Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of multivessel disease on reperfusion success and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction.

AIMS We sought to investigate the impact of multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD) on reperfusion success and prognosis following primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The influence of multivessel disease on myocardial reperfusion and subsequent survival after primary PCI has not been studied. METHODS AND RESULTS In the CADILLAC trial, primary PCI was performed in 2082 patients of any age with AMI within 12 h of symptom onset. Myocardial perfusion post-PCI assessed by ST-segment recovery and myocardial blush and clinical outcomes were stratified by the extent of CAD. Single-, double-, and triple-vessel disease were present in 1066 (51.2%), 692 (33.2%), and 324 (15.6%) patients, respectively. Patients with multivessel disease compared with those with single-vessel disease undergoing primary PCI were significantly more likely to have absent ST-segment recovery (13.3 vs. 7.4%, P = 0.01), though the rates of post-procedural TIMI-3 flow (89.7 vs. 88.9%, P = 0.66) and grade 2 or 3 myocardial blush (51.2 vs. 51.5%, P = 0.91) in the infarct vessel were comparable. By 1 year, the cumulative incidence of death for patients with single-, double-, and triple-vessel disease was 3.2, 4.4, and 7.8%, respectively (P = 0.003), and the composite rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was 14.8, 19.5, and 23.6%, respectively (P = 0.0006). By multivariable analysis, the presence of triple-vessel disease was the strongest predictor of 1-year death [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.60, P = 0.009], death and re-infarction (HR = 1.88, P = 0.03), and MACE (HR = 1.80, P = 0.0009). CONCLUSION Patients with extensive CAD in vessels remote from the infarct-related artery have reduced reperfusion success and an adverse prognosis following primary PCI in AMI. Future studies regarding the optimal treatment of patients with multivessel disease and AMI are warranted.
Three Essays Concerning the Financial Economics of Mortgage Markets

Author(s): Aiello, Darren James | Advisor(s): Garmaise, Mark J | Abstract: In the first chapter of this dissertation, I find that financially constrained mortgage servicers destroyed substantial MBS investor value during the financial crisis through their management of delinquent mortgages. Servicers have a contractual obligation to advance to the investors any monthly payments missed by borrowers. This chapter shows that, in order to minimize this obligation to extend financing to distressed borrowers, constrained servicers aggressively pursued additional foreclosures and modifications at the expense of MBS investors, borrowers, and future mortgage performance. IV regressions suggest that servicers' financial constraints caused 440,712 additional foreclosures. A one standard deviation increase in servicer financial constraints led to an average reduction in investor value of $22,298 per loan-causing aggregate investor value destruction of $84 billion.In the second chapter of this dissertation, I describe an important borrower risk factor observed privately by the issuer of non-agency RMBS. The private information available to the issuer is drawn from behavioral cues exhibited early in the life of the loan. Mortgage borrowers that make their first six payments at least a day prior to the due date are 14.8 percentage points less likely to become delinquent (equivalent to a 91-point increase in FICO score). This effect is persistent, unobservable at loan origination, and privately observed by the issuer prior to securitization. Both the credit rating agencies and the investor do not appear to be aware of this risk factor. Surprisingly, issuers are quicker to securitize loans with positive private signals rather than less promising loans.In the final chapter of this dissertation (with Mark J. Garmaise and Gabriel Natividad), we analyze competitive dynamics in the mortgage market. Using discontinuities in mortgage acceptance models to generate shocks to a bank's current local lending, we show that future applicants are attracted to growing lenders. Local mortgage markets resemble tournaments: a bank's originations are reduced by the lending of its quickest-growing competitors, not that of its overall competitors nor of its largest competitors. Moreover, future lending activity is convex in current originations. Tougher competition leads a bank to charge higher interest rates, partially due to the increased risk of its loans, and results in worse mortgage performance.
Evaluation of a Peer-to-Peer Approach to Improve the Reach of Farmers’ Markets among Low-income Populations

Abstract Farmers’ markets have been implemented to improve access to nutritious foods, yet use is low among people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This study’s objectives were to assess the feasibility of implementing the FreshLink Ambassador intervention to promote use of farmers’ markets located in high SNAP neighborhoods, describe information dissemination by Ambassadors, and evaluate intervention impact on SNAP use. The theory-based and data-driven intervention trained nine community residents as FreshLink Ambassadors in 2017; eight completed the study. Ambassadors conducted weekly outreach disseminating coupons to promote use of three intervention markets. Four comparison markets were selected to evaluate impact on SNAP use. SNAP sales from 2016 to 2017, standardized per vendor per market day open, were compared using paired and cluster-adjusted t-tests, p < . 05. FreshLink Ambassadors conducted 155 outreach events reaching 1,138 people through coupon dissemination. The coupon redemption rate was 13.9%; redemption was significantly higher for people 50+ years of age, without children in the household, not currently receiving SNAP benefits, and living in the zip code with an intervention market. Intervention versus comparison markets had greater improvements in standardized SNAP sales ($0.73 vs. $0.44). These changes were not statistically significant but may be practically significant for farmers’ market operations. Findings provide evidence that implementation of the peer-to-peer outreach approach was feasible and coupon redemption rates exceeded industry standards indicating the “product” promoted by FreshLink Ambassadors was considered advantageous. Future research is warranted to evaluate different strategies intended to promote social access to farmers’ markets within a broader agenda to advance health equity.
Furunculosis Due to Mycobacterium mageritense Associated with Footbaths at a Nail Salon

ABSTRACT We report two cases of lower-extremity furunculosis caused by Mycobacterium mageritense. Both patients were patrons of the same nail salon, where they received footbaths prior to pedicures. M. mageritense bacteria isolated from two whirlpool footbaths were determined to be closely related to the patient isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.
WATERSHED LEVEL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE SELECTION AND PLACEMENT IN THE TOWN BROOK WATERSHED, NEW YORK1

Abstract: For a number of years, best management practices (BMPs) have been implemented within the Town Brook watershed as part of a watershed wide effort to reduce phosphorus losses to the New York City water supply reservoirs. Currently, there are no quantitative indications of the effectiveness of these practices at the watershed scale. Additionally, work is needed to evaluate management practice solutions for costs in relation to effectiveness. In this study we develop a methodology for evaluating management solutions to determine the best way(s) to select and place management practices so that pollutant removal targets are met at minimum cost. The study combines phosphorus losses as simulated by the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), management practice effectiveness estimates from a predeveloped characterization tool, and practice costs in optimizations using a genetic algorithm. For a user defined target phosphorus removal (60 percent for this study), optimization favors nutrient management plans, crop rotations, contour strip cropping, and riparian forest buffers; the most cost effective scenario achieves a cost effectiveness of 24/kg phosphorus removal per year compared to the 34/kg phosphorus removal per year associated with the current basic implementation scheme. The study suggests that there is a need to evaluate potential solutions prior to implementation and offers a means of generating and evaluating the solutions.
Particle Size Determinants in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Gag Protein

ABSTRACT The retroviral Gag protein plays the central role in the assembly process and can form membrane-enclosed, virus-like particles in the absence of any other viral products. These particles are similar to authentic virions in density and size. Three small domains of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag protein have been previously identified as being important for budding. Regions that lie outside these domains can be deleted without any effect on particle release or density. However, the regions of Gag that control the size of HIV-1 particles are less well understood. In the case of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), the size determinant maps to the CA (capsid) and adjacent spacer sequences within Gag, but systematic mapping of the HIV Gag protein has not been reported. To locate the size determinants of HIV-1, we analyzed a large collection of Gag mutants. To our surprise, all mutants with defects in the MA (matrix), CA, and the N-terminal part of NC (nucleocapsid) sequences produced dense particles of normal size, suggesting that oncoviruses (RSV) and lentiviruses (HIV-1) have different size-controlling elements. The most important region found to be critical for determining HIV-1 particle size is the p6 sequence. Particles lacking all or small parts of p6 were uniform in size distribution but very large as measured by rate zonal gradients. Further evidence for this novel function of p6 was obtained by placing this sequence at the C terminus of RSV CA mutants that produce heterogeneously sized particles. We found that the RSV-p6 chimeras produced normally sized particles. Thus, we present evidence that the entire p6 sequence plays a role in determining the size of a retroviral particle.
Understanding the Marketing and Management of trails using PESTEL Analysis

Trails are an important resource for local communities because they provide health, social, economical, and environmental benefits (“Headwaters Economics”, 2016). When trails are made accessible in towns, it facilitates communal connection, draws in tourists, increases support for conservation lands, and creates safer trails. Trails are valuable to towns because they are an integral piece of their livelihood, therefore the management of trails should be researched to understand how to sustain public use. For this study, twelve (N = 12) conservation commissioners, town managers, and other trail stakeholders from two counties in a Northeastern state were interviewed about how they manage their trails. Results of the study were analyzed and coded, utilizing a marketing theory called PESTEL. Six PESTEL categories were used to interpret stakeholder comments on how trails are managed. The findings of the research show how managing and marketing trails to promote access and use could potentially maximize trail benefits for town communities.
Professional Development and Personal Adjustment Predictors of Students ’ Counseling Self-Efficacy

The extent that healthy personal adjustment and professional development variables predict counseling self-efficacy was examined. Survey responses were analyzed from 198 students in CACREP programs from 24 universities. An R = . 698 was found from six predictors used in the analysis. The three significant variables predicting counseling self-efficacy were counseling experience, completed credit hours, and personal growth initiative. These findings support the incorporation of healthy personal adjustment learning activities into counselor education programs.
Lung transplantation in patients with cystic fibrosis: special focus to infection and comorbidities

Despite advances in medical care, patients with cystic fibrosis still face limited life expectancy. The most common cause of death remains respiratory failure. End-stage cystic fibrosis can be treated with lung transplantation and is the third most common reason for which the procedure is performed. Outcomes for cystic fibrosis are better than most other lung diseases, but remain limited (5-year survival 60%). For patients with advanced disease lung transplantation appears to improve survival. Outcomes for patients with Burkholderia cepacia remain poor, although they are better for patients with certain genomovars. Controversy exists about Mycobacterium abscessus infection and appropriateness for transplant. More information is also becoming available for comorbidities, including diabetes and pulmonary hypertension among others. Extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation is used more frequently for end-stage disease as a bridge to lung transplantation and will likely be used more in the future.
Adipose tissue mass can be regulated through the vasculature

Tumor growth is angiogenesis dependent. We hypothesized that nonneoplastic tissue growth also depends on neovascularization. We chose adipose tissue as an experimental system because of its remodeling capacity. Mice from different obesity models received anti-angiogenic agents. Treatment resulted in dose-dependent, reversible weight reduction and adipose tissue loss. Marked vascular remodeling was evident in adipose tissue sections, which revealed decreased endothelial proliferation and increased apoptosis in treated mice compared with controls. Continuous treatment maintained mice near normal body weights for age without adverse effects. Metabolic adaptations in food intake, metabolic rate, and energy substrate utilization were associated with anti-angiogenic weight loss. We conclude that adipose tissue mass is sensitive to angiogenesis inhibitors and can be regulated by its vasculature.
Infrastructure quality and firm productivity in Africa

Purpose The World Bank (2017) ranks poor infrastructure, particularly electricity, as the second topmost obstacle (after access to finance) affecting enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of infrastructure quality on firm productivity in Africa. Design/methodology/approach The author used the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) for 26 African countries and employed both descriptive and ordinary least squares techniques during the analysis. The author circumvents the endogeneity of infrastructure in the productivity model by using firm-level measures of infrastructure quality rather than the stock of infrastructural capital. Findings On an average, 80 percent of manufacturing firms in Africa reported having experienced electricity outages in the financial year preceding the survey. Power outages are negatively associated with the productivity of small, medium, young, domestically owned firms and non-exporters. On the other hand, the author observes a substitution effect of generators for the unreliable power from the public grid and this effect positively influences the productivity of large, old, foreign-owned and exporting firms. Practical implications The author argues that in addition to infrastructure capital at an aggregate level, dealing with quality issues at firm level is required to enhance productivity. More attention needs to be put to the elimination of power outages so as to improve the productivity of all firms particularly those that cannot afford to use generators in the place of electricity from the public grid. Originality/value The author notes that there exists scanty empirical literature on the effect of infrastructure quality on productivity for the case of Africa despite the existence of WBES for at least two waves for both developed and developing countries. The uniqueness of this paper in comparison to the previous literature is that the author undertakes the analysis according to some important firm categories: size, age, ownership and export status. Additionally, the author uses the infrastructure quality to understand its effect on firm-level efficiency levels rather than the stock of infrastructural capital. The use of aggregate indicators of infrastructure introduces an endogeneity problem which the author circumvents in this study.
Using layered object representation to detect partially visible airplanes in remote sensing images

Partially visibility frequently happens in airplane detection tasks for remote sensing community, yet rarely considered. The commonly-used Deformable Part Model (DPM), which is specialized for object detection, has long been used for pedestrian detection in ground shooting images and shown its unbelievable power to handle with structure deformation and appearance variation for object modeling. However its performance will drop dramatically when visibility rate decreases. In order to overcome this, we propose a layered object representation to detect partially visible airplanes in this paper. Firstly, the core of the layered object representation, a part configuration layer, is designed to model the occlusion to ensure that certain part configuration will be fully visible. At the same time, each part configuration in our model will infer the location of the object individually, thus ensuring stable detection of partially visible airplanes. In this way, the method is composed of two layers with each layer modeling different extents of object coverage, compared to conventional DPM. We verify our method on remote sensing image dataset and obtain promising results.
The reciprocal influence of trematode parasites and malathion on developing pickerel frogs (Rana palustris)

To examine the interactions of disease and pollution on amphibian populations around the world, I investigated the effect of infection on contaminant susceptibility in pickerel frog, Rana palustris, larvae. I conducted standard 48-hr toxicity tests to examine effect of trematode parasite, Echinostoma trivolvis, infection (0, 10, or 30 cercaria) on the susceptibility of pickerel frog tadpoles to the widely used organophosphate insecticide malathion. LC50 values ranged from 16.5 – 17.4 mg/L, within the range reported for other amphibian species. I found no differences in susceptibility to malathion among parasite treatments. Nevertheless, this crucial question remains to be tested in other amphibian host-parasite systems. Second, I studied the reverse interaction, the effect of pesticide exposure on susceptibility to parasite infection. I exposed pickerel frog embryos to low doses of malathion, then subjected morphologically normal tadpoles to E. trivolvis later in development. Malathion significantly decreased hatching success and viability rates at concentrations lower than previously documented for anuran embryos. After 7 wk of development in water with no malathion, tadpoles previously exposed to malathion as embryos suffered increased parasite encystment rates compared to controls. My research identifies embryonic development as a sensitive window and the potential for increased susceptibility to infection long after pesticide exposure has ceased. With potential for increased parasite prevalence from eutrophication and climate change, my data underscore the importance of understanding the reciprocal influences of parasites and pesticides in amphibians.
NeDaSE: A Bridge Between Network Topology Generator, Network Design and Simulation Tools

There are many tools which can be used for practical network design and simulation, topology generation as well as for education. It is often useful to move network models between the tools in order to obtain different view of the network. The output of the topology generation tool can be visualised using the simulation tools as well as can be analysed the effects of the topology using analytical tools. This paper describes the way to communicate among them and presents a tool, network design and simulation environment (NeDaSE), developed for this purpose. Some experiments have been illustrated using topology generation tool BRITE, analytical tool Delite and simulation tool ns-2. A network description language LNMet-X has been used for the implementation
That’s Not So Bad, I’ll Eat More! Backfire Effects of Calories-per-Serving Information on Snack Consumption

This research investigates how provision of calories-per-serving information on serving size labels affects snack consumption quantity. Drawing from expectancy-disconfirmation theory, this research shows that providing calories-per-serving information can ironically create a consumption backfire effect (consumers eat more when presented with calories-per-serving information) for snacks perceived as unhealthy but not for snacks perceived as healthy. The authors find that this effect arises when calorie expectations are higher than the posted calories-per-serving level—a frequent occurrence due to stated serving sizes that are typically smaller than amounts consumed in one sitting. The authors also show that attention to calorie information plays a key role such that the backfire effect occurs among consumers who pay more attention to calorie information. Furthermore, motivational factors including individual differences and perceptions of the risk associated with consuming a snack also play a role in driving consumption differences. The authors offer managerial, policy, and consumer welfare implications, including proposing and testing larger stated serving sizes as an intervention.
Retracted: Association of upregulated Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling with autism

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction, verbal communication and repetitive behaviors. BTBR mouse is currently used as a model for understanding mechanisms that may be responsible for the pathogenesis of autism. Growing evidence suggests that Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling plays death‐promoting apoptotic roles in neural cells. Recent studies showed a possible association between neural cell death and autism. In addition, two studies reported that a deletion of a locus on chromosome 16, which includes the MAPK3 gene that encodes ERK1, is associated with autism. We thus hypothesized that Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling could be abnormally regulated in the brain of BTBR mice that models autism. In this study, we show that expression of Ras protein was significantly elevated in frontal cortex and cerebellum of BTBR mice as compared with B6 mice. The phosphorylations of A‐Raf, B‐Raf and C‐Raf were all significantly increased in frontal cortex of BTBR mice. However, only C‐Raf phosphorylation was increased in the cerebellum of BTBR mice. In addition, we further detected that the activities of both MEK1/2 and ERK1/2, which are the downstream kinases of Ras/Raf signaling, were significantly enhanced in the frontal cortex. We also detected that ERK1/2 is significantly over‐expressed in frontal cortex of autistic subjects. Our results indicate that Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling is upregulated in the frontal cortex of BTBR mice that model autism. These findings, together with the enhanced ERK1/2 expression in autistic frontal cortex, imply that Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling activities could be increased in autistic brain and involved in the pathogenesis of autism.