Don’t Get Screwed: What Factors Determine the Inclusion of J. Crew Blockers?

A “J. Crew Maneuver” is a type of collateral-stripping event that transfers the value of a nearly insolvent company from the lender to the borrower. This concept matters to lenders because it exposes them to significant downside risk through the loss of hundreds of millions of pledged collateral. While credit analysts and debt lawyers have commented on the importance of preserving creditor value ex ante through lender-protective clauses embedded within debt documents, this paper breaks ground on empirically studying the determinants of these protective clauses known as “J. Crew Blockers”. I hypothesize that private equity backing, a contractionary credit environment, contractual “stickiness” and the presence of an innovative law firm all influence the likelihood of observing J. Crew Blockers in debt documents. Using a multiple regression analysis as my primary regression, I analyze 10,370 debt contracts to find that contractual stickiness is the greatest contributing factor to likelihood of J. Crew Blocker inclusion, with other factors contributing residually

Hetton-Le-Hole: the genesis of a coalmining landscape 1770-1860

The thesis is concerned with the study of the growth of a major coal-mining settlement in the parish of Hetton-le-Hole in east Durham. By the use of cartographic, censal and documentary source material in conjunction with relict landscape evidence, the thesis firstly seeks to explore in detail the morphological evolution of the settlement in relation to the pre-mining landscape. A second section consists of an analysis of the occupation and social structure of the coal-mining households as well as their patterns of movement prior to 1851. The final section takes the form of a total reconstruction of the social and economic life of the community that existed at Hetton in 1851, some thirty years after the initial colliery sinkings in the parish Although the growth of the settlement was very rapid, particularly in the first ten years following' the opening of Hetton colliery in 1822, the plan of the mining settlement evolved subject to the constraints of the earlier rural landscape. In addition, the influence of the landowners and their relationships with the Hetton coal company, was considerable in determining the ultimate form of the settlement. 53.7% of the households in Hetton in 1851 were occupied by coalminers and their families, which were considerably larger than those of the non-coalmining element in the community; the mining families were highly mobile and had migrated in the thirty years before 1851 largely from contracting to expanding sectors of the Northumberland and Durham coalfield. Very few miners originated from rural parts of the North East or from other parts of the country. Within the community as a whole coal-mining dominated the economic life and provided the only large-scale high capitalized source of employment. Most of the remaining workers provided goods and services for the miners on a small- scale craft basis. Very few long-distance migrants lived in Hetton in 1851, save the Irish and the Scots. The former rarely worked in the collieries, but found employment by the provision of low-grade services. The latter in general were more highly skilled than the Irish. An analysis of the occupations throughout the settlement revealed a partial zonation, with the miners concentrated in rows built on land owned by the coal company; in no street however did the incidence of coalmining households fall below 25%. In summary, therefore, this thesis provides a detailed study of the evolution of a coal-mining landscape in one parish in east Durham

East Durham: mining colonisation and the genesis of the colliery landscape, 1770-1851,

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the spatial outcomes of the extension of coal mining onto the concealed coalfield of east Durham in the first half of the nineteenth century. Here, in contrast to the long-established exposed sections of the North-Eastern coalfield, raining was developed suddenly consequent upon the first successful sinkings through the Magnesian Limestone at Hetton-le-Hole between l820 and 1822.In more detail, the first objective of the work is to reconstruct the agrarian base upon which the colliery landscape was superimposed. The agrarian base is presented as a cadaster composed of patterns of landownership, landholding, settlements, fields and land-use that provided a spatial matrix within which the process of mining colonisation developed. Subsequently, the following three questions are examined: (i) to what extent did the legal relationships between the east Durham landowners and the colliery companies structure the emergent locational pattern of the colliery landscape in terms of the siting of the mines with their associated surface installations, the colliery settlements and the transport lines? (ii) what was the social structure of these rapidly-developed mining communities? (iii) what effect did the sudden creation of large-scale centres of mining employment have upon patterns of labour mobility? By this means, it is intended to analyse, in terms of a regional case study, the impact of coal mining upon the human geography of east Durham. Because of the nature of these objectives, the work is essentially ideographic rather than nomothetic in concept, empirical rather than theoretical in approach, the overall aim being to present the spatial outcomes of the complex and at times subtle relationships between man, technology and' resource in this small corner of the Industrial Revolutio

Final survival analysis of topotecan and paclitaxel for first-line treatment of advanced cervical cancer: An NRG oncology randomized study

Càncer de coll uterí; Platí; TopotecanCáncer de cuello uterino; Platino; TopotecanCervical cancer; Platinum; TopotecanObjective To determine whether a non‑platinum chemotherapy doublet improves overall survival (OS) among patients with recurrent/metastatic cervical carcinoma. Methods Gynecologic Oncology Group protocol 240 is a phase 3, randomized, open-label, clinical trial that studied the efficacy of paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 plus topotecan 0.75 mg/m2 days 1–3 (n = 223) vs cisplatin 50 mg/m2 plus paclitaxel 135 or 175 mg/m2 (n = 229), in 452 patients with recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer. Each chemotherapy doublet was also studied with and without bevacizumab (15 mg/kg). Cycles were repeated every 21 days until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or complete response. The primary endpoints were OS and the frequency and severity of adverse effects. We report the final analysis of OS. Results At the protocol-specified final analysis, median OS was 16.3 (cisplatin-paclitaxel backbone) and 13.8 months (topotecan-paclitaxel backbone) (HR 1.12; 95% CI, 0.91–1.38; p = 0.28). Median OS for cisplatin-paclitaxel and topotecan-paclitaxel was 15 vs 12 months, respectively (HR 1.10; 95% CI,0.82–1.48; p = 0.52), and for cisplatin-paclitaxel-bevacizumab and topotecan-paclitaxel-bevacizumab was 17.5 vs 16.2 months, respectively (HR 1.16; 95% CI, 0.86–1.56; p = 0.34). Among the 75% of patients in the study population previously exposed to platinum, median OS was 14.6 (cisplatin-paclitaxel backbone) vs 12.9 months (topotecan-paclitaxel backbone), respectively (HR 1.09; 95% CI, 0.86–1.38;p = 0.48). Post-progression survival was 7.9 (cisplatin-paclitaxel backbone) vs 8.1 months (topotecan-paclitaxel backbone) (HR 0.95; 95% CI, 0.75–1.19). Grade 4 hematologic toxicity was similar between chemotherapy backbones. Conclusions Topotecan plus paclitaxel does not confer a survival benefit to women with recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer, even among platinum-exposed patients. Topotecan-paclitaxel should not be routinely recommended in this population.This study was supported by the following National Cancer Institute and Genentech grants: NRG Oncology (1U10CA180822), NRG Operations (U10CA180868) and NCORP grant UG1CA189867

Prospective Validation of Pooled Prognostic Factors in Women with Advanced Cervical Cancer Treated with Chemotherapy with/without Bevacizumab: NRG Oncology/GOG Study

PURPOSE: In the randomized phase III trial, Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) protocol 240, the incorporation of bevacizumab with chemotherapy significantly increased overall survival (OS) in women with advanced cervical cancer. A major objective of GOG-240 was to prospectively analyze previously identified pooled clinical prognostic factors known as the Moore criteria. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Potential negative factors included black race, performance status 1, pelvic disease, prior cisplatin, and progression-free interval <365 days. Risk categories included low-risk (0-1 factor), mid-risk (2-3 factors), and high-risk (4-5 factors). Each test of association was conducted at the 5% level of significance. Logistic regression and survival analysis was used to determine whether factors were prognostic or could be used to guide therapy. RESULTS: For the entire population (n = 452), high-risk patients had significantly worse OS (P < 0.0001). The HRs of death for treating with topotecan in low-risk, mid-risk, and high-risk subsets are 1.18 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.63-2.24], 1.11 (95% CI, 0.82-1.5), and 0.84 (95% CI, 0.50-1.42), respectively. The HRs of death for treating with bevacizumab in low-risk, mid-risk, and high-risk subsets are 0.96 (95% CI, 0.51-1.83; P = 0.9087), 0.673 (95% CI, 0.5-0.91; P = 0.0094), and 0.536 (95% CI, 0.32-0.905; P = 0.0196), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first prospectively validated scoring system in cervical cancer. The Moore criteria have real-world clinical applicability. Toxicity concerns may justify omission of bevacizumab in some low-risk patients where survival benefit is small. The benefit to receiving bevacizumab appears to be greatest in the moderate- and high-risk subgroups (5.8-month increase in median OS)

Randomized phase II trial of bevacizumab plus everolimus versus bevacizumab alone for recurrent or persistent ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal carcinoma: An NRG oncology/gynecologic oncology group study

PURPOSE: Bevacizumab (BV) monotherapy leads to compensatory upregulation of multiple signaling pathways, resulting in mTOR activation. We evaluated combining BV and everolimus (EV), an mTOR kinase inhibitor, to circumvent BV-resistance in women with recurrent or persistent ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer (OC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible OC patients had measurable (RECIST1.1) or detectable disease, 1-3 prior regimens, performance status (PS) 0-2, and no prior m-TOR inhibitor. All patients received BV 10 mg/kg IV every 2wks. Patients were randomized (1:1) to oral EV (10 mg daily) or placebo stratified by platinum-free interval (PFI), measurable disease and prior BV. Primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary endpoints included safety and response. RESULTS: 150 patients were randomized to BV with (n = 75) and without (n = 75) EV. Arms were well-balanced for age (median 63: range 28-92), PS (0: 73%, 1-2: 27%), prior regimens (1: 37%, 2: 47%, 3: 16%), prior BV (11%), PFI (<6mos: 65%) and measurable disease (81%). The BV + EV vs BV median PFS was 5.9 vs 4.5 months (hazard ratio [HR] 0.95 (95% CI, 0.66-1.37, p = 0.39)). Median OS was 16.6 vs 17.3 months (HR 1.16 (95% CI, 0.72-1.87, p = 0.55). Objective measurable responses were higher with BV + EV (22% vs 12%). Study removal due to toxicity was higher with BV + EV (29% vs 12%). Toxicity (≥grade 3) from BV + EV were "other GI (mucositis)" (23 vs 1%) and "metabolic/nutrition" (19 vs. 7%); common ≥ grade 2 toxicities with BV + EV were cytopenia, nausea, fatigue and rash. CONCLUSION: The combination regimen (BV + EV) did not significantly reduce the hazard of progression or death relative to BV and was associated with higher rates of adverse events and study discontinuation when compared to BV alone

Germline mutations in the DNA damage response genes BRCA1, BRCA2, BARD1 and TP53 in patients with therapy related myeloid neoplasms

Therapy related myeloid neoplasms (t-MNs) are complex diseases originating from an interplay between exogenous toxicities and a susceptible organism. It has been hypothesised that in a subset of cases t-MNs develop in the context of hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes