Sticky Leverage

We develop a tractable general equilibrium model that captures the interplay between nominal long-term corporate debt, inflation, and real aggregates. We show that unanticipated inflation changes the real burden of debt and, more significantly, leads to a debt overhang that distorts future investment and production decisions. For these effects to be both large and very persistent, it is essential that debt maturity exceeds one period. We also show that interest rate rules can help stabilize our economy

Fusion PET-CT imaging of neurolymphomatosis

In a patient suffering from peripheral neuropathy due to neurolymphomatosis, fused PET-CT imaging, performed on a novel in-line PET-CT system, showed multiple small nodular lesions extending along the peripheral nerves corresponding to an early relapse of a transformed B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphom

Psychological Distress and Well-Being among Students of Health Disciplines: The Importance of Academic Satisfaction

Background: Research on the mental health of students in health disciplines mainly focuses on psychological distress and nursing and medical students. This study aimed to investigate the psychological well-being and distress and related factors among undergraduate students training in eight different health-related tracks in Geneva, Switzerland. Methods: This cross-sectional study used established self-filled scales for anxiety, depression, stress, psychological well-being, and study satisfaction. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression analyses were applied. Results: In October 2019, out of 2835 invited students, 915 (32%) completed the survey. Lower academic satisfaction scores were strongly associated with depression (β = −0.26, p < 0.001), anxiety (β = −0.27, p < 0.001), and stress (β = −0.70, p < 0.001), while higher scores were associated with psychological well-being (β = 0.70, p < 0.001). Being female was strongly associated with anxiety and stress but not with depression or psychological well-being. Increased age was associated with enhanced psychological well-being. The nature of the academic training had a lesser impact on mental health and the academic year had none. Conclusion: Academic satisfaction strongly predicts depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological well-being. Training institutions should address the underlying factors that can improve students’ satisfaction with their studies while ensuring that they have access to psychosocial services that help them cope with mental distress and enhance their psychological well-bein

Rituximab-EPOCH, an effective salvage therapy for relapsed, refractory or transformed B-cell lymphomas: results of a phase II study

Background: Relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell and mantle-cell lymphoma have a poor prognosis. The EPOCH regimen and rituximab monotherapy have demonstrated activity as salvage therapies. Because of their non-overlapping toxicity, we evaluated their combination as salvage therapy in a phase II study. Patients and methods: Patients with relapsed or refractory CD20-positive large B-cell and mantle-cell lymphoma were offered treatment with rituximab 375 mg/m2 intravenously (i.v.) on day 1, doxorubicin 15 mg/m2 as a continuous i.v. infusion on days 2-4, etoposide 65 mg/m2 as a continuous i.v. infusion on days 2-4, vincristine 0.5 mg as a continuous i.v. infusion on days 2-4, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2 i.v. on day 5 and prednisone 60 mg/m2 orally on days 1-14. Results: Fifty patients, with a median age of 56 years (range 23-72), entered the study. Twenty-five had primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 18 transformed large B-cell lymphoma and seven mantle-cell lymphoma. The median number of prior chemotherapy regimens was 1.7 (range one to four). The median number of treatment cycles was four (range one to six). Possible treatment-related death occurred in two patients. Objective responses were obtained in 68% of patients (28% complete responses, 40% partial responses). Nineteen patients received consolidating high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem-cell transplantation. The median follow-up was 33 months. Three patients developed a secondary myelodysplastic syndrome. The median overall survival was 17.9 months; the projected overall survival at 1, 2 and 3 years was 66, 42 and 35%, respectively. The median event-free survival was 11.8 months; the projected event-free survival at 1, 2 and 3 years was 50, 30 and 26%, respectively. Conclusion: The rituximab-EPOCH regimen is effective and well tolerated, even in extensively pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma and mantle-cell lymphom

Chemical diversity of gas in distant galaxies: The metal and dust enrichment and variations within absorbing galaxies

The chemical composition of gas in galaxies can be measured in detail from absorption spectroscopy. By studying gas in galaxies in this way, it is possible to investigate the small and faint galaxies, which are the most numerous in the universe. In particular, the chemical distribution of gas in absorbing systems gives us insight into cycles of gas in and around galaxies. Here we study chemical enrichment within 64 Damped Lyman-alpha Absorption (DLA) systems between $1.7 < z < 4.2$. We use high-resolution spectra from VLT/UVES to infer dust depletion from relative abundances of several metals. We perform a component-by-component analysis within DLAs, and characterise variations in their chemical enrichment. Unlike hydrogen, the metal columns can be characterised for individual components. We use them to derive the dust depletion ([Zn/Fe]fit), as an indicator for chemical enrichment. We find that some DLAs are chemically diverse within themselves, with [Zn/Fe]fit ranging up to 0.62 dex within a single system. This suggests that absorbing gas within these galaxies is chemically diverse. Although we do not find a clear trend of decreasing dust depletion with redshift, we do see that the most chemically enriched systems are at lower redshifts. We also observe evidence for dust-poor components at all redshifts, which may be due to the accretion of pristine gas onto galaxies. We combine the chemical and kinematic properties of the individual gas components and observe potential signatures of infalling gas, with low depletion at velocities below $\sim$100km/s, and outflows, with high depletion and velocities of $\sim$600km/s. We find over-abundances of alpha-elements (an enhancement of $\sim$0.3dex) and under-abundances of Mn in several components, which is likely a signature of core-collapse SNe nucleosythesis in the ISM. We observe these effects mostly at lower levels of chemical enrichment.Comment: 56 pages, 99 figures, Accepted for publication in A&A, Abstract abridged for arXi

Cell-free DNA analysis in healthy individuals by next-generation sequencing: a proof of concept and technical validation study.

Pre-symptomatic screening of genetic alterations might help identify subpopulations of individuals that could enter into early access prevention programs. Since liquid biopsy is minimally invasive it can be used for longitudinal studies in healthy volunteers to monitor events of progression from normal tissue to pre-cancerous and cancerous condition. Yet, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis in healthy individuals comes with substantial challenges such as the lack of large cohort studies addressing the impact of mutations in healthy individuals or the low abundance of cfDNA in plasma. In this study, we aimed to investigate the technical feasibility of cfDNA analysis in a collection of 114 clinically healthy individuals. We first addressed the impact of pre-analytical factors such as cfDNA yield and quality on sequencing performance and compared healthy to cancer donor samples. We then confirmed the validity of our testing strategy by evaluating the mutational status concordance in matched tissue and plasma specimens collected from cancer patients. Finally, we screened our group of healthy donors for genetic alterations, comparing individuals who did not develop any tumor to patients who developed either a benign neoplasm or cancer during 1-10 years of follow-up time. To conclude, we have established a rapid and reliable liquid biopsy workflow that allowed us to study genomic alterations with a limit of detection as low as 0.08% of variant allelic frequency in healthy individuals. We detected pathogenic cancer mutations in four healthy donors that later developed a benign neoplasm or invasive breast cancer up to 10 years after blood collection. Even though larger prospective studies are needed to address the specificity and sensitivity of liquid biopsy as a clinical tool for early cancer detection, systematic screening of healthy individuals will help understanding early events of tumor formation

Cognitive Functioning in Patients Remitted from Recurrent Depression: Comparison with Acutely Depressed Patients and Controls and Follow-up of a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Trial

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a promising intervention to prevent depressive relapse. Yet beyond efficacy studies, little is known regarding the mechanisms that could be modified through MBCT. Objectives of the present study were twofold: determine whether cognitive functioning was altered among patients remitted from depression at admission in a MBCT trial; and document possible changes during the trial and follow-up. In a cross-sectional perspective, cognitive functioning (autobiographical memory, shifting capacities, dysfunctional attitudes, mindful attention awareness and rumination habits) was first compared between 36 patients remitted from depression, 20 acutely depressed patients and 20 control participants. In a longitudinal perspective, changes in the remitted sample were explored during a MBCT plus Treatment As Usual versus Treatment As Usual randomized controlled trial and 9-month follow-up. Performances of remitted patients were similar to the ones of control participants for autobiographical memories, shifting capacities, and mindful attention awareness, whereas levels of rumination and dysfunctional attitudes were significantly elevated. Participation in the MBCT program was accompanied with a significant decrease of dysfunctional attitudes that continued up to 9-month postintervention. No other change was observed that was specific to MBCT. Results suggest that MBCT might help people to identify dysfunctional attitudes at a very early stage and to avoid engaging further in these attitude

Analytic frameworks for assessing dialogic argumentation in online learning environments

Over the last decade, researchers have developed sophisticated online learning environments to support students engaging in argumentation. This review first considers the range of functionalities incorporated within these online environments. The review then presents five categories of analytic frameworks focusing on (1) formal argumentation structure, (2) normative quality, (3) nature and function of contributions within the dialog, (4) epistemic nature of reasoning, and (5) patterns and trajectories of participant interaction. Example analytic frameworks from each category are presented in detail rich enough to illustrate their nature and structure. This rich detail is intended to facilitate researchers’ identification of possible frameworks to draw upon in developing or adopting analytic methods for their own work. Each framework is applied to a shared segment of student dialog to facilitate this illustration and comparison process. Synthetic discussions of each category consider the frameworks in light of the underlying theoretical perspectives on argumentation, pedagogical goals, and online environmental structures. Ultimately the review underscores the diversity of perspectives represented in this research, the importance of clearly specifying theoretical and environmental commitments throughout the process of developing or adopting an analytic framework, and the role of analytic frameworks in the future development of online learning environments for argumentation

Short-term memory for emotional faces in dysphoria

The study aimed to determine if the memory bias for negative faces previously demonstrated in depression and dysphoria generalises from long- to short-term memory. A total of 29 dysphoric (DP) and22 non-dysphoric (ND) participants were presented with a series of faces and asked to identify the emotion portrayed (happiness, sadness, anger, or neutral affect). Following a delay, four faces were presented (the original plus three distractors) and participants were asked to identify the target face. Half of the trials assessed memory for facial emotion, and the remaining trials examined memory for facial identity. At encoding, no group differences were apparent. At memory testing, relative to ND participants, DP participants exhibited impaired memory for all types of facial emotion and for facial identity when the faces featured happiness, anger, or neutral affect, but not sadness. DP participants exhibited impaired identity memory for happy faces relative to angry, sad, and neutral, whereas ND participants exhibited enhanced facial identity memory when faces were angry. In general, memory for faces was not related to performance at encoding. However, in DP participants only, memory for sad faces was related to sadness recognition at encoding. The results suggest that the negative memory bias for faces in dysphoria does not generalise from long- to short-term memory