University of Rochester

About: University of Rochester is a education organization based out in Rochester, New York, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Laser. The organization has 63915 authors who have published 112762 publications receiving 5484122 citations. The organization is also known as: Rochester University.

Diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia

Abstract: Background In 1994, an International Task Force proposed criteria for the clinical diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D) that facilitated recognition and interpretation of the frequently nonspecific clinical features of ARVC/D. This enabled confirmatory clinical diagnosis in index cases through exclusion of phenocopies and provided a standard on which clinical research and genetic studies could be based. Structural, histological, electrocardiographic, arrhythmic, and familial features of the disease were incorporated into the criteria, subdivided into major and minor categories according to the specificity of their association with ARVC/D. At that time, clinical experience with ARVC/D was dominated by symptomatic index cases and sudden cardiac death victims–the overt or severe end of the disease spectrum. Consequently, the 1994 criteria were highly specific but lacked sensitivity for early and familial disease. Methods and Results Revision of the diagnostic criteria provides guidance on the role of emerging diagnostic modalities and advances in the genetics of ARVC/D. The criteria have been modified to incorporate new knowledge and technology to improve diagnostic sensitivity, but with the important requisite of maintaining diagnostic specificity. The approach of classifying structural, histological, electrocardiographic, arrhythmic, and genetic features of the disease as major and minor criteria has been maintained. In this modification of the Task Force criteria, quantitative criteria are proposed and abnormalities are defined on the basis of comparison with normal subject data. Conclusions The present modifications of the Task Force Criteria represent a working framework to improve the diagnosis and management of this condition. Clinical Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00024505.

History Lessons Institutions, Factor Endowments, and Paths of Development in the New World

Abstract: The explanations offered for the contrasting records of long-run growth and development among the societies of North and South America most often focus on institutions. The traditional explanations for the sources of these differences in institutions, typically highlight the significance of national heritage or religion. We, in contrast, argue that a hemispheric perspective across the wide range of colonies established in the New World by the Europeans suggests that although there were many influences, factor endowments or initial conditions had profound and enduring effects on the long-run paths of institutional and economic development followed by the respective economies.

A Monte Carlo Implementation of the EM Algorithm and the Poor Man's Data Augmentation Algorithms

Abstract: The first part of this article presents the Monte Carlo implementation of the E step of the EM algorithm. Given the current guess to the maximizer of the posterior distribution, latent data patterns are generated from the conditional predictive distribution. The expected value of the augmented log-posterior is then updated as a mixture of augmented log-posteriors, mixed over the generated latent data patterns (multiple imputations). In the M step of the algorithm, this mixture is maximized to obtain the update to the maximizer of the observed posterior. The gradient and Hessian of the observed log posterior are also expressed as mixtures, mixed over the multiple imputations. The relation between the Monte Carlo EM (MCEM) algorithm and the data augmentation algorithm is noted. Two modifications to the MCEM algorithm (the poor man's data augmentation algorithms), which allow for the calculation of the entire posterior, are then presented. These approximations serve as diagnostics for the validity o...

Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: an introduction

Abstract: Research on well-being can be thought of as falling into two traditions. In one—the hedonistic tradition—the focus is on happiness, generally defined as the presence of positive affect and the absence of negative affect. In the other—the eudaimonic tradition—the focus is on living life in a full and deeply satisfying way. Recognizing that much recent research on well-being has been more closely aligned with the hedonistic tradition, this special issue presents discussions and research reviews from the eudaimonic tradition, making clear how the concept of eudaimonia adds an important perspective to our understanding of well-being.