Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epicardial Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation for Which Patients? Diagnostic Electrophysiology and Ablation

With the widespread use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, an increasing number of patients present with ventricular tachycardia (VT). Large multicentre studies have shown that ablation of VT successfully reduces recurrent VT and this procedure is being performed by an increasing number of centres. However, for a number of reasons, many patients experience VT recurrence after ablation. One important reason for VT recurrence is the presence of an epicardial substrate involved in the VT circuit which is not affected by endocardial ablation. Epicardial access and ablation is now frequently performed either after failed endocardial VT ablation or as first-line treatment in selected patients. This review will focus on the available evidence for identifying VT of epicardial origin, and discuss in which patients an epicardial approach would be benefitial. In patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy and normal endocardial bipolar voltage maps but epicardial bipolar voltage abnormality, confluent regions of endocardial unipolar low-voltage areas (cut-off <8.27 mV) were observed in 82 % of patients, directly corresponding with areas of epicardial bipolar low voltage (61 % overlap). 17 Control patients with structurally normal hearts and no epicardial bipolar voltage abnormality had no endocardial unipolar low voltage areas. Therefore, unipolar endocardial voltage maps can provide valuable information about the presumed extent of epicardial substrate, but so far this has only been studied in patients with ARVC/D and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy. located next to a valve annulus. 30–33 The scar area may be larger in the epicardium than the endocardium or limited entirely to the epicardium in some patients. Contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy shows mid-wall fibrosis in up to one third of cases, different to the subendocardial/transmural pattern found in ischaemic cardiomyopathy. 34,35 The presence of mid-myocardial fibrosis has been found to be predictive of an arrhythmic event. 34 Intracardiac echocardiography can identify increased echogenicity in the lateral wall of the left ventricle (LV) of some patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. 36 This increased echogenicity was found to correspond to abnormal epicardial substrate and therefore may guide an epicardial approach. As discussed above, the extent of the epicardial substrate in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy can also be estimated with endocardial unipolar voltage mapping. 17 Combined endo- and epicardial ablation in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and VT results in high rates of arrhythmia-free outcomes. 30,31,33 However, the patient populations in these studies are highly selected as most had failed previous endocardial VT ablation, favouring the presence of an epicardial circuit. Results, therefore, cannot be generalised to all patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and VT, although epicardial ablation should be considered in patients with failed endocardial ablation.
Contactless experiments on individual DNA molecules show no evidence for molecular wire behavior

A fundamental requirement for a molecule to be considered a molecular wire (MW) is the ability to transport electrical charge with a reasonably low resistance. We have carried out two experiments that measure first, the charge transfer from an electrode to the molecule, and second, the dielectric response of the MW. The latter experiment requires no contacts to either end of the molecule. From our experiments we conclude that adsorbed individual DNA molecules have a resistivity similar to mica, glass, and silicon oxide substrates. Therefore adsorbed DNA is not a conductor, and it should not be considered as a viable candidate for MW applications. Parallel studies on other nanowires, including single-walled carbon nanotubes, showed conductivity as expected.
Issues in Pension Economics

In the past several decades, pension plans have become one of the most significant institutional influences on labor and financial markets in the U.S. In an effort to understand the economic effects of this growth, the National Bureau of Economic Research embarked on a major research project in 1980. Issues in Pension Economics , the third in a series of four projected volumes to result from thsi study, covers a broad range of pension issues and utilizes new and richer data sources than have been previously available. The papers in this volume cover such issues as the interaction of pension-funding decisions and corporate finances; the role of pensions in providing adequate and secure retirement income, including the integration of pension plans with social security and significant drops in the U.S. saving rate; and the incentive effects of pension plans on labor market behavior and the implications of plans on labor market behavior and the implications of plans for different demographic groups. Issues in Pension Economics offers important empirical studies and makes valuable theoretical contributions to current thinking in an area that will most likely continue to be a source of controversy and debate for some time to come. The volume should prove useful to academics and policymakers, as well as to members of the business and labor communities.
Prognostic significance of oestrogen receptor beta in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND Endocrine therapy for breast cancer is now well established and with the identification of a second oestrogen receptor, ERbeta, 3 years ago it is timely to review the possible significance of this receptor in breast cancer management. METHODS An up-to-date review of the current literature concerning the role and possible implications of ERbeta in human breast cancer was undertaken. RESULTS Wild-type and variant ERbeta are expressed in human breast tumours. Expression of ERbeta correlates with accepted prognostic indicators including lymph node status and tumour grade. Furthermore, levels of ERbeta messenger RNA alter during carcinogenesis and are upregulated in breast tumours that develop antioestrogen resistance. CONCLUSION ERbeta has potential as a novel clinical prognostic marker in breast cancer, particularly in determining tumours that are resistant to tamoxifen.
Truncation of Markov Chains with Applications to Queueing

State-space truncation is frequently demanded for computation of large or infinite Markov chains. Conditions are given that guarantee an error bound or rate of convergence. Roughly, these conditions apply either when probabilities of large states are sufficiently small, or when transition probabilities (rates) for state increases become small in sufficiently large states. The verification of these conditions is based on establishing bounds for bias terms of reward structures. The conditions and their verification are illustrated by two nonproduct form queueing examples: an overflow model and a tandem queue with blocking. A concrete truncation and explicit error bound are obtained. Some numerical support is provided.
Mammaglobin Expression in the Female Genital Tract: Immunohistochemical Analysis in Benign and Neoplastic Endocervix and Endometrium

Mammaglobin (MGB), a secretory protein belonging to the uteroglobin/Clara cell protein family, is a sensitive marker for breast carcinoma, but is also reported to be expressed in the female genital tract and its neoplasms. Details of MGB expression pattern and its pathologic significance in the female genital tract have not been systematically studied. To investigate the potential use of MGB in gynecologic pathology practice, we tested MGB expression by immunohistochemistry on 47 endocervical adenocarcinomas (whole tissue sections of 13 invasive and 35 in situ) and 55 endometrial carcinomas (39 endometrioid and 16 nonendometrioid represented on a single tissue microarray). Nonneoplastic endocervical and endometrial tissues were also evaluated for MGB expression. MGB expression was detected in thirty (77%) of 39 of endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinomas compared with 4 (31%) of 13 endocervical adenocarcinomas. MGB was mostly negative in nonendometrioid endometrial carcinoma (negative in 14 [88%] of 16). Endocervical adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) showed either weak (predominantly) or moderate (occasionally) expression in about 40% of the cases in comparison with strong positivity in benign endocervical glandular epithelium. Reduction of MGB staining was seen in transition from benign epithelium to AIS. These results confirm that MGB is not specific for breast carcinoma, but is also variably expressed in nonneoplastic and neoplastic endocervical and endometrial tissues. Frequent MGB expression in endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma is significantly different from nonendometrioid carcinoma. Hormone receptor status is not associated with MGB expression in endometrial carcinomas. Most endocervical adenocarcinomas are negative for MGB, in contrast to mostly positive endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinomas, however, MGB expression alone is not specific enough to distinguish these 2 tumor types. MGB expression is altered in neoplastic endocervical epithelium compared with normal, and may indicate its decreased expression in the process of early carcinogenesis. MGB may be a promising new adjunctive marker in gynecologic pathology.
The Impact of Financial Intermediation on Economic Growth: The Nigerian Perspective

The Paper examines the empirical relationship between the level of development by financial intermediaries and economic growth in Nigeria. I trace the origin of trade from the primitive barter system to its evolution through money to the dominant economic system of capitalism and the role of financial intermediation in such a system. I use data of aggregate deposit money bank credit over time and Nigerias corresponding GDP to establish that a moderate positive relationship exist between these variables in Nigeria to backup the various literatures on this topic. I conclude by advising of the potentials and the need to develop institutions engaged in financial intermediation in Nigeria and her factors of production which is in line the present Goverment economic agend via NEEDS.
Balancing Classifier Fairness with Public Safety in Traffic Stops CS 229 Final Project

The issue of algorithmic fairness has recently come to the forefront of machine learning, as classifiers increasingly propose decision rules in applications ranging from loan approval, criminal risk estimation, and job application review. In particular, the authors in (Dwork et al., 2011) and (Zemel et al., 2013) explore how different social expectations for group and individual fairness manifest as constraints on learned decision rules, and how such formulations suggest an inevitable accuracy/fairness trade-off in classification.
U.S. Monetary Shocks and Global Stock Prices

This paper studies how US monetary policy affects global stock prices. We find that global stock prices respond strongly to changes in US interest rates, with stock prices increasing (decreasing) following unexpected monetary loosening (tightening). This impact is more pronounced for sectors that depend on external financing, and for countries whose domestic monetary policy is more aligned with that of the United States. Using investment data, we present results consistent with this effect operating primarily through changes in risk premiums as opposed to changes in expected returns. These findings suggest that US monetary shocks affect firms’ stock prices by influencing local interest rates, and offer new evidence that financial frictions play an important role in the transmission of monetary policy to the real economy.
Household Investment - The Horizon Effect

Individuals tend to simplify a complex portfolio decision problem into several manageable dimensions, each of which can frame their perception of risk.We check this view by studying the effect of investment horizons on households’ portfolio decisions. Using the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) data, we find that households allocate more of their wealth in stocks if they report longer planning horizons. The existence of foreseeable expenditure significantly changes the dependence of risky stock investment on the planning horizon.We decompose the reported planning horizon into an objective part and a subjective mental accounting part, and find that the mental accounting part has a greater effect on household portfolio choice. This is consistent with the argument that individuals make investment decisions based on the horizon at which the risk is perceived rather than the horizon at which the investment reward or cash is needed.
Evaluation of the revised Sense of Coherence scale in a sample of older adults: A means to assess resilience aspects

ABSTRACT Objectives: The present study evaluated the revised Sense of Coherence (SOC-R) scale in a sample of older adults, using an extended range of psychological concepts. It further examined the psychometric properties of the revised scale and tested the theoretical assumptions underpinning the SOC-R concept. Method: The SOC-R scale was evaluated in 268 Swiss older adults (mean age = 66.9 years), including n = 15 heavily traumatized former indentured child labourers. Standardised questionnaires collected information on positive and negative life experiences, resources, current health, and well-being. Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated good model fit for a second-order three-factor model of SOC-R with the factors manageability, balance, and reflection. Satisfactory convergent and discriminant correlations were shown with related psychological concepts, including neuroticism (r = −.32, p < .01), optimism (r = .31, p < .01), and general self-efficacy (r = .49, p < .01). SOC-R was not observed to differ by age group. Moderation analyses indicated that SOC-R moderated the relationship between certain early-life adversities and mental health. Conclusion: The study provides support for the psychometric properties and theoretical assumptions of SOC-R and suggests that SOC-R is a valid and reliable measure suitable for use with older adults. Future studies should employ longitudinal designs to examine the stability of SOC-R.
Corporate social responsibility and corporate performance: the case of Italian SMEs

Purpose – The research has the following objectives: to contribute to a clear understanding of the present social commitment of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), analyzing the characteristics of CSR in them; making it easier to identify, develop and spread the instruments suitable to the SME specific demands in the creation of social value.Design/methodology/approach – Surveys a set of SMEs, belonging to different industrial fields and operating on the Italian territory in the region Emilia Romagna.Findings – On the basis of the analysis carried out in the paper, it has been possible to identify the principal managerial instruments used by the companies for the creation of social value and to identify those companies (approximately 63 percent of the reference sample) that adopt an integrated social responsibility approach. The majority of SMEs analysed have therefore perceived the social responsibility concept and welcome it, not only because they have moral or ethical reasons for doing so, but a.
A repeat sales index robust to small datasets

As suggested by D. Geltner, commercial properties indices have to be built using repeat sales instead of hedonic indices. The repeat sales method is a means of constructing real estate price indices based on a repeated observation of property transactions. These indices may be used as benchmarks for real estate portfolio managers. But the investors in general are also interested in introducing real estate performance in their portfolio to enhance the efficient frontier. Thus, expected return and volatility are the two key parameters. To create and to improve contracts on real estate indices, trend and volatility of these indices must be robust regarding to the periodicity of the index and the volume of transactions. This paper aims to test the robustness of the trend and volatility estimations for two indices: the classical Weighted Repeat Sales (Case & Shiller 1987) and a PCA factorial index (Baroni, Barthelemy and Mokrane 2007). The estimations are computed from a dataset of Paris commercial properties. The main findings are the trend and volatility estimates are biased for the WRS index and not for the PCA factorial index when the periodicity increases. Consequently, the level of the index at the end of the computing period is significantly different for various periodicities in the case of the WRS index. Globally, the PCA factorial seems to be more robust to the number of transactions. Firstly, we present the two methodologies and then the dataset. Finally we test the impact of the number of transactions per period on the trend and volatility estimates for each index and we give an interpretation of the results.
Discussion of Analyst Following and Institutional Ownership

Beginning with Beaver [1968] and Ball and Brown [1968], researchers have commented on the notion that firms differ in how much information is available to their investors. Firm size was first conjectured and later shown in several studies to be correlated with the availability of predisclosure information.1 O'Brien and Bhushan extend this literature by examining whether changes in firm size cause changes in the number of analysts following a firm, or whether the association between analyst following and firm size is due to the correlation between firm size and other variables. They do so by simultaneously modeling analysts' decisions concerning which firms to follow and institutions' decisions concerning which firms to hold in their portfolios. In her presentation, O'Brien emphasized that they are not testing an equilibrium model of analysts' and institutions' behavior, but rather conducting an exploratory investigation into the endogenous and exogenous factors influencing how much information is available about a firm. The conference discussion focused primarily on two areas: the incentives of analysts and institutions, and the empirical procedures and results of the paper. My discussion is structured around these two areas as well.
Crail: A High-Performance I/O Architecture for Distributed Data Processing

Effectively leveraging fast networking and storage hardware for distributed data processing remains challenging. Often the hardware integration takes place too low in the stack, and as a result performance advantages are overshadowed by higher layer software overheads. Moreover, new opportunities for fundamental architectural changes within the data processing layer are not being explored. Crail is a user-level I/O architecture for the Apache data processing ecosystem, designed from the ground up for high-performance networking and storage hardware. With Crail, hardware performance advantages become visible at the application level and translate into workload runtime improvements. In this paper, we discuss the basic concepts of Crail and show how Crail impacts workloads in Spark, like sorting or SQL.
DETEKSI DINI KRISIS PERBANKAN INDONESIA: IDENTIFIKASI VARIABEL MAKRO DENGAN MODEL LOGIT

Indonesia suffered from banking crisis for several times. It was the effect of the worst crisis occurredin 1997. Actually, Bath Thailand which plunged into 27,8% at the third quarter of the year 1997 was thebeginning problem that caused Asia currency crisis. This study analyzes the influence of macro indicatoras an early warning system by using logit econometrics model for predicting the possibilities of bankingcrisis that may occur in Indonesia. Kewords : Banking Crisis, macro economic indicator, EWS-logit model
Influence of COO on product evaluation of mobile phones by Indian consumers: an empirical study

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to attempt to address the effect of country of origin (COO) from three different dimensions, namely, country image (CI) effect, COO image effect and awareness level about the COO of the brand and its resultant effect on product evaluation (PrEva). Further, the brand awareness, level of involvement and the COO interaction effect on consumer PrEva has also been studied to indicate the intensity of COO impact. Due to rapid globalization and reduction in trade barriers, major emerging economics from Asia witnessed entry of cross-border brands into their markets. India, as an emerging economy, has also followed the trend. In this backdrop, the present study is proposed for a better understanding of the effect of COO on PrEva. Design/methodology/approach – The study has been conducted in India, and the mobile phone market has been taken as the hub of the study because of the presence of maximum cross-border companies in India. The study is built on existing literature on i.
The Entrepreneurship Process in Base of the Pyramid Markets: The Case of Multinational Enterprise/Nongovernment Organization Alliances

Although base of the pyramid markets are significant sources of entrepreneurial opportunities, the nature of entrepreneurship in these markets is not well understood. Additionally, these markets remain largely underserved by multinational enterprises (MNEs). Given theoretical and practical gaps associated with these issues, we integrate entrepreneurship, institutional, and network theories to discuss how the entrepreneurship process of MNEs is negatively affected in base of the pyramid markets. We then explain how partnerships with nongovernment organizations (NGOs) can offset such negative effects due to NGOs‘ high degree of localized knowledge, social embeddedness within multiple informal networks, and ambidexterity in dealing with diverse stakeholder groups. Both economic and social benefits can result from such partnerships.
Risk factors for epithelial borderline ovarian tumors: results of a Swedish case-control study.

OBJECTIVE Borderline ovarian tumors have a favorable prognosis. Previous epidemiological studies indicate common risk factors for invasive epithelial ovarian cancers and borderline tumors, but it remains unresolved whether these tumors are precursors of invasive cancers or a separate disease entity. The objective of this population-based case-control study conducted in 1993-1995 was to examine reproductive and other factors in relation to the risk of borderline ovarian tumors. METHODS Subjects were 193 histologically verified incident epithelial borderline tumor cases and 3899 randomly selected controls aged 50-74 years, whose data were collected through mailed questionnaires. Risk estimates were calculated by unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS Ever parous women were at reduced risk, with odds ratios of 0.44 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.26-0.75) for serous and 0.63 (95% CI 0.34-1.19) for mucinous tumors. No clear trends emerged for age at first birth, at menarche, and at menopause. Lactation reduced tumor risk. Oral contraceptive ever use conferred no protection, with odds ratios of 1.40 (95% CI 0.87-2.26) for serous and 1.04 (95% CI 0.61-1.79) for mucinous tumors. The odds ratio for serous tumors following unopposed estrogen ever use was 2.07 (95% CI 1.08-3.95), whereas no risk increase appeared with estrogens supplemented by cyclic or continuous progestins. Mucinous tumors were not associated with hormone replacement therapy. The odds ratio for serous tumors in the highest category of body mass index was 6.47 (95% CI 3.09-13.5). CONCLUSIONS Increasing parity and lactation reduce the risk of borderline ovarian tumors in women aged 50-74, while no protection follows oral contraceptive use. Hormonal situations such as unopposed estrogen use and obesity, where estrogens are not counteracted by progestins, may increase the risk of serous tumors.