102,312 research outputs found
Discounting and Relative Consumption
No full textThis paper analyzes optimal social discount rates where people derive utility from relative consumption. We identify and compare three separate discount rates -- the social rate (taking positional externalities into account), the private rate, and the conventional Ramsey rate. Two main findings resulted for the standard case with a positive growth rate -- 1) the social discount rate exceeds the private discount rate if the degree of positionality increases with consumption, and 2) the social discount rate is smaller than the Ramsey rate if preferences are quasi-concave in own and reference consumption, and exhibit risk aversion with respect to reference consumption. Numerical calculations demonstrate that the latter difference may be substantial and economically important for such issues as global warming.discounting, relative consumption, Ramsey rule, degree of positionality, keeping up with the Joneses
Bibliographie Hilarion G. Petzold 1958 – 2009 mit Anhang als Einführung
No full textDieses Archiv enthält die Gesamtbibliographie der Werke des Autors nebst einiger Texte „Über H. G. Petzold“ im Schlussteil der Bibliographie sowie einen Anhang mit einer Einführung in die Architektur des Werkes in seinem wissenslogischen Aufbau als Ausarbeitung seines „Tree of Science Modells“ (2007).This archive contains the complete bibliography of the author and some texts about H. G. Petzold, moreover an epilogue with an introduction to the architecture of the works in its epistemological structure and composition and as an elaborations of Petzold’s „Tree of Science Modell (2007).https://www.fpi-publikation.de/polyloge/01-2009-petzold-h-g-gesamtbibliographie-h-g-petzold-1958-2009-updating-november2009/peerReviewedpublishedVersio
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Genetic and molecular background of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma
No full textPheochromocytomas (PCC) and abdominal paragangliomas (PGL), collectively denoted PPGL, are neuroendocrine tumors (NET) with a highly diverse genetic and molecular etiology, arisen in the adrenal medulla and abdominal paraganglia respectively. The tumors often cause cardiovascular symptoms due to the high production of catecholamines, and malignancy occurs in 10% of the PCCs and 30% of the PGLs. The genetic background of the PPGL disease constitutes of hereditary mutations in a growing list of susceptibility genes, although a large subset of the sporadic tumors still has an unknown etiology. This thesis work aimed to further characterize the genetic and molecular background of PPGL, in order to contribute to better diagnosis, prognosis and treatment for the patients.In the first study we investigated the role of susceptibility gene promoter methylation in PPGL. By studying the gene expression and assessing the promoter methylation levels, it was found that the VHL gene is epigenetically inactivated in PPGL. Subsequently, in order to investigate the established susceptibility genes in a large cohort, we used a targeted sequencing approach in the second study and found that next-generation sequencing is fast and cost-effective method for mutational screening of PPGL. Additionally, the NF1 gene was found to be the most frequently mutated gene, and in the third study we used the NF1 mutational status obtained in the second study to investigate if immunohistochemistry could be used as a screening tool for NF1 mutations. We found a strong sensitivity but poor specificity for the method and therefore recommend genetic screening as the most efficient tool to identify NF1 patients. The list of PPGL susceptibility genes is constantly growing, and one of the latest genes verified is the HRAS gene. In the fourth study we screened a large cohort of PPGL for mutations in the HRAS gene and compared with the overall gene expression obtained using a mRNA microarray approach. Taken together with HRAS mutations in the literature, the overall HRAS mutation frequency was calculated to 5.2% in PPGL. The gene expression profiling showed that the HRAS mutated tumors clustered together with the NF1- and RET-mutated tumors that are associated with activation of kinase pathways. With the mutational information obtained in the second study, we were able to screen PCCs without known genetic drivers. In the fifth study, these tumors underwent whole-exome sequencing, detecting recurrent mutations in the KMT2D gene. After screening of a verification cohort, a total KMT2D mutation frequency of 14% was established. In the sixth study we screened PGLs for mutations in the KMT2D gene. All PGLs exhibited wild-type however KMT2D gene over-expression was observed in PGLs compared to normal adrenal samples. These results would imply dysregulation of methyltransferase as a novel disease mechanism in PPGL. In summary, the studies included in the thesis have increased the knowledge of the genetic and molecular background of PPGL. The results may therefore in the long run contribute to better diagnosis, prognosis and development of future treatment options for the patients.List of scientific papersI. Andreasson A, Kiss NB, Caramuta S, Sulaiman L, Svahn F, Bäckdahl M, Höög A, Juhlin CC, Larsson C. (2013). The VHL gene is epigenetically inactivated in pheochromocytomas and abdominal paragangliomas. Epigenetics. 8, 1347–54. https://doi.org/10.4161/epi.26686 II. Welander J, Andreasson A, Juhlin CC, Wiseman RW, Bäckdahl M, Höög A, Larsson C, Gimm O, Söderkvist P. (2014). Rare germ-line mutations identified by targeted next-generation sequencing of susceptibility genes in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 99, 1352-60. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2013-4375 24694336 III. Stenman A, Svahn F, Welander J, Gustavson B, Söderkvist P, Gimm O, Juhlin CC. (2015). Immunohistochemical NF1 analysis does not predict NF1 gene mutation status in pheochromocytoma. Endocrine Pathology. 26, 9-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12022-014-9348-1 IV. Stenman A, Welander J, Gustavsson I, Brunaud L, Bäckdahl M, Söderkvist P, Gimm O, Juhlin CC, Larsson C. (2015). HRAS mutation prevalence and associated expression patterns in pheochromocytoma. [Submitted] https://doi.org/10.1002/gcc.22347 V. Juhlin CC, Stenman A, Haglund F, Clark V, Brown T, Baranoski J, Bilguvar K, Goh G, Welander J, Svahn F, Rubinstein JC, Caramuta S, Yasuno K, Günel M, Bäckdahl M, Gimm O, Söderkvist P, Prasad ML, Korah R, Lifton RP, Carling T. (2015). Whole-exome sequencing defines the mutational landscape of pheochromocytoma and identifies KMT2D as a recurrently mutated gene. Genes Chromosomes and Cancer. 54, 542-54. https://doi.org/10.1002/gcc.22267 VI. Stenman A, Juhlin CC, Haglund F, Brown TC, Clark VE, Svahn F, Bilguvar K, Goh G, Korah R, Lifton RP, Carling T. (2015). Absence of KMT2D/MLL2 mutations in abdominal paraganglioma. Clinical Endocrinology. [Accepted] https://doi.org/10.1111/cen.12884 </p
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3346: Samuel G. Freedman, author, 2013
No full textPhotograph of author Samuel G. Freedman, at NT Daily Slash meeting in the Mayborn School of Journalism at UNT
Cancer in organ transplant recipients
No full textTens of thousands of transplantations are performed around the world each year. Organ transplant recipients (OTR) are obliged to receive life-long medical treatment with immunosuppressive drugs to ensure graft function. However, such medications entail an increased risk of developing a broad spectrum of malignancies, especially skin cancer. This thesis aims
to study cancer in OTRs from different aspects such as cancer incidence, survival, risk factors and prevention. Also, differentiation of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) among OTRs.
Study I: The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of differentiation of SCC in OTRs compared to immunocompetent individuals. The degree of differentiation refers to how cancer cells look and function compared to normal cells. Data from the Swedish Cancer Registry (SCR) were cross-checked with data from the Transplant Registry (TR). Only patients with a diagnosis (SCC, Basosquamous Carcinoma and/or SCC in situ) from the Department of Dermatology, SUH, between 2002-2010 were included. The control group consisted of those who were diagnosed with the same diagnosis at the same time period at SUH as OTRs. No significant differences were observed in the degree of tumour differentiation in SCCs appearing in OTRs compared to those in the control group (p=0.4). In conclusion: SCCs in OTRs do not seem to be more aggressive than in the general population.
Study II: The aim of this study was to investigate whether specialized OTR clinics with dermatological follow-up, as has been suggested, provide additional benefit. In this descriptive study, in total, 696 OTRs and non-organ transplant patients (non-TPs) completed a sun exposure questionnaire between 2011 and 2015. The control group, the non-TPs, were recruited among outpatients at the Department of Dermatology SUH. We also compared OTRs with dermatological follow-up to OTRs with no follow-up.
Fewer OTRs than non-TPs had experienced ≥1 sunburn in the past year (20% vs 46% p<.0001). There were more frequent users of sunscreen among OTRs with follow-up than among other OTRs (63% vs 44%, p=0.006). More OTRs with follow-up used ≥1 sun protection measure (covering clothes etc.) than other OTRs (54% vs 34%, p=0.016). Thus, OTRs reported less sun exposure compared to non-TPs, consolidating the positive effect of sun protection advice following transplantation. Today, post-transplant sun protection advice is standard.
Study III. The aim of this study was to investigate cancer incidence and survival in 664 patients who underwent heart transplantation (HTx) at SUH between 1985-2017. Data was retrieved from SCR and the Cause of Death Registry. The median follow-up time was 7.7 years. We found in total 279 malignancies in 90 patients. Of all patients, 19% had experienced malignancy after almost seven years after HTx. We found an overall risk of cancer to be over 6.2-fold higher than the general population and 2.9-fold higher when excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC).
Study IV. The aim of this study was to investigate cancer incidence and survival in 614 patients who underwent lung transplantation (LTx) at SUH between 1990-2016. Data was retrieved from SCR and the Cause of Death Registry. The median follow-up time was 5.1 years. We found 159 malignancies in 111 patients which corresponds to 18% of the total study population. We found an overall risk of cancer to be 5.56-fold higher than the general population and 2.76-fold higher when excluding NMSC
The Right to Strike under the United States Constitution: Theory, Practice, and Possible Implications for Canada
No full textAnswering critics of the Canadian Supreme Court's judgment in B.C. Health, the author argues that the Court laid the foundation for a principled and durable doctrine protecting constitutional labour rights, one that goes directly to the heart of the matter — the inequality of workers’ power in the employment relation. In the author’s view, two paths could lead from B.C. Health to the recognition of Charter protec- tion for a right to strike: one that treats the right as an accessory to col- lective bargaining, and one that upholds the right directly on the basis of the Charter values of equality and participation. The author supports the latter approach, contending that constitutional rights should be defined in relation to fundamental values, in a way that is not contingent on time-bound or fact-sensitive assessments about the role of strikes within a particular collective bargaining regime. Although a Charter right to strike may involve the courts in difficult choices about when to defer to legislative policy decisions, and courts may lack the institutional capac- ity to deal effectively with labour law issues, the author points out that judges can look to ILO standards for expert guidance. Noting that the U.S. experience in this area might be of considerable use to Canadians, the author concludes by providing an overview of American case law concerning a constitutional right to strike.Peer reviewe
State-Variable Public Goods When Relative Consumption Matters: A Dynamic Optimal Taxation Approach
No full textThis paper concerns the optimal provision of a state-variable public good, where the global climate is the prime example. The analysis is based on a two-type optimal income tax model with overlapping generations, where people care about their relative consumption. We consider both keeping-up-with-the-Joneses preferences (where people compare their own current consumption with others’ current consumption) and catching-up-with-the-Joneses preferences (where people compare their own current consumption with others’ past consumption). The extent to which the rule for public provision ought to be modified is shown to depend crucially on the preference elicitation format.State variable public goods; asymmetric information; relative consumption; status; positional preferences; climate policy
Conspicuous Leisure: Optimal Income Taxation when both Relative Consumption and Relative Leisure Matter
No full textPrevious studies on public policy under relative consumption concerns have ignored the role of leisure comparisons. This paper considers a two-type optimal nonlinear income tax model where people care both about their relative consumption and their relative leisure. Increased consumption positionality typically implies higher marginal income tax rates for both the high-ability and the low-ability type, whereas leisure positionality has an offsetting role. However, this offsetting role is not symmetric; concern about relative leisure implies a progressive income tax component, i.e., a component that is larger for the high-ability than for the low-ability type. Moreover, leisure positionality does not modify the policy rule for public good provision when the income tax is optimally chosen.Optimal taxation; redistribution; public goods; relative consumption; status; positional goods
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