Competing Auctions

This paper studies the conditions under which two competing and otherwise identical markets or auction sites of different sizes can coexist in equilibrium, without the larger one attracting all of the smaller one’s patrons. We find that the range of equilibrium market sizes depends on the aggregate buyer-seller ratio, and also whether the markets are especially "thin. "

Wills, Trusts, and Estates

Between legislative and judicial activity, there have been a number of noteworthy developments and changes to the rules governing trusts and estates. Several of these developments turn on questions related to the role of fiduciaries, what responsibilities they have with respect to reporting as well as asset management, and when they can be removed. These questions concerning fiduciaries implicitly address the rights of beneficiaries and the protections available to them. New developments also will have multiple repercussions for estate planners and wealth managers. New planning strategies in response to changes in the law of undue influence may become important to consider and recent judicial opinions may influence a planner’s drafting decisions, particularly with respect to no-contest and arbitration clauses. Overall, the developments clarify the balance of rights and responsibilities allocated between settlors, beneficiaries, and fiduciaries and, in many cases, bolster the rights of beneficiaries and those under legal guardianship

Chapter: “Health Law and Ethics”

Law and ethics are both essential attributes of a high-functioning health care system and powerful explainers of why the existing system is so difficult to improve. U.S. health law is not seamless; rather, it derives from multiple sources and is based on various theories that may be in tension with one another. There are state laws and federal laws, laws setting standards and laws providing funding, laws reinforcing professional prerogatives, laws furthering social goals, and laws promoting market competition. Complying with law is important, but health professionals also should understand that the legal and ethical constraints under which health systems operate must themselves adapt if health systems science is to advance

Enhanced mtDNA repair and cellular survival following oxidative stress by targeting the hOGG repair enzyme to mitochondria.

Oxidative damage to mtDNA has been implicated as a causative factor in many disease processes and in aging. We have recently discovered that different cell types vary in their capacity to repair this damage, and this variability correlates with their ability to withstand oxidative stress. To explore strategies to enhance repair of oxidative lesions in mtDNA, we have constructed a vector containing a mitochondrial transport sequence upstream of the sequence for human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase. This enzyme is the glycosylase/AP lyase that participates in repair of purine lesions, such as 8-oxoguanine. Western blot analysis confirmed this recombinant protein was targeted to mitochondria. Enzyme activity assays showed that mitochondrial extracts from cells transfected with the construct had increased enzyme activity compared to cells transfected with vector only, while nuclear enzyme activity was not changed. Repair assays showed that there was enhanced repair of oxidative lesions in mtDNA. Additional studies revealed that this augmented repair led to enhanced cellular viability as determined by reduction of tetrazolium compound to formazan, Trypan blue dye exclusion, and clonogenic assays. Therefore, targeting of DNA repair enzymes to mitochondria may be a viable approach for the protection of cells against some of the deleterious effects of oxidative stress

Factors Affecting Gastropod Larval Development and Performance: A Systematic Review

The goal of this article was to use a systematic review of studies on the larval stages of gastropods reared to metamorphosis to determine whether there are general patterns for the effects of temperature, rearing density, and food availability on larval development and performance among species, major taxa, and modes of development. Most studies did not include sufficient metadata to be included in many of the analyses. For all analyses, there were differences among major groups of taxa in terms of response to the considered variables. Increased temperature was frequently correlated with decreased development time and increased growth but often not for the same taxa. Increased larval density was generally correlated with increased development time, but again, the patterns were not consistent across taxa. The most consistent pattern was the positive correlation between per capita food availability and larval growth. In all but two cases, patterns for the most studied species, Crepidula fornicata, were opposite those of other caenogastropods. This indicates that caution should be used when drawing general patterns among species based on studies of C. fornicata. Among lecithotrophs, the vetigastropod Haliotis rufescens was the most studied. In this case, patterns found for this species were similar to those for all other vetigastropods; however, few species outside the genus Haliotis have been studied. Increased temperature was associated with reduced survivorship and, in the most studied clade, the Vetigastropoda, reduced time to metamorphosis, which suggests that there may be an energetic cost to more rapid development or physiological mechanisms for coping with heat stress. Curiously, increased larval density was associated with increased survivorship for lecithotrophs. In several cases, however, there were too few studies, or the studies that were found did not provide enough metadata to be included in analyses. Although some patterns emerged from existing research on gastropod larvae, studies on a more diverse set of species that report all metadata are required for cross-study comparisons, which are crucial for drawing robust general conclusions

Behavioral, Cognitive, and Socioemotional Pathways from Early Childhood Adversity to BMI: Evidence from Two Prospective, Longitudinal Studies

Childhood adversity is associated with higher adult weight, but few investigations prospectively test mechanisms accounting for this association. Using two socioeconomically high-risk prospective longitudinal investigations, the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation (MLSRA; N = 267; 45.3% female) and the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS; n = 2,587; 48.5% female), pathways between childhood adversity and later body mass index (BMI) were tested using impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, and overeating as mediators. Childhood adversity from 0 to 5 years included four types of adversities: greater unpredictability, threat/abuse, deprivation/neglect, and low socioeconomic status. Parents reported on child impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, and overeating. Height and weight were self-reported and measured at 32 and 37 years in MLSRA and at 15 years in FFCWS. FFCWS results indicated that threat, deprivation, and low socioeconomic status predicted greater impulsivity and emotion dysregulation at 5 years, which in turn predicted greater overeating at 9 years and higher BMI z-score at 15 years. Early unpredictability in FFCWS predicted higher BMI through greater impulsivity but not emotion dysregulation at age 5. MLSRA regression results replicated the threat/abuse → emotion dysregulation → overeating → higher BMI pathway. These findings suggest that different dimensions of early adversity may follow both similar and unique pathways to predict BMI

Validity and Wearability of Consumer-based Fitness Trackers in Free-living Children

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(5): 471-482, 2019. Over the past decade wearable fitness trackers (WFTs) have grown in popularity with more recent versions able to capture the pulse rate noninvasively on the wrist of the wearer. Most of evidence on the validity of WFTs have explored adults in clinical settings. Thus, the purpose of this study is to 1) evaluate the validity of a wrist-placed WFT in determining heart rate, and 2) examine the wear compliance of a wrist-placed WFT, in children in free-living settings. In study 1, 19 children (5-12yrs) wore a Fitbit Charge HR© and a Polar chest strap heart rate (HR) monitor for 2 hours while performing sedentary-to-vigorous activities at a holiday camp in December 2016. In study 2, 20 children with mild developmental disabilities (8-13yrs) were asked to wear a Fitbit Alta HR© during summer 2017. In study 1, mean absolute percent difference between the WFT HR and criterion was 6.9%. Overall, \u3e75% of WFT HRs were within 5-10% of the criterion. Bland Altman plots indicated a moderate-to-high level of agreement between the WFT and criterion (mean difference 4.1%; Limits of Agreement 26.8, -18.5%). In study 2, participants had the device in their possession for 43 days (SD±14, range 14 – 56 days) and wore it on 67% of those days (range: 20 – 96%) for at least 10 hours/day. Preliminary evidence suggests that WFTs can provide comparable HR estimates to a criterion field-based measure and children can wear WFTs for extended monitoring periods in free-living settings

Development and validation of a novel molecular biomarker diagnostic test for the early detection of sepsis

Introduction: Sepsis is a complex immunological response to infection characterized by early hyper-inflammation followed by severe and protracted immunosuppression, suggesting that a multi-marker approach has the greatest clinical utility for early detection, within a clinical environment focused on Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) differentiation. Pre-clinical research using an equine sepsis model identified a panel of gene expression biomarkers that define the early aberrant immune activation. Thus, the primary objective was to apply these gene expression biomarkers to distinguish patients with sepsis from those who had undergone major open surgery and had clinical outcomes consistent with systemic inflammation due to physical trauma and wound healing

Examining the Experience of Teen-to-Teen Crisis Line Work for Adolescent Volunteers: A Pilot Study

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are high and increasing among youth. Crisis lines are one of the oldest downstream approaches for suicide prevention, which have demonstrated effectiveness for adults and preliminary effectiveness for youth. Teen-to-teen (t2t) crisis lines are a unique resource where adolescent volunteers help their similarly aged peers (through texts, chats, calls, and emails). However, no research to date has examined the impacts of t2t crisis line volunteering on the youth. The goal of this pilot study is to begin to evaluate the experience of t2t crisis lines for the youth volunteers. Adolescent (n=20, ages 15-20) volunteers were recruited from two of the largest crisis lines in the U.S. – Teen Line and YouthLine. Enrolled volunteers were administered surveys assessing positive/helpful experiences, negative/unhelpful experiences, and motivations for joining the t2t crisis line. Volunteers were assessed up to five times over the course of one year; once at baseline and then every three months for up to one year (baseline, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up, 9-month follow-up, 12-month/1-year follow-up). Direct content analysis was used to examine the experiences and motivations of volunteering on the crisis line. Preliminary results indicate that all volunteers reported some positive aspects of the t2t line experience, and many reported some negative aspects as well.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2023_sciences/1011/thumbnail.jp