59 research outputs found
Residential Appraisal and the Lending Process: A Survey of Issues
This article surveys mainly academic literature for issues concerning the use of appraisals in the residential lending process. The development of appraisal methodologies is reviewed, and the strengths and weaknesses of various appraisal techniques are assessed. Issues relating to the use of neighborhood characteristics in appraisals for lending purposes are also explored. Finally, institutional incentives that give rise to biased and self-serving appraisals and possible solutions to these incentive problems are examined.
Business Enterprise Value in Shopping Malls: An Empirical Test
This paper discusses the economic basis for the existence of business enterprise value in a shopping mall. The existence of business enterprise value in a mall is then tested by examining the rent paid by existing tenants on a lease renewal vs. that paid by new tenants for otherwise identical space. The hypothesis that there is no difference in rents between renewals and new tenants can be rejected. This suggests that with each lease renewal there is a marginal increase in business enterprise value component of the rents. Proposed federal regulations for the appraisal of federally related transactions, the uniform standards of professional appraisal practice, and real property tax law call for separation of the value of intangibles (which include business value) from tangible personal property and from real property. Thus the business value portion of the mall rental should not be capitalized into the value of the real estate. Because income from lease renewals included business value, the leases must be adjusted before they can be used as an indication of market rent.
Intra-Project Externality and Layout Variables in Residential Condominium Appraisals
This study examines the impact of intra-project externalities and layout variables on the selling prices of 897 condominium units in the cities of Irvine and Santa Ana in Orange County, California. It documents that, at a micro-level, proximity to intra-project externalities such as greenspace, swimming pools, recreational areas, traffic noise, and the like, and project layout variables representing the location of individual condominium units within multiunit structures, have significant effects on the property values of units within a condominium project. The results indicate that, when cost is not prohibitive, both appraisers and underwriters should take intra-project externalities and layout variables into consideration when estimating property values or underwriting residential mortgages for condominium properties.
Valuation of the Effects of Asbestos on Commercial Real Estate
This study develops a valuation procedure and a model for estimating the impact of the presence of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) on real estate income property. A key aspect of the valuation procedure is that the value of a property with asbestos, and hence the value adjustment for the presence of asbestos, depends on the optimal strategy for dealing with the asbestos. Value-maximizing conditions are derived from the model for determining if and when removal should occur. Information obtained from a survey of real estate appraisers provides data for parameterizing the model for the purpose of simulating the effects of ACMs on the value of different categories of property.
Analysis of the Type IIn Supernova 1998S: Effects of Circumstellar Interaction on Observed Spectra
We present spectral analysis of early observations of the Type IIn supernova
1998S using the general non-local thermodynamic equilibrium atmosphere code \tt
PHOENIX}. We model both the underlying supernova spectrum and the overlying
circumstellar interaction region and produce spectra in good agreement with
observations. The early spectra are well fit by lines produced primarily in the
circumstellar region itself, and later spectra are due primarily to the
supernova ejecta. Intermediate spectra are affected by both regions. A
mass-loss rate of order \msol yr is inferred
for a wind speed of 100-1000 \kmps. We discuss how future self-consistent
models will better clarify the underlying progenitor structure.Comment: to appear in ApJ, 2001, 54
Lipopolysaccharide Renders Transgenic Mice Expressing Human Serum Amyloid P Component Sensitive to Shiga Toxin 2
Transgenic C57BL/6 mice expressing human serum amyloid P component (HuSAP) are resistant to Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2) at dosages that are lethal in HuSAP-negative wild-type mice. However, it is well established that Stx2 initiates extra-intestinal complications such as the haemolytic-uremic syndrome despite the presence of HuSAP in human sera. We now demonstrate that co-administering purified Escherichia coli O55 lipopolysaccharide (LPS), at a dosage of 300 ng/g body weight, to HuSAP-transgenic mice increases their susceptibility to the lethal effects of Stx2. The enhanced susceptibility to Stx2 correlated with an increased expression of genes encoding the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα and chemokines of the CXC and CC families in the kidneys of LPS-treated mice, 48 hours after the Stx2/LPS challenge. Co-administering the glucocorticoid dexamethasone, but not the LPS neutralizing cationic peptide LL-37, protected LPS-sensitized HuSAP-transgenic mice from lethal doses of Stx2. Dexamethasone protection was specifically associated with decreased expression of the same inflammatory mediators (CXC and CC-type chemokines and TNFα) linked to enhanced susceptibility caused by LPS. The studies reveal further details about the complex cascade of host-related events that are initiated by Stx2 as well as establish a new animal model system in which to investigate strategies for diminishing serious Stx2-mediated complications in humans infected with enterohemorrhagic E. coli strains
Evidence for Type Ia Supernova Diversity from Ultraviolet Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope
We present ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy and photometry of four Type Ia
supernovae (SNe 2004dt, 2004ef, 2005M, and 2005cf) obtained with the UV prism
of the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope. This dataset
provides unique spectral time series down to 2000 Angstrom. Significant
diversity is seen in the near maximum-light spectra (~ 2000--3500 Angstrom) for
this small sample. The corresponding photometric data, together with archival
data from Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope observations, provide further
evidence of increased dispersion in the UV emission with respect to the
optical. The peak luminosities measured in uvw1/F250W are found to correlate
with the B-band light-curve shape parameter dm15(B), but with much larger
scatter relative to the correlation in the broad-band B band (e.g., ~0.4 mag
versus ~0.2 mag for those with 0.8 < dm15 < 1.7 mag). SN 2004dt is found as an
outlier of this correlation (at > 3 sigma), being brighter than normal SNe Ia
such as SN 2005cf by ~0.9 mag and ~2.0 mag in the uvw1/F250W and uvm2/F220W
filters, respectively. We show that different progenitor metallicity or
line-expansion velocities alone cannot explain such a large discrepancy.
Viewing-angle effects, such as due to an asymmetric explosion, may have a
significant influence on the flux emitted in the UV region. Detailed modeling
is needed to disentangle and quantify the above effects.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, accepted by Ap
Circulating microparticles: square the circle
Background: The present review summarizes current knowledge about microparticles (MPs) and provides a systematic overview of last 20 years of research on circulating MPs, with particular focus on their clinical relevance. Results: MPs are a heterogeneous population of cell-derived vesicles, with sizes ranging between 50 and 1000 nm. MPs are capable of transferring peptides, proteins, lipid components, microRNA, mRNA, and DNA from one cell to another without direct cell-to-cell contact. Growing evidence suggests that MPs present in peripheral blood and body fluids contribute to the development and progression of cancer, and are of pathophysiological relevance for autoimmune, inflammatory, infectious, cardiovascular, hematological, and other diseases. MPs have large diagnostic potential as biomarkers; however, due to current technological limitations in purification of MPs and an absence of standardized methods of MP detection, challenges remain in validating the potential of MPs as a non-invasive and early diagnostic platform. Conclusions: Improvements in the effective deciphering of MP molecular signatures will be critical not only for diagnostics, but also for the evaluation of treatment regimens and predicting disease outcomes
Canagliflozin and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes and Nephropathy
BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to 300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m 2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years
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