Date Of Execution Research Articles

The Early Access and the Potential Cost Savings by the Compassionate Use of Onco-haematological Drugs: Results from the Italian Study Compass-O.

Compassionate drug use (CDU) provides early access to not yet authorised medicines and is funded by pharmaceutical companies. The observational retrospective study Compass-O monitored the CDU of onco-haematological drugs, managed by seven Italian units for cytotoxic drug preparations (Unità Farmaci Antiblastici [UFA]), between 1 January, 2016 and 31 December, 2021. We aimed to evaluate the CDU of onco-haematological drugs managed by seven Italian UFA, between 2016 and 2021. The seven UFA provided anonymised data concerning CDU approved in the study period. The early access and potential cost savings for the National Health System (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale [SSN]) were analysed for CDU concerning drug-therapeutic indication combinations with complete data and reimbursed by SSN up to December 2023 (date of study execution), according to the executive decision of the Italian Medicines Agency (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco [AIFA]). Both analyses distinguished solid/liquid tumours and categorised the combinations as innovative (fully/conditionally) or non-innovative based on AIFA assessments. Compass-O collected 783 CDU authorisations, with 572 (73.1%) analysable in terms of early access and cost savings. On average, early access amounted to 514 days and the total cost savings was €376,115,801. Compassionate drug use approvals involved mainly solid tumours (93.7% vs 6.3% for liquid tumours), and the combination of trastuzumab emtansine-breast cancer was the most dispensed (n = 73; early access = 426 days;potential cost savings: €610,388). Out of 572 CDU approvals, 200 (35%) were innovative drug-therapeutic indication combinations, with 598 days of early access and a total potential saving of €113,124,069. The study Compass-O showed a significant economic burden of CDU and a relevant need for early access, particularly for innovative drugs. However, there is currently no structured monitoring of CDU in Italy, suggesting the need for a national observatory, of which Compass-O can be the pilot phase.

Comparison of the Execution Step Strategies on Scheduling Data-intensive Workflows on IaaS Cloud Platforms

The IaaS platforms of the Cloud hold promise for executing parallel applications, particularly data-intensive scientific workflows. An important challenge for users of these platforms executing scientific workflows is to strike the right trade-off between the execution time of the scientific workflow and the cost of using the platform. In a previous article, we proposed an efficient approach that assists the user in finding this compromise. This approach requires an algorithm aimed at minimizing the execution time of the workflow once the platform configuration is set. In this article, we compare two different strategies for executing a workflow after its offline scheduling using an algorithm. The algorithm that we proposed in the previous study has outperform the HEFT algorithm.
 The first strategy allows some ready tasks to execute earlier than other higher-priority tasks that are ready later due to data transfer times. This strategy is justified by the fact that although our scheduling algorithm attempts to minimize data transfers between tasks running on different virtual machines, this algorithm does not include data transfer times in the planned execution dates for the various tasks of the workflow. The second strategy strictly adheres to the predetermined order among tasks scheduled on the same virtual machine.
 The results of our evaluations show that the best execution strategy depends on the characteristics of the workflow. For each evaluated workflow, our results demonstrate that our scheduling algorithm combined with the best execution strategy surpasses HEFT. The choice of the best strategy must be determined experimentally following realistic simulations, such as the ones we conduct here using the WRENCH framework, before conducting simulations to find the best compromise between cost and execution time of a workflow on an IaaS platform..

Review of “Death by Prison: The Emergence of Life Without Parole and Perpetual Confinement”

Life without parole is a silent execution devoid of capital punishment’s legal protections or public scrutiny. LWOP, as this sanction is inelegantly called, is a long, drawn-out fate with no terminus in sight. A more resonant name would be a “walking death sentence”; rather than confronting an execution date that marks one’s death, as does the condemned prisoner, lifers find death in varying forms over time with no markers to guide their understanding or adjustment to this terminal sanction that “walks” with them every day and night of their lives. Lifers face death by suicide, murder, or rampant disease. Permeating these potential ends, each grim but ambiguous in comparison with an execution date, are the emotions of hopelessness, despair, and resignation in the face of a sanction that lets one live but precludes a chance for redemption, or even claims of redemption, such are found in the last words of the condemned. LWOP is so insidious, most countries do not use the punishment; the handful that do reserve it for a small number of people. In the United States, however, over 55,000 men, women, and teens are serving LWOP for a wide range of crimes. This uniquely harsh sanction continues to grow apace, adding to the roster of those slated by law to die in prison.

CEO's characteristics and value creation from corporate spin‐offs

AbstractAn important corporate spin‐off procedure is forming the spun‐off unit's management team by a parent firm, especially the selection of the spun‐off unit CEO. Using 207 completed spin‐offs with announcement and execution dates between 1994 and 2018, we investigate whether the financial expertise of spun‐off unit CEOs is an essential determinant of post‐spin‐off performance other than spun‐off unit CEOs’ other observable characteristics, including their general managerial skills. We find that the abnormal announcement returns for appointing financial expert CEOs at spun‐off units are between 2.83 and 3.14 percentage points larger than those generated for appointing non‐financial expert CEOs. Furthermore, spun‐off unit CEOs with financial expertise significantly improve spin‐off firms’ access to external capital resources and subsequent operating performance. Overall, we conclude that spun‐off unit CEOs’ financial expertise is a critical determinant of the value creation of spin‐off procedures. Our paper contributes to a growing literature on CEOs, their characteristics, and their impact on firm performance.

Analysis of a direct access testing system for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the paediatric population attending school.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the paediatric population plays a minor role in the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, in order to keep schools open and reduce SARS-CoV spreading, it is necessary to identify and isolate early SARS-CoV-2 positive paediatric patients even if they are asymptomatic. The aim of this study was to describe a setting for SARS-CoV 2 testing based on the spontaneous presentation of paediatric patients attending school without a medical prescription and explore its appropriateness. Cross-sectional study. The study performed between September 2020 and March 2021 among a sample of 13,283 paediatric patients who underwent a swab in four different hospital settings (school hot spot, emergency department, day hospital setting and hospital wards). For each patients we collected: date of swab execution, type of swab, execution setting of the swab, result of the swab, information about community spread of the virus in the 14 days prior to the swab execution, sex and age. In our sample, females accounted for 45.8%. The median age was 6.8 years (IQR 3.0-11.2) and the most frequent age category was between 6 and 11 years (27.9%). At multivariable models with a swab tested positive as outcome. The swabs executed in all the hospital settings had a lower likelihood of resulting positive compared with the school hot spot setting. Compared with adolescents aged between 14 and 19 years old, new-borns below 3 months (adjOR 1.83, 95% C.I. 1.14-3) and patients aged between 11 and 14 years old (adjOR 1.32, 95% C.I. 1.07-1.63) reported a higher probability of a swab tested positive. Instead, children aged between 3 months and 3 years (adjOR 0.77, 95% C.I. 0.61-0.96) and children aged between 3 years and 6 years (adjOR 0.66, 95% C.I. 0.53-0.83) were less likely to result positive. The higher was the mean of pooled Rt in the 14 days preceding the swab, the higher was the likelihood of resulting positive (adjOR 1.75, 95% C.I. 1.53-1.99). In conclusion, we found a high incidence of paediatric patients positive to the test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 at the school hot spot compared with other settings during the period of observation. The free access modality to the nasopharyngeal swab was effective in identifying patients with COVID-19. Public health authorities should implement these testing modality in order to help reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in school settings.

중국기업의 M&A 정보우위와 투자 성과

This study examined how the M&A of high-tech companies in China and the return on investors before M&A public announcement, effectiveness. Abnormal return before M&A Announcement showed stable positive (+) characteristics for -20 days of Announcement. On the other hand, the Abnormal return before the effectiveness of the M&A continued to decline as the execution date approached. Regarding the volume turnover, the volume turnover on the -20th day of the announcement was the highest, and it showed a characteristic that it decreased over time and then increased again on the announcement date. Regarding the Industry similarity between the acquiring company and the acquired company, in relation to the abnormal return before M&A disclosure, M&A between different types was higher than M&A between the same type. From the -20th to the -17th before the announcement date, the transaction volume of M&A between similar companies was rather high. but the difference in transaction volume decreased significantly as the disclosure date approached. The Abnormal return on Industry similarity prior to the effectiveness of M&A was higher than that of different type M&As from -20 days to -15 days.

Analysis of a test system for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in children attending school

Abstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to keep schools open and reduce SARS-CoV spreading, SARS-CoV-2 positive paediatric patients (PP) need to be isolated early. The aim of this study was to describe the appropriateness of school hot spot (HS) for SARS-CoV 2 testing based on open access of PP in a paediatric hospital in Turin, Italy. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed between September 2020 and March 2021. The data collected included: date of swab execution, type of swab, execution setting of the swab, result of the swab, sex, age of PP and the mean value of the Rt (reproductive number) of pandemic in the Piedmont region. We collected data about PP from four different hospital settings (HS, Emergency department, day hospital and hospital wards) of Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital (Turin, Italy). We analyzed a sample of 13,283 PP (aged 0-19 years) testing for SARS-CoV-2. The main outcome was the likelihood of testing positive in different settings and in different age groups. Results In Our sample, females were 45.8%. The median age was 6.8 years (IQR 3.0-11.2). The swabs executed in all the hospital settings had a lower likelihood of resulting positive compared with the school HS setting. Newborns below 3 months (adj OR 1.85, 95%CI 1.14 - 3) and patients aged between 11 and 13 years old (adj OR 1.32, 95%CI 1.07 - 1.63) reported a higher probability of a swab tested positive compared to adolescents. Instead, children aged between 3 months and 2 years (adj OR 0.77, 95%CI 0.61 - 0.96) and aged between 3 years and 5 years (adj OR 0.66, 95%CI 0.53 - 0.83) were less likely to result positive. Conclusions We found a high prevalence of PP positive to the test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 at the school hot spot compared with other settings. The open access modality to the nasopharyngeal swab was effective in identifying PP with COVID-19. Public health authorities should implement this testing modality in order to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infections in PP. Key messages • Open access testing system to detect SARS-CoV-2 is important to do as many tests as possible to identify COVID-19 patients and isolate them in the pediatric population. • The open access testing modality to detect COVID-19 patients saves time for doctors who, instead of carrying out the patient history, can devote themselves to other clinical activities.

Stonecutting and Early Stereotomy in the Fatimid Walls of Cairo

Bab el Nasr gate, which was built between 1087 and 1092, is one of the three remaining gates in the Cairo Fatimid walls. Inside the walls, there are a great variety of stonework pieces that reveal the stereotomic knowledge of their executors. Specially, the inner space of Bab el Nasr gate is covered by a groin vault which stands out for the accuracy of its construction, despite its early execution date. In order to analyse the geometry and design of its construction, a photogrammetric survey has been carried out with the aim of comparing the solution executed in Bab el Nasr with other contemporary vaults. Furthermore, this paper reviews the Renaissance stonecutting texts and manuscripts which, centuries later, include the proposed solution in Cairo, and which are the basis for the creation of Descriptive Geometry as a discipline.

MO810: Hypocalcaemia Associated with Denosumab Antiresorptive Therapy is Independent of Bone Turnover Biomarkers

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS Background: The incidence of major fractures is increased in the setting of haemodialysis patients. This is related to the decrease in bone density and bone quality and the high prevalence of low bone turnover (LBT). The alteration of calcium-phosphorus metabolism (CKD-MBD), results in a high incidence of cardiovascular disease in patients with multiple comorbidities (inflammation, diabetes). The use of antiresorptive therapy is limited by side effects (hypocalcaemia and LBT). However, it is unclear whether hypocalcaemia is determined by therapy regardless of the prevalence of LBT and comorbidities. Aim: To evaluate the incidence of hypocalcaemia (albumin and mortality adjusted) in a setting of haemodialysis patients yes-therapy (denosumab) versus no-therapy. To evaluate the association of therapy with hypocalcaemia regardless of biomarkers of bone turnover. METHOD From a group of DXA-assessed haemodialysis patients, those who meet the standard eligibility criteria for osteoporosis are undergone on antiresorptive drug denosumab 60 mg every 6 months in subcutaneous administration (yes-therapy group). The remaining DXA-assessed constitutes the control group (no-therapy group), ratio 1: 2. Patients are followed prospectively from the date of execution of the DXA until 30 September 2021. Patients are censored for death or withdrawal of consent. At the DXA date, baseline variables of demographic, biochemical type, related to calcium phosphorus metabolism and DXA, comorbidities are recorded. Prospectively, the levels of calcium, phosphorus, PTH, phosphatase alkaline albumin Hb are recorded every 3 months. Basal therapy of Vit D, P-binders and Ca mimetics was recorded at baseline and could be modified by the doctor on duty for the optimization of parameters Statistical analysis: Data are expressed as mean and SD or as median and range, where required. The outcome is the incidence of hypocalcaemia (<2 quartile = <8.5 mg/dL). Calcium is corrected for albumin and mortality. Calcium adjustment for mortality is achieved by the survival Cox model and a mixed model (calcium as a result variable and random intercept, random slope and fixed effect for time). The slope of the calcemia is informed by the expected longitudinal value at the time of death (informative censoring). Bivariate cox models explore the association between baseline variables (propensity score), comorbidities and biomarkers of bone turnover (mixed model derived) and outcome (joint models). The parameterization of PTH and AF (mixed model derived) is AUC of PTH and of alkaline phosphatase, z-score of PTH and AF beta coefficients. P = .005 is significant. RESULTS Out of 31 DXA-assessed haemodialysis patients, 11 (35%) met the eligibility criteria for denosumab antirabsorptive therapy. In the yes-therapy group, 63% of patients received three subcutaneous doses during the observation period [mean follow-up 226 (179) days]. All-cause mortality did not differ between the yes-therapy versus no-therapy groups (9% versus 25%; P = 0.28). The two groups are homogeneous for all variables except the derived DXA ones. The incidence of hypocalcaemia (<2nd quartile = 8.5 mg/dL) is different for calcium corrected for albumin in the yes-therapy versus no-therapy group (81% versus 46%; P = .02) and for mortality adjusted calcium (81% versus 35%; P = .01). There is no difference in the incidence of hyperphosphorus (>3rd quartile = 5.8 mg/dL). In the JM analysis, denosumab therapy is associated with outcome regardless of biomarkers of bone turnover (PTH and AF) (parameterized as AUC): HR 4 (1.34–11.9); P = .01 and HR 4.88 (1.5–15); P = .006, respectively. Both interactions of PTH and AF with the therapy variable (yes) are not significant. The interaction between therapy and vitamin D is significant [HR 0.04 (0.004–0.40); P = 0.005]. CONCLUSION The incidence of hypocalcaemia is higher in patients on denosumab antiresorptive therapy but this association is independent of bone turnover biomarkers.

Komoly kihívás a szegedi antropológia számára: a mohácsi terepantropológiai projekt

Komoly kihívás a szegedi antropológia számára: a mohácsi terepantropológiai projekt

Do stock splits matter for returns, volatility, and liquidity?

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of stock splits on the return, riskiness, and liquidity of stocks. Utilizing a sample of 94 stock splits taken place between 2010 and 2019 at Borsa Istanbul, the study analyzes the daily abnormal returns, change in volatility, and changes in volume around the stock split announcement and execution dates. The results display significant positive abnormal returns around the announcement date but not significant abnormal returns around the execution. The volatility and liquidity of stocks increase significantly around both announcement and execution dates. The findings are in line with the positive signaling, and liquidity hypotheses of stock split and with most of the observations reported in the empirical literature. The new evidence provided points out the lack of semi-strong form of market efficiency at Borsa Istanbul as far as the stock splits are considered.

Considering Sanctions Compliance in Light of UCC 4A

As part of a bank’s financial crime compliance program, it is increasingly common to screen and halt the processing of a payment order for compliance investigation where reference is made to a potential, but unconfirmed, target of United States economic sanctions. This essay discusses challenges under Article 4A of the Uniform Commercial Code concerning the timing of such an investigation and the creation of potential liability where a bank wrongly accepts by execution a previously halted payment order received from a sender following five funds transfer business days after the relevant execution date or payment date of that order. In Part II, this paper presents a brief overview of the use of funds transfers in the United States and reviews the application of Article 4A of the Uniform Commercial Code, including rejection, acceptance, cancellation, and amendment of a payment order. In Part III, the paper overviews United States economic sanctions, the implementation by banks of technology designed to identify and halt the processing of a payment order referencing a potential sanctions target, and the timeframe that may be required to investigate a halted payment order. In Part IV, the paper reviews application of Article 4A’s automatic cancellation and “money back guarantee” provisions where a payment order under its purview is wrongly effected and loss allocation between funds transfer parties for such events. Part V describes possible contractual and legislative changes to address the balance of Article 4A’s automatic cancellation of an unaccepted payment order after five funds transfer business days, sanctions compliance efforts undertaken by banks, and the policy goal of completing funds transfers efficiently.

Anachronism in Fonts and Relative Dating of Computer Printed Documents: A Case Report

In the field of forensic document examination, identification of fonts and their dates of release may provide a lead as to the relative age of computer printouts. Hence, fonts in a printout can be used as a means of evaluation of an anachronism or chronological inconsistency. Therefore, an anachronism betrays the fabricated nature of the questioned documents. In the present case study, the traditional methodology of typescript matching coupled with an off-line digital tool were used in identifying pre-dated documents and disproving the genuineness of the documents in question. The procedure adopted for differentiation, identification and confirmation of font(s) and years of release of fonts for commercial use is discussed.Hence, in this case report it was safely concluded that the disputed agreement for sale could have been prepared on a later date than the purported date of execution i.e.1993 for the reason that the use of the “Comic Sans MS” font is an anachronism.

How Does Split Announcement Affect Stock Liquidity? Evidence from Bursa Malaysia

This study examines the impact of stock splits on stock liquidity in Bursa Malaysia from 2004–2018. The study uses event study methodology and investigates liquidity changes, the role of liquidity, and the relationship between abnormal returns and liquidity as well. We found a significant liquidity improvement on the splits announcement, announcement of book closing date and split execution date (Ex-date), while it declined after the split Ex-date. The findings also indicate that firms with a low-level liquidity prior to split announcements experienced an increase in liquidity after Ex-date. Using panel data analysis, we find that the fixed effect model is more appropriate than the pooled OLS, and the abnormal announcement returns are driven by stock liquidity.

Optimal Lunar Point Return Orbit Design and Analysis via a Numerical Three-Step Approach

Herein, the characteristics of the Moon-to-Earth (M–E) trajectory satisfying the point return orbit (PRO) conditions are analyzed and optimized. A numerical three-step approach is proposed to serve as a useful tool to generate trajectory while preparing for real-world missions. To formulate the given problem, each step properly adapts different equations of motion with design parameters suitable to each step’s primary objective. Three- and N-body equations of motion are used as a basis, and PRO is constrained by the parking orbit at the Moon and Earth re-entry corridor associated with the re-entry position. Consequently, the major trans-Earth-injection (TEI) maneuver condition at the Moon is optimized together with the right ascension of the ascending node and the argument of the latitude. Moreover, the TEI maneuver magnitude with its execution date and required time of flight is optimized to form PRO. Adopting this three-step approach, the effect of the Moon’s relative motion with respect to the Earth to form the optimal TEI condition is clearly analyzed. In addition, direct insight on the TEI condition is obtained by expressing the M–E rotating frame, which is expected to save time and effort while generating initial guesses for TEI conditions.

TYPES OF DISCIPLINARY PENALTIES APPLICABLE TO POLICE OFFICERS

The relevance of the article is that the special content and educational goals of legal liability in general and its individual types are expressed in the variability of legal penalties. For example, the most severe criminal liability involves the application to violators, criminals, a wide range of special sanctions that correspond to the severity of the crime committed by each of them. At the same time, diversity is also inherent in disciplinary action against police officers. It is determined that reprimand and severe reprimand are similar to reprimand disciplinary sanctions and mostly embody a psychological and evaluative form of influence on a police officer. That is, their use shows that the management of a police body or unit condemns the relevant actions of the police officer. However, in contrast to the remarks, reprimands and severe reprimands have a greater disciplinary intensity, as they are applied for a longer period and, as a result, can be a punishment for more serious disciplinary offenses. At the same time, among many other penalties, reprimands and severe reprimands can be described as insignificant, because they do not cause any other additional legal consequences. It was found that the reduction of a special rank by one degree provides not only a formalized condemnation of illegal actions or inaction of a police officer, which constitute a disciplinary offense, but also limit his employment status, by: first, assigning the latter a rank that does not actually correspond the term of service of a police officer; secondly, the restriction of his financial support, because the lower special rank provides a lower salary for such a rank, which is part of the pay structure of police officers. It was emphasized that the dismissal in general and as a disciplinary sanction is expressed in the complete termination of employment between the relevant police officer and the National Police of Ukraine. In contrast to dismissal, which involves the loss of a part of a police officer's function, the termination of employment leads to the loss of a person's status as a police officer as a whole. In addition, a police officer dismissed from the police for a disciplinary offense may not be recruited by the police for three years from the date of execution of the dismissal order.

Body, head, and gaze orientation in portraits: Effects of artistic medium, date of execution, and gender

ABSTRACT Studies have found a tendency for heads in portraits to be oriented so that more of the left side than the right side of the face is visible, though it is stronger in female than in male portraits. Two studies are reported that set head orientation in the context of body and gaze orientation, and additionally look at effects of artistic medium (paintings, photographs, and drawings) and changes in the tendency over time. There was a strong congruency between body, head, and gaze orientation. In particular, body and head had the same orientation in more than three-quarters of the portraits in both samples. Gender differences were found only for paintings and only in Study 1. There were several strong effects of artistic medium; for example, frontal orientation of gaze was much less common in drawings than in paintings and photographs. There were also several changes over time; for example, frontal orientation of body and head tended to increase going into the twentieth century. The results show that body, head, and gaze direction need to be considered together, and hypotheses concerned only with head orientation cannot provide a complete explanation for posing orientation. Four possible approaches to explanations are briefly discussed.

Dementia and the Death Penalty.

During its 2018-2019 term, the United States Supreme Court considered the constitutionality of executing a prisoner with dementia. In Madison v. Alabama, the Court ruled that, in certain circumstances, executing a prisoner with dementia violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Vernon Madison was sentenced to death for killing a police officer in 1985. After many years on Alabama's death row, he had a series of strokes and was diagnosed with vascular dementia. In 2016, Madison's lawyers unsuccessfully sought a stay of execution, arguing that, in light of his cognitive impairments, imposing the death penalty would violate the Constitution. After Alabama set a 2018 execution date, lawyers returned to the state court, arguing that the finding of competence should be reversed because Madison's cognitive impairments had worsened. When the trial court refused to grant the stay of execution, Madison's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the state court decision.

Manage and control information flow in virtual manufacturing enterprises

Requirements set by clients regarding, on the one hand, the highest quality of services provided, on the other hand, shorter and shorter order completion dates, cause that enterprises are often unable to cope with them. A production load or limited production resources also means that enterprises are no longer able to accept a new order for their production plan. The following problem is outlined here - send the customer away empty-handed, or try to execute the order, but with a much later execution date and expose to the cost of contractual penalties. Therefore, solutions are sought, which can be particularly advantageous for producers in the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector, for whom this is an increasingly frequent problem - sometimes means “to be or not to be” on the market. One of the possibilities for enterprises is to use the concept of a virtual manufacturing enterprises, which mainly consists in sharing the free production capacity of each producer within the virtual network A network that has been established even between individual enterprises that are geographically dispersed. By establishing a group of several companies cooperating at the same time, one should find such a thread of agreement that it would be possible to cooperate, and also to achieve a common goal, which is to make a final product for the recipient. If it is necessary to make a final product that meets the assumed criteria, it is necessary not only to define the level of cooperation, but also there exists much need for a mechanism to manage and control information flow among manufacturers. Therefore, it is necessary to have information on production issues, such as the quantity and quality of spare production capacities, their access time, additional resources, semi-finished products, and since these are geographically dispersed enterprises, the location of each enterprise is also important. In addition, the network itself is established on the basis of information contained in the production order, so you can adjust the number of participants to your needs, and assign tasks accordingly. All executive actions are taken on the basis of the proposed algorithm, which describes the entire decision-making process, how to collect information, where to keep them, and above all, who should be responsible for providing information.

Kate Soffel's Life of Crime: A Gendered Journey from Warden's Wife to Criminal Actress

Kate Soffel's Life of CrimeA Gendered Journey from Warden's Wife to Criminal Actress Kristi Good (bio) Many residents of Pittsburgh are well acquainted with the story of the "Biddle Boys," Edward and John (Ed and Jack), who escaped from the Allegheny County Jail in winter 1902, with the help of the warden's wife, Kate Soffel. Their escape from the city and the ensuing horse-drawn sleigh chase across the snowy roads of Butler County thrilled newspaper readers across the country. The final confrontation between law enforcement and the "desperadoes," as journalists characterized them, was a bloody shoot-out that left the Biddles and Soffel on the brink of death. Soffel survived, but the public's excitement about her role in these events waned much more quickly than did their enthusiasm for the event itself. In Medea's Daughters: Forming and Performing the Woman Who Kills, Jennifer Jones posits, "Idealized 'woman' has traditionally been constructed as self-sacrificing, passive, and nurturing; therefore, when actual women become violent, some sense must be made of their actions if the myth of feminine passivity is to be maintained."1 Jones cites as a major influence the work of Ann Jones, who, in her book Women Who Kill, analyzed how various historical murder trials have perpetuated the subordination of women. Jones builds on this feminist analysis by exploring the dramatic texts that spring from these criminal events and legal proceedings and argues that dramatic representations of female criminality serve as similar historical documentation to "contain and control cultural anxiety" regarding the abnormality of the criminal woman.2 The jailbreak itself was a public spectacle that held the interest of the American people from coast to coast, and a popular true-crime melodrama [End Page 53] by Theodore Kremer quickly followed the newspaper headlines. A Desperate Chance detailed the sensational events of the Biddle jailbreak and debuted in the same year as the escape. Kremer's play functions as Jones suggests: a morality play that warns women of "the dangers of self-determination" and encourages them to "embrace their submissive status."3 But Kremer wrote his play before Soffel served her jail time, and her determination to cultivate a public life for herself post incarceration was not consistent with the narrative of passive femininity that the media, the courts, and Kremer had constructed to assure society that this unnatural, criminal woman was no longer a moral threat. While A Desperate Chance played across the country for years following the crime, Soffel's attempt to reclaim her life through a career in the theatre was met with opposition, particularly in her home region. This article serves as an act of feminist reclamation by documenting Soffel's involvement with the Biddles as well as her attempt to reenter society, a period heretofore unexamined in her life, and intervenes in the current historical narrative by painting her as a model not of submissive femininity but of feminist subversion. Peter Soffel and Kate Dietrich were married in the German Evangelical Protestant Church in Pittsburgh on December 9, 1886.4 They started a family within the first years of marriage and had four children. Aside from her duties as a mother, Soffel regularly ministered to men incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail, where her husband was the warden. This was how she came into contact with Ed and Jack Biddle in 1901, as they sat waiting for their execution dates. The Biddles were sentenced to execution for fatally shooting a Mount Washington grocer named Thomas Kahney during a robbery in April 1901. Police profiled the Biddles and an accomplice named Walter Dorman, who were understood to be members of a group of robbers known as the Chloroform Gang. The day following the shooting in Mount Washington, police arrested Dorman and his common-law wife, Jennie Seebers, at their residence. At another house nearby, authorities arrested Jack Biddle on the ground floor before a shoot-out began upstairs. By the end of the skirmish, a police officer was killed, Ed Biddle was in custody but close to death, and a woman named Jessie Bodyne was arrested while trying to flee.5 The Biddles were the only two of...