Investors in Housing Market Search

We add specialist investors–agents who attempt to profit from buying low and selling high–to a canonical housing market search model. These agents facilitate the turnover of mismatched houses on behalf of end-users and they may survive even if they face an arbitrarily large cost of financing vis-a-vis ordinary households. Multiple equilibrium may exist. In one equilibrium, the participation of investors is extensive, resulting in rapid turnover, a high vacancy rate, and high housing prices. In another equilibrium, few houses are bought and sold by investors. Turnover is sluggish, few houses are vacant, and prices are moderate. A decline in the rate at which investors finance investment, can rather paradoxically, lower investors participation and housing prices in equilibrium.postprin

Estimated Timing of the Last Common Ancestor of the SARS Coronavirus [8]

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香港老年痴呆症患者照顾服务的资源分配及问题分析

Author name used in this publication: 赖锦玉Title in Traditional Chinese: 香港老年癡呆癥患者照顧服務的資源分配及問題分析Journal title in Traditional Chinese: 中華護理雜誌Author name used in this publication: 梁健菱2010-2011 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Flipping in the Housing Market

We add arbitraging middlemen -- investors who attempt to profit from buying low and selling high -- to a canonical housing market search model. Flipping tends to take place in sluggish and tight, but not in moderate, markets. To follow is the possibility of multiple equilibria.\ In one equilibrium, most, if not all, transactions are intermediated, resulting in rapid turnover, a high vacancy rate, and high housing prices. In another equilibrium, few houses are bought and sold by middlemen. Turnover is slow, few houses are vacant, and prices are moderate. Moreover, flippers can enter and exit en masse in response to the smallest interest rate shock. The housing market can then be intrinsically unstable even when all flippers are akin to the arbitraging middlemen in classical finance theory. In speeding up turnover, the flipping that takes place in a sluggish and illiquid market tends to be socially beneficial. The flipping that takes place in a tight and liquid market can be wasteful as the efficiency gain from any faster turnover is unlikely to be large enough to offset the loss from more houses being left vacant in the hands of flippers

Clinical utility of the Chinese Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-Symptoms and Normal-behaviors questionnaire (SWAN) when compared with DISC-IV

Grace Fong-Chun Chan,1 Kelly Yee-Ching Lai,2 Ernest Siu-Luen Luk,3 Se-Fong Hung,2 Patrick Wing-Leung Leung4 1Department of Psychiatry, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, 2Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 3Private practice, 4Clinical and Health Psychology Centre, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common and impairing child and adolescent psychiatric disorder. Early identification and prompt treatment are essential. Rating scales are commonly used by clinicians and researchers to assess ADHD children. Objective: In the current study, we aimed to examine the clinical utility of the Chinese version of the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behaviors (SWAN) questionnaire. We validated its subscale scores against the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (DISC-IV) and looked into its ability to identify ADHD in a psychiatric clinic setting. We also tested age and gender effects on SWAN scores. Specific subscale cutoff scores of SWAN were subsequently determined.Method: A total of 290 children aged 6–12 years old studying in local mainstream primary schools were recruited from a clinic setting and interviewed with the parent version of DISC-IV. Their parents and teachers completed the corresponding version of SWAN.Results: Both parent and teacher versions of SWAN were found to have good concurrent validity with DISC-IV. It could identify ADHD well in a clinic sample. Gender-specific cutoff scores were determined. Sensitivities and specificities were found to be satisfactory. SWAN was also found to perform equally well in identifying ADHD in those with and without comorbid Autistic Spectrum Disorder.Conclusion: SWAN was proven to be a useful tool to aid the assessment of ADHD in a clinic sample. Keywords: ADHD, SWAN, DISC-IV, validit

澳门地区老年痴呆症患者照护服务的资源分配及政策分析

Author name used in this publication: 岑慧莹Author name used in this publication: 杨明理Author name used in this publication: 蔡绮霞Author name used in this publication: 李卫燕Author name used in this publication: 赖锦玉Title in Traditional Chinese: 澳門地區老年癡呆癥患者照護服務的資源分配及政策分析Journal title in Traditional Chinese: 中華護理雜誌Author name used in this publication: 梁健菱2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Phylogenetic perspectives on the epidemiology and origins of SARS and SARS-like coronaviruses

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory disease caused by a zoonotic coronavirus (CoV) named SARS-CoV (SCoV), which rapidly swept the globe after its emergence in rural China during late 2002. The origins of SCoV have been mysterious and controversial, until the recent discovery of SARS-like CoV (SLCoV) in bats and the proposal of bats as the natural reservior of the Coronaviridae family. In this article, we focused on discussing how phylogenetics contributed to our understanding towards the emergence and transmission of SCoV. We first reviewed the epidemiology of SCoV from a phylogenetic perspective and discussed the controversies over its phylogenetic origins. Then, we summarized the phylogenetic findings in relation to its zoonotic origins and the proposed inter-species viral transmission events. Finally, we also discussed how the discoveries of SCoV and SLCoV expanded our knowledge on the evolution of the Coronaviridae family as well as its implications on the possible future re-emergence of SCoV. © 2009.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Transcriptional profiling of Vero E6 cells over-expressing SARS-CoV S2 subunit: Insights on viral regulation of apoptosis and proliferation

We have previously demonstrated that over-expression of spike protein (S) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) or its C-terminal subunit (S2) is sufficient to induce apoptosis in vitro. To further investigate the possible roles of S2 in SARS-CoV-induced apoptosis and pathogenesis of SARS, we characterized the host expression profiles induced upon S2 over-expression in Vero E6 cells by oligonucleotide microarray analysis. Possible activation of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in S2 expressing cells was suggested, as evidenced by the up-regulation of cytochrome c and down-regulation of the Bcl-2 family anti-apoptotic members. Inhibition of Bcl-2-related anti-apoptotic pathway was further supported by the diminution of S2-induced apoptosis in Vero E6 cells over-expressing Bcl-xL. In addition, modulation of CCN E2 and CDKN 1A implied the possible control of cell cycle arrest at G1/S phase. This study is expected to extend our understanding on the pathogenesis of SARS at a molecular level. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Characterization of humoral responses in mice immunized with plasmid DNAs encoding SARS-CoV spike gene fragments

The immunological characteristics of SARS-CoV spike protein were investigated by administering mice with plasmids encoding various S gene fragments. We showed that the secreting forms of S1, S2 subunits and the N-terminus of S1 subunit (residues 18-495) were capable of eliciting SARS-CoV specific antibodies and the region immediate to N-terminus of matured S1 protein contained an important immunogenic determinant for elicitation of SARS-CoV specific antibodies. In addition, mice immunized with plasmids encoding S1 fragment developed a Th1-mediated antibody isotype switching. Another interesting finding was that mouse antibodies elicited separately by plasmids encoding S1 and S2 subunits cooperatively neutralized SARS-CoV but neither the S1 nor S2 specific antibodies did, suggesting the possible role of both S1 and S2 subunits in host cell docking and entry. These results provide insights into understanding the immunological characteristics of spike protein and the development of subunit vaccines against SARS-CoV. © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex