Hypothesis:soluble Aβ oligomers in association with redox-active metal ions are the optimal generators of reactive oxygen species in Alzheimer's disease

Considerable evidence points to oxidative stress in the brain as an important event in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The transition metal ions of Cu, Fe, and Zn are all enriched in the amyloid cores of senile plaques in AD. Those of Cu and Fe are redox active and bind to Aβ in vitro. When bound, they can facilitate the reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide, and of the latter to the hydroxyl radical. This radical is very aggressive and can cause considerable oxidative damage. Recent research favours the involvement of small, soluble oligomers as the aggregating species responsible for Aβ neurotoxicity. We propose that the generation of reactive oxygen species (i.e., hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals) by these oligomers, in association with redox-active metal ions, is a key molecular mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of AD and some other neurodegenerative disorders

A Review of Concentration, Diversity or Entropy Metrics in Economics, Finance, Ecology and Communication Science

Many diversity, concentration and entropy metrics are analogous, sharing common origins in ecological science, engineering, mathematics, and communications theory. The difference in terminology depends upon the discipline in which the metrics are applied. The forthcoming article defines the concepts of concentration, diversity and entropy. The various indices used to measure these natural phenomena are examined and their origins identified. Selected examples of their application are reviewed. The aim is to provide a background to concentration metrics that have been applied in different fields of study, thus aiding the identification of topics where they might be used for future research

Don’t believe the Brexit prophecies of economic doom

First paragraph: The shock and horror at the Brexit vote has been loud and vociferous. Some seem to be revelling in the uncertainty that the referendum result has provoked. The pound falling in value, a downturn in markets – it lends credence to the establishment’s claims before the referendum that a Leave vote would lead to economic Armageddon. Access this article on The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/dont-believe-the-brexit-prophecies-of-economic-doom-6169

Benchmark Concentration: Capitalization Weights Versus Equal Weights in the FTSE 100 Index

Identifying a suitable benchmark is essential when testing asset pricing models, measuring the performance of active investors, or providing market proxy portfolios for passive investors. Concern that increased domination of capitalization weighted stock indices by a few large firms will lead to inefficient portfolio diversification is leading some investors and researchers to argue that index providers should adjust their weighting methods to limit concentration. This study tests and rejects the hypothesis that concentration arising as a result of capitalization weights in the FTSE 100 Index increases risk, either during normal market conditions or during negative tail events in the return distribution. On the contrary, during the left tail of the return distribution, the equally weighted portfolio of FTSE 100 Index constituents exhibits higher risk and lower returns than the capitalization weighted FTSE 100 Index portfolio, a finding consistent with variations of the CAPM that allow for time varying risk premia

Buying Versus Renting – Determinants of the Net Present Value of Home Ownership for Individual Households

The tenure decision upon whether to buy or to rent accommodation has long-term consequences for households' financial wellbeing that influence macroeconomic development and stability when the cumulative effects of individual decisions are aggregated across populations. The author explains how the net present value (NPV) of ownership versus renting can be used as a framework for informing housing tenure decisions. Increases in holding periods, inflation and the spread between imputed rent and the opportunity cost of household savings shifts the balance in favour of ownership. With plausible assumptions the model demonstrates that households typically need a holding period of between five and ten years to achieve a breakeven NPV. The findings support the conjecture that inflation transfers wealth from renters and mortgage providers to owners, whereas deflation reverses the flow until rising default levels establish a new equilibrium

Scottish community empowerment:reconfigured localism or an opportunity for change?

Community development and regeneration policy in Scotland employs aspirational language, depicting communities as the empowered drivers of economic and social change. It anticipates that willing, able and highly skilled community groups will come forward and assume responsibility for the delivery of local services. This narrative fails to account for the impacts of austerity, the complexities of empowerment (Skerratt and Steiner, 2013) or what will happen to communities who fail to be empowered. The article challenges the positive narrative employed in Scotland by highlighting issues that complicate the empowerment process. It concludes by suggesting ways in which a ‘Scottish Approach’ to policy making may help to create opportunities for empowerment policy in Scotland to better address the challenges, inequalities and complexities of empowerment

The relationship between concentration and realised volatility: an empirical investigation of the FTSE 100 Index January 1984 through March 2003

Few studies have examined the impact of portfolio concentration upon the realised volatility of stock index portfolios, such as the FTSE 100. Instead, previous research has focused upon diversification across industries, across geographic regions and across different firms. The present study addresses this imbalance by calculating the daily time series of four concentration metrics for the FTSE 100 Index over the period from January 1984 through March 2003. In addition, the value weighted variance covariance matrix (VCM) of daily FTSE 100 Index constituent returns is decomposed into four sub-components: two from the diagonal elements and two from the off-diagonal elements of the VCM. These consist of the average variance of constituent returns, represented by the sum of diagonal elements in the VCM, and the average covariance represented by the sum of off-diagonal elements in the VCM. The value weighted average variance (VAV) and covariance (VAC) are each subdivided into the equally weighted average variance (EAV) the equally weighted average covariance (EAC) and incremental components that represent the difference between the respective value-weighted and equally weighted averages. These are referred to as the incremental average variance (IAV) and the incremental average covariance (IAC) respectively. The incremental average variance and the incremental average covariance are then combined, additively, to produce the incremental realised variance (IRV) of the FTSE 100 Index. The incremental average covariance and the incremental realised variance are found to be negative during the 1987 crash and the 1992 ERM crisis. They are also negative for a substantial part of the study period, even when concentration was at its highest level. Hence the findings of the study are consistent with the notion that the value weighted, and hence concentrated, FTSE 100 Index portfolio is generally less risky than a hypothetical equally weighted portfolio of FTSE 100 Index constituents. Furthermore, increases in concentration tend to precede decreases in incremental realised volatility and increases in the equally weighted components of the realised VCM. The results have important implications for portfolio managers concerned with the effect of changing portfolio weights upon portfolio volatility. They are also relevant to passive investors concerned about the effects of increased concentration upon their benchmark indices, and to providers of stock market indices

How renting can fix the UK’s broken housing market

First paragraph: How to fix the UK’s housing crisis has been the subject of national debate for decades. Universal home ownership is a popular goal, which successive governments have failed to achieve. This is largely because they have been faced with the paradox of increasing the supply of affordable housing while not encouraging house prices to fall, as this is widely regarded as political suicide

Five ways coronavirus lockdowns increase inequality

First paragraph: There are still many things we do not yet know about coronavirus, including the mortality rate. We also do not know the ultimate economic effect of measures that governments across the world have implemented to slow the spread of the virus. Nonetheless, it’s safe to say that social distancing will increase social inequality.https://theconversation.com/five-ways-coronavirus-lockdowns-increase-inequality-13576

Convicted UBS trader Kweku Adoboli faces deportation – here’s why it’s a huge mistake

First paragraph: Former UBS trader, Kweku Adoboli was convicted in 2012 for his role in a US$2.3 billion bank fraud. He was released from prison in June 2015, having served four years of a seven-year sentence, but now faces deportation to his native Ghana, despite not living there since the age of four.https://theconversation.com/convicted-ubs-trader-kweku-adoboli-faces-deportation-heres-why-its-a-huge-mistake-10205