In this study, we apply an interactive agent‐based model to investigate fundamentalists and positive-feedback traders behaviours in cryptocurrency markets. Our results suggested that fundamentalists pushed up cryptocurrency prices in some past periods. In addition, the cryptocurrency markets are unstable and agitated.

Children residing near petrochemical complexes are vulnerable to chemical exposure and pose risks to pediatric health. This study investigated the associations between urinary metabolites of hazardous compounds and renal function, in 312 individuals aged 6.1-12.5 years from the Taiwan Petrochemical Complex Cohort for Children. We used ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry to evaluate metabolites of 1,3- butadiene (1,3-BD; e.g., trihydroxybutyl mercapturic acid [THBMA] and dihydroxy-butyl-mercapturic acid [DHBMA]) and toluene (e.g., benzylmercapturic acid-2 [BMA-2]). Following the analysis of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR_Schwartz), magnetic microsphere technology was used to measure neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and cystatin C (Cys C). The median THBMA and BMA-2 levels were 5.70 and 5.20 ng/mL, respectively. Higher toluene metabolite levels were unexpectedly observed in children attending the more distant schools, likely reflecting local emission sources may play certain role. Children attending schools near petrochemical complexes had higher median urinary NGAL (13.7 vs. 8.94 ng/mL, p < 0.001) and Cys C levels (3.36 vs. 1.88 ng/mL, p = 0.003) than did those attending more distant schools. BUN was significantly and positively associated with THBMA (β = 0.019, p = 0.017) and BMA-2 (above the 75th percentile; β = 0.088, p = 0.022), involving an approximately 3.1-fold increased risk of abnormal uric acid levels in urine samples (p = 0.029). DHBMA levels above the 75th percentile were significantly and positively associated with the creatinine clearance rate (β = 0.029, p = 0.015) and eGFR_Schwartz (β = 0.060, p = 0.020) showing observed approximately 2.4-fold increased risk of glomerular hyperfiltration. This study provides the first evidence of exposure to 1,3-BD and toluene among children, suggesting that persistent hyperfiltration may associated with accelerated nephron loss with later renal function decline and ambient hazardous volatile compounds surrounding petrochemical complexes could alter kidney function in school-aged children.

In this paper, we implement a stochastic deflator with five economic and financial risk factors: interest rates, market price of risk, stock prices, default intensities, and convenience yields. We examine the deflator with different financial assets, such as stocks, zero-coupon bonds, vanilla options, and corporate coupon bonds. We find required regularity conditions to implement our stochastic deflator. Our numerical results show the reliability of the deflator approach in pricing financial derivatives.

This study employs an interactive agent-based model to investigate the divergent price dynamics between cryptocurrencies (represented by Bitcoin) and traditional safe-haven assets (exemplified by gold). Our findings reveal that market structure heterogeneity and investor behavior jointly explain the instability of cryptocurrency markets: fundamentalists suppress speculative bubbles in gold markets but amplify volatility in cryptocurrency ecosystems due to asymmetric feedback mechanisms. Cryptocurrencies exhibit self-reinforcing agitation driven by high leverage and social media contagion, whereas gold's physical anchoring and institutional participation stabilize price discovery. These results challenge the narrative of Bitcoin as "digital gold" and highlight the critical role of asset tangibility in market resilience.