 platelet proteins and 6000 transcripts differentially expressed. A genome-wide association study of single nucleotide polymorphisms allowed mapping genetic variants between extreme patients. These datasets were integrated using a network biology approach. The total network was 2077 nodes and 722380 edges. We filtered it by selecting correlations observed at least twice among the different datasets. This resulted in a network with 99 nodes and 309 edges. Preliminary analysis showed a significant enrichment of genes involved in platelet activation, cytoskeleton and glucose metabolism. This may delineate new targets for the prevention of ischemic events in CV patients.
Temporal and dietary niche is context‐dependent in tropical ants

1. Niche traits (those that describe a species' niche) are not constant within a species, and the importance of intraspecific variation is increasingly appreciated. However, little is known about the extent of niche variability across species. This study investigated variation in dietary and temporal niches of ant species in two tropical rainforests.
From Equilibrium Liquid Crystal Formation and Kinetic Arrest to Photonic Bandgap Films Using Suspensions of Cellulose Nanocrystals

The lyotropic cholesteric liquid crystal phase developed by suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) has come increasingly into focus from numerous directions over the last few years. In part, this is because CNC suspensions are sustainably produced aqueous suspensions of a fully bio-derived nanomaterial with attractive properties. Equally important is the interesting and useful behavior exhibited by solid CNC films, created by drying a cholesteric-forming suspension. However, the pathway along which these films are realized, starting from a CNC suspension that may have low enough concentration to be fully isotropic, is more complex than often appreciated, leading to reproducibility problems and confusion. Addressing a broad audience of physicists, chemists, materials scientists and engineers, this Review focuses primarily on the physics and physical chemistry of CNC suspensions and the process of drying them. The ambition is to explain rather than to repeat, hence we spend more time than usual on the meanings and relevance of the key colloid and liquid crystal science concepts that must be mastered in order to understand the behavior of CNC suspensions, and we present some interesting analyses, arguments and data for the first time. We go through the development of cholesteric nuclei (tactoids) from the isotropic phase and their potential impact on the final dry films; the spontaneous CNC fractionation that takes place in the phase coexistence window; the kinetic arrest that sets in when the CNC mass fraction reaches ∼10 wt. %, preserving the cholesteric helical order until the film has dried; the ’coffee-ring effect’ active prior to kinetic arrest, often ruining the uniformity in the produced films; and the compression of the helix during the final water evaporation, giving rise to visible structural color in the films.
Dynamics of Large Scale Turbulence in Finite-Sized Wind Farm Canopy Using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition and a Novel Fourier-POD Framework

Large scale coherent structures in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) are known to contribute to the power generation in wind farms. In order to understand the dynamics of large scale structures, we perform proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis of a finite sized wind turbine array canopy in the current paper. The POD analysis sheds light on the dynamics of large scale coherent modes as well as on the scaling of the eigenspectra in the heterogeneous wind farm. We also propose adapting a novel Fourier-POD (FPOD) modal decomposition which performs POD analysis of spanwise Fourier-transformed velocity. The FPOD methodology helps us in decoupling the length scales in the spanwise and streamwise direction when studying the 3D energetic coherent modes. Additionally, the FPOD eigenspectra also provide deeper insights for understanding the scaling trends of the three-dimensional POD eigenspectra and its convergence, which is inherently tied to turbulent dynamics. Understanding the behaviour of large scale structures in wind farm flows would not only help better assess reduced order models (ROM) for forecasting the flow and power generation but would also play a vital role in improving the decision making abilities in wind farm optimization algorithms in future. Additionally, this study also provides guidance for better understanding of the POD analysis in the turbulence and wind farm community.
Gluten-Free: Where’s the Beef?

Abstract This research seeks to determine effects of rising interest in gluten-free foods on U.S. retail food demand and, ultimately, producer and consumer welfare. Increased gluten-free interest led to a modest reduction in cereals and bakery demand and increases in meat, alcoholic beverages, and food away from home demand. Combining estimated effects with an equilibrium displacement model suggests the reduction in cereal and bakery demand decreases wheat and barley producer profits by US$7.2 million/year. After accounting for positive demand impacts on other products, results indicate wheat and barley supply is redistributed away from food production into animal production, increasing wheat producer welfare.
When (and why) job self-efficacy does not promote career success: The roles of resilience and organizational prototypicality

Does job self-efficacy affect career success? In this article, we explore the idea that not only insufficient, but also excessive self-efficacy can impede success. We used multisource, time-lag data on managers working at a social-work organization to test our theoretical predictions. Our results show that job self-efficacy has a curvilinear relationship with resilient behavior, which in turn affects managers’ career success: self-efficacy increased resilience up to a point where it turned not significant. We also found an antidote for the negative consequences of low self-efficacy: when managers were perceived to embody the values and behaviors typical in their organization—i.e., high organizational prototypicality—low self-efficacy did not hamper their success. These findings suggest that low job self-efficacy is not invariably an obstacle to being successful in organizations. They also contravene the assumption that the more self-efficacy, the better; a supportive work environment might be just as important.
An Emerging Approach for Combination Therapy of Cancer: The Role of Immunogenic Cell Death

Cell death resistance is a key feature of tumor cells. One of the main anti-cancer therapies is increasing the susceptibility of cells to death. Cancer cells have developed a capability of tumor immune escape. Hence, restoring the immunogenicity of cancer cells can be suggested as an effective approach against cancer. Accumulating evidence proposes that several anticancer agents provoke the release of danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that are determinants of immunogenicity and stimulate immunogenic cell death (ICD). It has been suggested that ICD inducers are two different types according to their various activities. Here, we review the well-characterized DAMPs and focus on the different types of ICD inducers and recent combination therapies that can augment the immunogenicity of cancer cells. Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 13 March 2020 doi:10.20944/preprints202003.0228. v1 © 2020 by the author(s). Distributed under a Creative Commons CC BY license. Peer-reviewed version available at Cancers 2020, 12, 1047; doi:10.3390/cancers12041047
Mycotoxigenic potential of Fusarium species associated with pineapple diseases

Abstract Five species of Fusarium, F. proliferatum, F. fujikuroi, F. verticillioides, F. sacchari, and Fusarium sp. are associated with pineapple fruit rot and leaf spot diseases in Malaysia. Their ability to produce mycotoxins was analysed by the detection of the FUM1 gene as an indicator of fumonisin B1 (FB1) production and by quantification of FB1, moniliformin (MON), and beauvericin (BEA) using ultra performance liquid chromatography. All isolates of F. proliferatum, F. fujikuroi, and F. verticillioides showed the presence of FUM1 band and were able to produce FB1 in vitro. MON was produced by all isolates of Fusarium species, however, BEA was produced only by F. verticillioides isolates and some F. proliferatum, F. fujikuroi, and Fusarium sp. isolates. Production of FB1, MON, and BEA in vitro can be used to predict mycotoxigenic potential of the Fusarium spp. associated with pineapple diseases.
Stochastic fixed-time consensus problem of multi-agent systems with fixed and switching topologies

In this paper, the fixed-time stochastic consensus problem of multi-agent systems with fixed and switching topologies is investigated. To realise the fixed-time stochastic consensus, a class of continuous non-Lipschitz protocols are designed and the effectiveness is rigorously proved. Based on the stability theory of stochastic differential equations, sufficient conditions for consensus are established. Moreover, the upper bound of the settling time is given, the influence of the algebraic connectivity of the network topologies on the convergence time is also investigated. Finally, several simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results. The simulation results show that the convergence time depends mainly on the parameters of the finite-time control term, and suitable noise can enable individuals to reach the consensus more rapidly.
Monetary policy, financial development and the financing of zombie firms: evidence from China

Abstract This paper examines the financing channels for zombie firms in China. We find that equity markets and suppliers provide substantial financing support for zombie firms, while banks and other financing channels are less important. We also find that the amount of investment does not increase accordingly after zombie firms obtain external financing, which indicates an inefficient use of funds by these zombie firms. Our results are robust to various definitions of zombie firms, and also to a propensity score matching method.
Shrub effects on germinable soil seed bank in overgrazed rangelands

ABSTRACT Background Little information is available about the effects of different species of shrubs on the composition of the soil seed bank (SSB) and how the SSB could contribute to restoration of degraded grasslands. Aims We determined the role of three dominant shrubs on SSB characteristics and evaluated their potential for their possible use in rangeland restoration projects. Methods Ten sites, each containing three shrub species (Onobrychis cornuta, Berberis integerrima and Juniperus sabina) and a herbaceous patch (control) in close proximity, were sampled and their SSB density, richness and diversity were determined. Results Density of the SSB at 0–5 cm depth was lowest under J. sabina and highest under herbaceous vegetation, but did not differ between B. integerrima and O. cornuta. SSB density at 5–10 cm depth was significantly greater under B. integerrima than under the other shrubs or herbaceous patch. Species richness of the SSB was significantly greater under B. integerrima at 5–10 cm depth than under the other shrubs. Conclusion This study revealed that the extent to which vegetation affected SSB characteristics did not only depend on the presence of shrubs, but also on the species of shrub. We recommend B. integerrima as a priority species in restoration projects due to its significant positive influences on SSB.