Earnings Management, Incentive Contracts and Private Information Acquisition

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Descriptive Anatomy and Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of the Skull of the Early Tetrapod Acanthostega gunnari Jarvik, 1952

The early tetrapod Acanthostega gunnari is an iconic fossil taxon exhibiting skeletal morphology reflecting the transition of vertebrates from water onto land. Computed tomography data of two Acanthostega skulls was segmented using visualization software to digitally separate bone from matrix and individual bones of the skull from each other. A revised description of cranial and lower jaw anatomy in this taxon based on CT data includes new details of sutural morphology, the previously undescribed quadrate and articular bones, and the mandibular symphysis. Sutural morphology is used to infer loading regime in the skull during feeding, and suggests Acanthostega used its anterior jaws to initially seize prey while smaller posterior teeth were used to restrain struggling prey during ingestion. Novel methods were used to repair and retrodeform the skull, resulting in a three-dimensional digital reconstruction that features a longer postorbital region and more strongly hooked anterior lower jaw than previous attempts while supporting the presence of a midline gap between the nasals and median rostrals

Analytic eye movement patterns in face recognition are associated with better performance and more top-down control of visual attention: an fMRI study

Conference Theme: Integrating Psychological, Philosophical, Linguistic, Computational and Neural PerspectivesPoster Session 3: no. 57Recent research has revealed two different eye movement patterns during face recognition: holistic and analytic. The present study investigated the neural correlates of these two patterns through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A more holistic pattern was associated with more activation in the face-selective perceptual areas, including the occipital face area and fusiform face area. In contrast, participants using a more analytic pattern demonstrated more activation in areas important for top-down control of visual attention, including the frontal eye field and intraparietal sulcus. In addition, participants using the analytic patterns had better recognition performance than those showing holistic patterns. These results suggest that analytic eye movement patterns are associated with more engagement of top-down control of visual attention, which may consequently enhance recognition performance.postprin

Ultra-short echo time cardiovascular magnetic resonance of atherosclerotic carotid plaque.

BACKGROUND: Multi-contrast weighted cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) allows detailed plaque characterisation and assessment of plaque vulnerability. The aim of this preliminary study was to show the potential of Ultra-short Echo Time (UTE) subtraction MR in detecting calcification. METHODS: 14 ex-vivo human carotid arteries were scanned using CMR and CT, prior to histological slide preparation. Two images were acquired using a double-echo 3D UTE pulse, one with a long TE and the second with an ultra-short TE, with the same TR. An UTE subtraction (DeltaUTE) image containing only ultra-short T2 (and T2*) signals was obtained by post-processing subtraction of the 2 UTE images. The DeltaUTE image was compared to the conventional 3D T1-weighted sequence and CT scan of the carotid arteries. RESULTS: In atheromatous carotid arteries, there was a 71% agreement between the high signal intensity areas on DeltaUTE images and CT scan. The same areas were represented as low signal intensity on T1W and areas of void on histology, indicating focal calcification. However, in 15% of all the scans there were some incongruent regions of high intensity on DeltaUTE that did not correspond with a high intensity signal on CT, and histology confirmed the absence of calcification. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that the UTE sequence has potential to identify calcified plaque. Further work is needed to fully understand the UTE findings

Inside outside, outside in

'Inside outside, outside in' is an annotated version of a script that had earlier become the monologue for a short film titled 'Unbecoming Boy: After Taylor Swift' (2019). In response to the issue's theme of 'Disorientation', these annotations consider a piece of writing 18 months later, following the many significant events in 2020 and 2021 which have affected local and global relations, publics, and politics. These annotations draw from existing literature that includes sources which informed the original script and new sources which have since informed readings of it. The writing begins by reflecting on excerpts from Zadkiel's Dream Book, which had originally informed the short film. Thoughts then 'return' to Nietzsche's famous text Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None. "Precisely, what conditions shape my selves?" I ask upon my return. Revisiting lyrics by Taylor Swift, and now also Harry Styles, the writing shifts back and forth from thoughts to rhetorical questions around repetition and accumulation, identity and gender non-conformity, interdependence and Covid-19, the city and its fall, as well as the imaginations and conceptions of time in capitalism. These thoughts and questions remain unresolved, but finally, we return to Chinatown in London, to what used to be the Sun Luen Snack Bar, where my father and his uncle used to work: "Sun Luen" meaning "New Union." Diffracting the 'new' of 'New Union', the final thoughts and questions in this article begin with "Excuse me, is anybody sitting here?

Comparative Analysis of Interactions of the RASSF Family Mediated by the Ras-association (RA) and SARAH domains

Members of the RASSF family (RASSF1-10) have been identified as candidate tumour suppressors that are frequently downregulated by promoter hypermethylation in cancers. These adaptor proteins carry a common Ras-association (RA) and SARAH domain (RASSF1-6) that can potentially bind Ras oncoproteins and mediate protein-protein interactions with other SARAH domain proteins (e.g. MST kinase). However, there is a notable lack of comparative characterisation of the RASSF family, as well as of molecular and structural information that facilitate their tumour suppressive functions. As part of our comparative analysis, we modelled the RA and SARAH domains of the RASSF members based on existing structures and predicted their potential interactions and the key residues involved. These in silico predictions were compared to in vitro studies and intracellular binding assays using Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET). Several SARAH domain mutants were also investigated for their effects on RASSF interactions. Furthermore, we compared the interactions of the RASSF family with several key proteins involved in death and NFκB signalling. Our biochemical data show a diversity of interactions within the RASSF family RA domain, whereas interactions between RASSF and MST correlate with the presence of the SARAH domain, which is supported by the FRET experiments. Mutations of specific non-polar residues in the dimerisation interface of the SARAH domain also prove detrimental to the interaction between selected RASSF members and MST. Moreover, we observed stimulation-dependent interactions between specific RASSF members and MOAP1, TNF-R1, DAPK and TBK1. These results suggest that different members, despite shared general architecture, may have distinct binding properties, but ultimately could share overlapping functions. Current data also support an interaction model where RASSF serves as an adaptor for the assembly of multiple protein complexes and further functional interactions, involving MST kinases and other interacting partners, which could be regulated by Ras

In such a chase...

'In such a chase...' is a dual-language poem. The poem retells a brief memory from childhood about an attempt to stop the world from moving too quickly. Written in response to public social and political discourse in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong in 2019, it calls on us to reflect on how we got here, and where it is are we going. Volume 5 of PROVA, published online in July 2020, takes its title and main questions from conversations that emerged from the conference 'Living Research - Urgency of the Arts' hosted by the National Association for Fine Art Education (NAFAE) and the Royal College of Art, London. The focus was to investigate ways that practice and research in the arts might be put to use and brought to bear on the urgent socio-political and environmental issues of our contemporary moment: what does arts and humanities research have to offer? The focus of this question was not on how arts research could be instrumentalised or applied in confrontation to these issues, but instead how the work of artists, arts workers, artistic researchers, and educators might lead to new understandings of our world(s) and the relations which form it. The poem is derived from a script originally written as a monologue for a short film presented as part of the conference's joint keynote address. This work was adapted for publication in print in June 2020, alongside works by other authors derived from the same event. The conference was held on the 15th March 2019

Loss of Endometrial Plasticity in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

© 2015 AlphaMed Press.Menstruation drives cyclic activation of endometrial progenitor cells, tissue regeneration, and maturation of stromal cells, which differentiate into specialized decidual cells prior to and during pregnancy. Aberrant responsiveness of human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) to deciduogenic cues is strongly associated with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), suggesting a defect in cellular maturation. MeDIP-seq analysis of HESCs did not reveal gross perturbations in CpG methylation in RPL cultures, although quantitative differences were observed in or near genes that are frequently deregulated in vivo. However, RPL was associated with a marked reduction in methylation of defined CA-rich motifs located throughout the genome but enriched near telomeres. Non-CpG methylation is a hallmark of cellular multipotency. Congruently, we demonstrate that RPL is associated with a deficiency in endometrial clonogenic cell populations. Loss of epigenetic stemness features also correlated with intragenic CpG hypomethylation and reduced expression of HMGB2, coding high mobility group protein 2. We show that knockdown of this sequence-independent chromatin protein in HESCs promotes senescence and impairs decidualization, exemplified by blunted time-dependent secretome changes. Our findings indicate that stem cell deficiency and accelerated stromal senescence limit the differentiation capacity of the endometrium and predispose for pregnancy failure. Stem Cells 2016;34:346-356 Recurrent pregnancy loss is caused by endometrial stem cell deficiency, triggering heightened tissue senescence and impaired decidualization

The impact of 3D Printing Technology on the Supply Chain: Manufacturing and Legal Perspectives

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordAn earlier version of this paper entitled “Impact of 3D Printing Technology on Supply Chain in China” was presented at the 24th International Conference on Production Research (ICPR 2017), Poznan, Poland, 30 July–3 August 2017. It is available in ORE at: http://hdl.handle.net/10871/311773D Printing (3DP) technology has been receiving increased public attention. Many companies are seeking ways to develop new means of creating and disseminating 3DP content, in order to capture new business opportunities. However, to date the true business opportunities of 3DP have not been completely uncovered. This research explores the challenges posed in the development and deployment of 3DP and focuses on China, which is still the main manufacturing hub of the world. The main purpose of this research is to uncover the obstacles that resist mass-scale applications of 3DP. By means of empirical semi-structured interviews with 3DP companies in China, it is found that many companies can see the benefits of 3DP, but its potential has not been delivered as promised. One reason is due to the fact that 3DP has not been integrated well in the supply chain. The other reason concerns potential intellectual property issues that cannot effectively prevent counterfeiting. To tackle the above issues, several areas have been identified that could be improved further. In particular, the legal complications concerning 3D-printed content could be overcome by a licensing platform.The work is sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Newton Fund, for the project “A Technological Licensing Framework for 3D printed content: A Focus on China”

Continuation of dabigatran therapy in "real-world" practice in Hong Kong

Background: Dabigatran, an oral direct thrombin inhibitor, possesses several advantages over warfarin that can in principle simplify the management of stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). Nonetheless it remains unclear whether these advantages can translate to clinical practice and encourage long-term therapy. The objective was to describe long-term dabigatran therapy for stroke prevention in AF and to identify risk factors for discontinuation of therapy. Methods and Results: We studied 467 consecutive Chinese patients (72±11 years, male: 53.8%) with a mean CHA2DS2-VASc score of 3.6 prescribed dabigatran for stroke prevention in AF from March 2010 to September 2013. Over a mean follow-up of 16 months, 101 patients (21.6%) permanently discontinued dabigatran. The mean time-to-discontinuation was 8 months. The most common reason for discontinuation was dyspepsia (30.7%), followed by other adverse events (17.8%) such as minor bleeding (8.9%), major gastrointestinal bleeding (7.9%), and intracranial hemorrhage (1%). Other reasons included dosing frequency (5.9%), fear of side effects (4.0%), lack of laboratory monitoring (1.0%), and cost (1.0%). Multivariable analysis revealed that low baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (p = 0.02), absence of hypertension (p= 0.01), and prior use of a proton-pump inhibitor (p = 0.02) and H2-receptor blocker (p = 0.01) were independent predictors of drug discontinuation. In addition, there were altogether 9 ischemic strokes (1.5%/years), 3 intracranial hemorrhages (0.5%/year), and 24 major gastrointestinal bleedings (4.1%/year). Conclusion: Dabigatran discontinuation is very common amongst Chinese AF patients. This reveals a management gap in the prevention of stroke in AF. © 2014 Ho et al.published_or_final_versio