Carol Richmond Tsang War and Faith: Ikkō Ikki in Late Muromachi Japan

Review of Tsang, Carol Richmond, War and Faith: Ikkō Ikki in Late Muromachi Japan, Harvard University Asia Center, Cambridge, MA, 2007Early Modern Japan Networ

What Can One Learn By Measuring Assessments Two Ways: Traditional Grading Scale Versus Standards-Based Grading Method?

The research question addressed in this project is, what can one learn by measuring assessments two ways: traditional grading scale versus standards-based grading method? The author was greatly influenced by her use of the two different grading methods at two different schools. She documents her experiences with both and then compares the outcomes of grading the same assessments using the two methods. Guskey’s extensive research on the subject and Douglas Reeve’s book Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning (2001) guided the author’s creation of a standards-based rubric with which she graded tests that had first been graded using a traditional grading scale. This led the author to conclude that while there are students who benefit greatly from the use of the standards-based scale, more research is still necessary to determine the grading method that most accurately measures student knowledge and understanding

Don't touch my hair : an ode to Black girls everywhere

This exhibit and catalog were produced by the Max Chambers Library, Archives & Special Collections. The exhibition featured art works created by D.B. Brown, James Ere, Jaiye Farrell, Edward Grady, Skip Hill, Nathan Lee, G. Mesfin, and Gay Pasley

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from five sites associated with smokin

Why do banks promise to pay par on demand?

We survey the theories of why banks promise to pay par on demand and examine evidence about the conditions under which banks have promised to pay the par value of deposits and banknotes on demand when holding only fractional reserves. The theoretical literature can be broadly divided into four strands: liquidity provision, asymmetric information, legal restrictions, and a medium of exchange. We assume that it is not zero cost to make a promise to redeem a liability at par value on demand. If so, then the conditions in the theories that result in par redemption are possible explanations of why banks promise to pay par on demand. If the explanation based on customers’ demand for liquidity is correct, payment of deposits at par will be promised when banks hold assets that are illiquid in the short run. If the asymmetric-information explanation based on the difficulty of valuing assets is correct, the marketability of banks’ assets determines whether banks promise to pay par. If the legal restrictions explanation of par redemption is correct, banks will not promise to pay par if they are not required to do so. If the transaction explanation is correct, banks will promise to pay par value only if the deposits are used in transactions. After the survey of the theoretical literature, we examine the history of banking in several countries in different eras: fourth-century Athens, medieval Italy, Japan, and free banking and money market mutual funds in the United States. We find that all of the theories can explain some of the observed banking arrangements, and none explain all of them

Practical Guidance on Clinical Management of Belantamab Mafodotin‐Associated Ocular Events

Importance: Belantamab mafodotin (belamaf)‐containing regimens are effective treatment options for patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma. Ocular events are a common adverse effect of belamaf treatment, which can be managed by physicians, following appropriate training, to minimize their impact on the patient. Objective: To develop clinical recommendations for the identification, monitoring, and management of ocular events associated with belamaf therapy, and guidance for any required dose modification. Evidence Review: A systematic literature review was conducted and an international group of hematologists and ophthalmologists reviewed clinical trial data, real‐world evidence, and published literature on belamaf‐associated ocular events. This literature review and the collective experience and expertise of the panel of experts informed the recommendations. Findings: Belamaf‐associated ocular events are common side effects of treatment, which are managed primarily with appropriate dose modification and decreased frequency of dosing, as well as the use of artificial tears. These events affect the corneal epithelium, are mainly Grade 1 and 2 per the Keratopathy and Visual Acuity scale and are reversible in almost all patients. In general, before initiating belamaf therapy, all patients should undergo a baseline ophthalmic evaluation with an eye specialist. However, if there are delays in obtaining ophthalmic evaluation, or if a patient is rapidly progressing, treatment should be initiated, and ophthalmic evaluation should be undertaken as soon as possible. Patients should be also evaluated by an eye specialist before administering the next three belamaf doses (i.e., before Cycles 2, 3, and 4); dose modifications, as described in this paper, may apply if required. Importantly, modifying the belamaf dose in response to an ocular event is not associated with any reductions in treatment efficacy. After Cycle 4, the treating physician may use the Vision‐Related Anamnestic tool, alongside clinical judgment, to decide whether to administer the next dose of belamaf or to refer the patient to an eye specialist (i.e., if the patient experiences new worsening of vision or if the ocular events have neither improved after 8 weeks nor resolved after 12 weeks). Conclusions and Relevance: The expert panel developed recommendations for managing belamaf‐associated ocular events, with the aim of contributing to the ease of clinical use of belamaf and improving patient outcomes

Irradiation-Induced Deinococcus radiodurans Genome Fragmentation Triggers Transposition of a Single Resident Insertion Sequence

Stress-induced transposition is an attractive notion since it is potentially important in creating diversity to facilitate adaptation of the host to severe environmental conditions. One common major stress is radiation-induced DNA damage. Deinococcus radiodurans has an exceptional ability to withstand the lethal effects of DNA–damaging agents (ionizing radiation, UV light, and desiccation). High radiation levels result in genome fragmentation and reassembly in a process which generates significant amounts of single-stranded DNA. This capacity of D. radiodurans to withstand irradiation raises important questions concerning its response to radiation-induced mutagenic lesions. A recent study analyzed the mutational profile in the thyA gene following irradiation. The majority of thyA mutants resulted from transposition of one particular Insertion Sequence (IS), ISDra2, of the many different ISs in the D. radiodurans genome. ISDra2 is a member of a newly recognised class of ISs, the IS200/IS605 family of insertion sequences

Minimal residual disease in Myeloma: Application for clinical care and new drug registration

The development of novel agents has transformed the treatment paradigm for multiple myeloma, with minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity now achievable across the entire disease spectrum. Bone marrow–based technologies to assess MRD, including approaches using next-generation flow and next-generation sequencing, have provided real-time clinical tools for the sensitive detection and monitoring of MRD in patients with multiple myeloma. Complementary liquid biopsy–based assays are now quickly progressing with some, such as mass spectrometry methods, being very close to clinical use, while others utilizing nucleic acid–based technologies are still developing and will prove important to further our understanding of the biology of MRD. On the regulatory front, multiple retrospective individual patient and clinical trial level meta-analyses have already shown and will continue to assess the potential of MRD as a surrogate for patient outcome. Given all this progress, it is not surprising that a number of clinicians are now considering using MRD to inform real-world clinical care of patients across the spectrum from smoldering myeloma to relapsed refractory multiple myeloma, with each disease setting presenting key challenges and questions that will need to be addressed through clinical trials. The pace of advances in targeted and immune therapies in multiple myeloma is unprecedented, and novel MRD-driven biomarker strategies are essential to accelerate innovative clinical trials leading to regulatory approval of novel treatments and continued improvement in patient outcomes

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead