A socioeconomic approach to the profile of microcredit holders from the Hispanic minority in the USA.

The subject of this study is the microcredit market in the USA, more specifically in Florida. The justification for choosing this specific state is the massive presence of the Hispanic population. This will facilitate a generalization of the obtained results to the microcredit market in Latin American countries. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the profile of microcredit holders and their companies from socioeconomic and financial points of view. As our data also consider the degree of repayment of the microloans included in the sample, the clients' profile is related to the punctuality or default of their corresponding loan repayments using the methodology of multinomial logit regression. The variables used in this study refer to personal information concerning borrowers (gender, age, education level, and marital status), the economic situation of their respective companies (closeness to the lender, number of workers, and revenues), and the characteristics of granted loans (principal, term, and purpose). However, the results of the regression show that only two variables are significant at the 5% significance level: the borrower's age, which has a positive effect on repayment punctuality, and the loan term, which exhibits a negative effect. The findings of this study have clear implications, as they can help lenders design suitable microloans adjusted to customer profiles. Finally, future research should include other demographics and characteristics of affected companies.

Connectivity adaptations in dopaminergic systems define the brain maturity of investors.

Investment decisions rely on perceptions from external stimuli along with the integration of inner brain-body signals, all of which are shaped by experience. As experience is capable of molding both the structure and function of the human brain, we have used a novel neuroimaging connectomic-genetic approach to investigate the influence of investment work experience on brain anatomy. We found that senior investors display higher gray matter volume and increased structural brain connectivity in dopamine-related pathways, as well as a set of genes functionally associated with adrenaline and noradrenaline biosynthesis (SLC6A3, TH and SLC18A2), which is seemingly involved in reward processing and bodily stress responses during financial trading. These results suggest the key role of catecholamines in the way senior investors harness their emotions while raising bodily awareness as they grow in investment maturity.

An ALE Meta-Analysis on Investment Decision-Making.

It is claimed that investment decision-making should rely on rational analyses based on facts and not emotions. However, trying to make money out of market forecasts can trigger all types of emotional responses. As the question on how investors decide remains controversial, we carried out an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that have reported whole-brain analyses on subjects performing an investment task. We identified the ventral striatum, anterior insula, amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex as being involved in this decision-making process. These regions are limbic-related structures which respond to reward, risk and emotional conflict. Our findings support the notion that investment choices are emotional decisions that take into account market information, individual preferences and beliefs.

Acute Effects of Global Postural Re-Education on Non-Specific Low Back Pain. Does Time-of-Day Play a Role?

Low back pain is one the most common forms of musculoskeletal disorders. Thus, several physiotherapeutic strategies (e.g., global postural re-education therapy) have been used for reducing low back pain. The aim of this study was to determinate if acute application of global postural re-education session associated effects are influenced by the time-of-day when this physical therapy is applied. Eight participants in a randomized, counterbalanced order were acutely tested both before and 24 h after a global postural re-education therapy session (10 min session) in three different time-of-day points; morning (i.e., AM; 7:00-9:00 h), midday (i.e., AM; 12:00-14:00 h) and afternoon (i.e., PM; 18:00-20:00 h). In each session, low back pain Visual Analogue Pain Scale [VAS]), flexibility, function capacity (Roland Morris Questionnaire [RMQ], and physical functioning Oswestry Disability Index [ODI]) were recorded. Results showed a pain reduction (VAS Scale) 24 h post Global postural re-education [GPR] session (p = 0.001) and increasing of flexibility pre-post GPR session in all the time-of-day points (morning, midday, and afternoon) (p = 0.001) while no differences were reported in RMQ (p = 0.969) and ODI (p = 0.767). Thus, acute GPR session produces the same effects on flexibility, low back pain, function capacity, and physical functioning values independently of time-of-day when it is applied.