Political rights, taxation, and firm valuation : evidence from Saxony around 1900

The extension of the franchise to social groups with less property and income is associated with greater income redistribution from the rich to the poor and extension in the provision of public goods, which leads to the growth of government expenditure. All of these expected changes are costly and therefore a higher taxation of citizens and industrial firms can be expected, which might have negative effects on investors behavior. The present paper studies the effects of changes in the suffrage in the Kingdom of Saxony at the end of the 19th Century on stock market prices of Saxon firms listed on the Berlin stock exchange: Here the electoral law was changed twice: In 1896 a very restrictive franchise was introduced, which was abolished in 1909 and replaced by a more democratic electoral law. By applying standard event study methodology, we can provide evidence that the restriction of the electoral law had positive effects on Saxon firms on the stock market, where by the extension in 1909 had negative effects on the stock market

Nanofriction mechanisms derived from the dependence of friction on load and sliding velocity from air to UHV on hydrophilic silicon

This paper examines friction as a function of the sliding velocity and applied normal load from air to UHV in a scanning force microscope (SFM) experiment in which a sharp silicon tip slides against a flat Si(100) sample. Under ambient conditions, both surfaces are covered by a native oxide, which is hydrophilic. During pump-down in the vacuum chamber housing the SFM, the behavior of friction as a function of the applied normal load and the sliding velocity undergoes a change. By analyzing these changes it is possible to identify three distinct friction regimes with corresponding contact properties: (a) friction dominated by the additional normal forces induced by capillarity due to the presence of thick water films, (b) higher drag force from ordering effects present in thin water layers and (c) low friction due to direct solid-solid contact for the sample with the counterbody. Depending on environmental conditions and the applied normal load, all three mechanisms may be present at one time. Their individual contributions can be identified by investigating the dependence of friction on the applied normal load as well as on the sliding velocity in different pressure regimes, thus providing information about nanoscale friction mechanisms

Case report: Surgical repair of a large tracheo-esophageal fistula in a patient with post-transplant esophageal lymphoproliferative disorder

Introduction and importance The management of large malignant tracheo-esophageal fistulas (TEF) is not standardized. Herein, we report a case with a malignant TEF associated with esophageal post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) for whom we successfully performed a surgical repair. This contributes to the knowledge on how to treat large acquired malignant TEFs. Case presentation A 69-year old male presented with a one-week history of fever, productive cough and bilateral coarse crackles. In addition, he described a weight loss of 10 kg during the past three months. The patient's history included a kidney transplantation twenty years ago. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy with a biopsy of the esophagus was performed nine days before. Histopathology showed a PTLD of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtype. Subsequent diagnostics revealed a progressive TEF (approx. 2.0 × 1.5 cm) 3.0 cm above the carina. PET-CT scan showed an esophagus with slight tracer uptake in the middle third (approx. 11.5 cm length, SUV max 7.4). After decision against stenting, transthoracic subtotal esophagectomy with closure of the tracheal mouth of the fistula by a pedicled flap was performed. PTLD was treated with prednisone and rituximab. Tumor progression (brain metastasis) led to death 95 days after surgery. Clinical discussion The treatment of a malignant TEF is complex and personalized while both the consequences of the esophago-tracheal connection and those of the underlying responsible diagnosis have to be considered concurrently. In this case, we considered surgery as the best treatment option due to a relatively good prognosis of the underlying diagnosis (PTLD) and a large fistula. Esophageal or dual stenting, the treatment of choice for small malignant TEF, would have been associated with a high risk of failure due to the wide trachea, extensively dilated esophagus, proximal location and large diameter of the fistula. Conclusion Surgery can be considered for patients with a large acquired malignant TEF and positive long-term prognosis of the underlying diagnosis. Due to the complexity of TEF management, immediate pre-operative multidisciplinary discussion is advised

Prognostic significance of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in malignant pleural mesothelioma

Background: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a morphologic transdifferentiation of carcinomas, conferring increased tumour invasiveness, but may also be applied to the epithelioid versus sarcomatoid histotype of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Herein, we correlated proteins of a putative MPM-EMT axis, including periostin, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), integrin beta1, phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN), integrin-linked kinase (ILK), p21 and p27, with clinico-pathologic parameters, in particular overall survival (OS). Patients and Methods: A retrospective cohort of 352 mostly untreated patients with MPM was investigated by immunohistochemistry of a tissue microarray. Protein expression intensities were semi-quantitatively scored from 0 to 3 in their respective compartments, including peritumoural stroma as well as tumour cell plasma membrane, cytoplasm or nucleus. Data were correlated with histotype and survival outcome. Results: A total of 32% of the tumours were diagnosed as epithelioid, 13% as sarcomatoid and 55% as biphasic histotype. High expression of membranous EGFR and integrin beta1 as well as nuclear p27 correlated with the epithelioid and high expression of cytoplasmic tumoural and stromal periostin with the sarcomatoid histotype. The median survival time of the 128 patients with complete follow-up data was 11.7 months. Univariate survival analysis revealed age, epithelioid histotype and any therapy as prognosticators for better OS. High expression of cytoplasmic PTEN or ILK as well as high expression of nuclear p21 or p27 correlated with increased, whereas high expression of cytoplasmic periostin with decreased OS (all p values <0.05). Multivariate Cox regression revealed any treatment, low cytoplasmic periostin and high cytoplasmic PTEN as independent prognosticators for better OS. Conclusion: Activation of periostin-triggered EMT is associated with the sarcomatoid histotype and has an impact on shorter survival of MPM patients. Finally, only the high expression of PTEN and the low expression of cytosolic periostin could be shown to be independent prognostic factors for longer O

Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Chronic Fibrosing Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias

Background Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common finding in patients with chronic fibrosing idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP). Little is known about the response to pulmonary vasodilator therapy in this patient population. COMPERA is an international registry that prospectively captures data from patients with various forms of PH receiving pulmonary vasodilator therapies. Methods We retrieved data from COMPERA to compare patient characteristics, treatment patterns, response to therapy and survival in newly diagnosed patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) and PH associated with IIP (PH-IIP). Results Compared to patients with IPAH (n = 798), patients with PH-IIP (n = 151) were older and predominantly males. Patients with PH-IIP were treated predominantly with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (88% at entry, 87% after 1 year). From baseline to the first follow-up visit, the median improvement in 6MWD was 30 m in patients with IPAH and 24.5 m in patients with PH-IIP (p = 0.457 for the difference between both groups). Improvements in NYHA functional class were observed in 22.4% and 29.5% of these patients, respectively (p = 0.179 for the difference between both groups). Survival rates were significantly worse in PH-IIP than in IPAH (3-year survival 34.0 versus 68.6%; p<0.001). Total lung capacity, NYHA class IV, and mixed-venous oxygen saturation were independent predictors of survival in patients with PH-IIP. Conclusions Patients with PH-IIP have a dismal prognosis. Our results suggest that pulmonary vasodilator therapy may be associated with short-term functional improvement in some of these patients but it is unclear whether this treatment affects survival

Neural Correlates of Recognition Memory in Children with Febrile Seizures: Evidence from Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Febrile seizures (FS) are assumed to not have adverse long-term effects on cognitive development. Nevertheless, FS are often associated with hippocampal sclerosis which can imply episodic memory deficits. This interrelation has hardly been studied so far. In the current study 13 children who had suffered from FS during infancy and 14 control children (7 to 9-years-old) were examined for episodic and semantic memory with standardized neuropsychological tests. Furthermore, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we studied neuronal activation while the children performed a continuous recognition memory task. The analysis of the behavioral data of the neuropsychological tests and the recognition memory experiment did not reveal any between-group differences in memory performance. Consistent with other studies fMRI revealed repetition enhancement effects for both groups in a variety of brain regions (e.g., right middle frontal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus) and a repetition suppression effect in the right superior temporal gyrus. Different neural activation patterns between both groups were obtained selectively within the right supramarginal gyrus (BA 40). In the control group correct rejections of new items were associated with stronger activation than correctly identified old items (HITs) whereas in the FS group no difference occurred. On the background that the right supramarginal gyrus is assumed to mediate a top-down process to internally direct attention toward recollected information, the results could indicate that control children used strategic recollection in order to reject new items (recall-to-reject). In contrast, the missing effect in the FS group could reflect a lack of strategy use, possibly due to impaired recollective processing. This study demonstrates that FS, even with mainly benign courses, can be accompanied by selective modifications in the neural structures underlying recognition memory

Using airborne LiDAR Survey to explore historic-era archaeological landscapes of Montserrat in the eastern Caribbean

This article describes what appears to be the first archaeological application of airborne LiDAR survey to historic-era landscapes in the Caribbean archipelago, on the island of Montserrat. LiDAR is proving invaluable in extending the reach of traditional pedestrian survey into less favorable areas, such as those covered by dense neotropical forest and by ashfall from the past two decades of active eruptions by the Soufrière Hills volcano, and to sites in localities that are inaccessible on account of volcanic dangers. Emphasis is placed on two aspects of the research: first, the importance of ongoing, real-time interaction between the LiDAR analyst and the archaeological team in the field; and second, the advantages of exploiting the full potential of the three-dimensional LiDAR point cloud data for purposes of the visualization of archaeological sites and features

Rationale and design of PROSPECT-CONKO 004: a prospective, randomized trial of simultaneous pancreatic cancer treatment with enoxaparin and chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: Advanced pancreatic cancer, in addition to its high mortality, is characterized by one of the highest rates of venous thromboembolic events (VTE) as compared to other types of cancer. Enoxaparin, a low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), has proven to be effective for the prevention and treatment of VTE in surgical and general medical patients. Results of some small studies suggest that this benefit might extend to patients with cancer, however, enoxaparin is not currently indicated for this use. This phase IIb study was designed to analyze the efficacy of enoxaparin in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer undergoing systemic chemotherapy. METHODS: The aim of this prospective multicenter trial is to compare concomitant treatment with enoxaparin to no anticoagulation in 540 patients. Primary endpoint is the incidence of clinically relevant VTE (symptomatic deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the leg and / or pelvic and / or pulmonary embolism (PE)) within the first 3 months. Secondary endpoints include the incidence of symptomatic and asymptomatic VTE after 6, 9 and 12 months as well as remission at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, overall survival and bleeding. Trial registration: isrctn.org identifier CCT-NAPN-16752, controlled-trials.com identifier: ISRCTN02140505. RESULTS: An interim analysis for safety performed after inclusion of 152 patients revealed no increased risk of bleeding (5 pts vs. 6 pts, Chi2: 0.763). CONCLUSIONS: PROSPECT is a pivotal study in elucidating the role of low molecular weight heparins in advanced pancreatic cancer. Its results will lead to a new understanding of the role of heparins in the prevention of venous thromboembolism and of their effect on survival, remission rates and toxicity of chemotherapeutic regimens

Confined Crystallization of Ethylene Oxide-Butadiene Diblock Copolymers in Lamellar Films

ABSTRACT: The isothermal crystallization of a semicrystalline poly(ethylene oxide-b-ethylene/butylene) diblock copolymer (PEO-b-PBh) in uniform lamellar films has been investigated by X-ray reflectivity, optical microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Crystallization of the PEO block leads to an increase in the lamellar thickness of both blocks. As the density of PEO increases upon crystallization, this effect is accompanied by a contraction in the lateral direction, which results in cracking of the film. The combination of the different techniques allows construction of a complete model with an integer or half-integer number of folds in the vertically oriented crystalline stems