University of Houston

About: University of Houston is a education organization based out in Houston, Texas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 23074 authors who have published 53903 publications receiving 1641968 citations.

Money Attitudes, Credit Card Use, and Compulsive Buying among American College Students.

Abstract: The consumer culture has evolved into one of the most powerful forces shaping individuals and societies (Roberts and Sepulveda 1999 a, b). The desire to become a member of the consumer culture appears to be universal (Droge and Mackoy 1995). Changing attitudes toward money are an important catalyst behind the spread of the consumer culture. Money is important—especially to American college students who have been raised in a credit card society where debt is used freely (Ritzer 1995). Schor (1998) believes that access to easy credit is one of the causes of overspending. Using a causal modeling approach, the present study investigated the role money attitudes and credit card use play in compulsive buying within a sample of American college students (see Figure 1). Findings suggest that the money attitudes powerprestige, distrust, and anxiety (Yamauchi and Templer 1982) are closely related to compulsive buying and that credit card use often moderates these relationships. Study results have important public policy, marketing, and research implications.

The evolution of polyandry I : intragenomic conflict and genetic incompatibility

Abstract: Why do females across a wide range of taxa mate with more than one male? We suggest that a better understanding of polyandry may be gained by considering the implications of intragenomic conflict for female reproductive success. Here, we revisit the literature on cellular endosymbionts, transposable elements, segregation distorters, maternal-effect lethals and genomically imprinted genes to show that each of these selfish genetic elements can modify maternal and paternal haplotypes in ways that render them incompatible within the developing embryo. We propose that the cumulative threat to female reproductive success of genetic incompatibility arising from intragenomic conflict may be an important force driving the evolution of polyandry. By mating with more than one male, females can potentially exploit post-copulatory mechanisms for minimizing the risk and/or cost of fertilization by genetically incompatible sperm. This hypothesis differs fundamentally from other genetic benefit models of polyandry in that the fitness consequences of intragenomic conflict depend on an interaction between parental genomes and are thus non-additive. Reciprocal evolutionary change between selfish genetic elements and their suppressors, combined with the capacity of these elements for horizontal transfer between species, is likely to ensure the persistence of genetic incompatibility as a threat to female reproductive success.

The Determinants of Credit Default Swap Premia

Abstract: Using a new dataset of bid and offer quotes for credit default swaps, we investigate the relationship between theoretical determinants of default risk and actual market premia using linear regression. These theoretical determinants are firm leverage, volatility and the riskless interest rate. We find that estimated coefficients for these variables are consistent with theory and that the estimates are highly significant both statistically and economically. The explanatory power of the theoretical variables for levels of default swap premia is approximately 60%. The explanatory power for the differences in the premia is approximately 23%. Volatility and leverage by themselves also have substantial explanatory power for credit default swap premia. A principal component analysis of the residuals and the premia shows that there is only weak evidence for a residual common factor and also suggests that the theoretical variables explain a significant amount of the variation in the data. We therefore conclude that leverage, volatility and the riskfree rate are important determinants of credit default swap premia, as predicted by theory.

Zygomycosis in a Tertiary-Care Cancer Center in the Era of Aspergillus-Active Antifungal Therapy: A Case-Control Observational Study of 27 Recent Cases

Abstract: Background. Anecdotal evidence suggests a rise in zygomycosis in association with voriconazole (VRC) use in immunosuppressed patients. Methods. We performed prospective surveillance of patients with zygomycosis (group A; n = 27) and compared them with contemporaneous patients with invasive aspergillosis (group B; n = 54) and with matched contemporaneous high-risk patients without fungal infection (group C; n = 54). We also performed molecular typing and in vitro susceptibility testing of Zygomycetes isolates. Results. Nearly all patients with zygomycosis either had leukemia (n = 14) or were allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients (n = 13). The Zygomycetes isolates (74% of which were of the genus Rhizopus) had different molecular fingerprinting profiles, and all were VRC resistant. In multivariate analysis of groups A and C, VRC prophylaxis (odds ratio [OR], 10.37 [95% confidence interval {CI}], 2.76-38.97]; P = .001), diabetes (OR, 8.39 [95% CI, 2.04-34.35]; P = .003), and malnutrition (OR, 3.70 [95% CI, 1.03-13.27]; P = .045) were found to be independent risk factors for zygomycosis. Between patients with zygomycosis (after excluding 6 patients with mixed mold infections) and patients with aspergillosis, VRC prophylaxis (OR, 20.30 [95% CI, 3.85-108.15]; P = .0001) and sinusitis (OR, 76.72 [95% CI, 6.48-908.15]; P = .001) were the only factors that favored the diagnosis of zygomycosis. Conclusions. Zygomycosis should be considered in immunosuppressed patients who develop sinusitis while receiving VRC prophylaxis, especially those with diabetes and malnutrition.