Direct genetic demonstration of Gα13 coupling to the orphan G protein-coupled receptor G2A leading to RhoA-dependent actin rearrangement

G2A is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), expressed predominantly in T and B cells and homologous to a small group of GPCRs of unknown function expressed in lymphoid tissues. G2A is transcriptionally induced in response to diverse stimuli, and its ectopic expression suppresses transformation of B lymphoid precursors by BCR-ABL. G2A induces morphological transformation of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Microinjection of constructs encoding G2A into Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts induces actin reorganization into stress fibers that depends on RhoA, but not CDC42 or RAC. G2A elicits RhoA-dependent transcriptional activation of serum response factor. Direct evaluation of RhoA activity demonstrates elevated levels of RhoA-GTP in G2A-expressing cells. Microinjection of embryonic fibroblasts derived from various Galpha knockout mice establishes a requirement for Galpha 13 but not Galpha 12 or Galpha q/11 in G2A-induced actin rearrangement. In conclusion, G2A represents a family of GPCRs expressed in lymphocytes that may link diverse stimuli to cytoskeletal reorganization and transcriptional activation through a pathway involving Galpha 13 and RhoA

Exploring the ontological dimension of dialogic education through an evaluation of the impact of Internet mediated dialogue across cultural difference

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.It has been claimed that dialogic education implies a direction of change upon an ontological dimension from monologic closed identities in the direction of more dialogic identifications characterised by greater openness to the other and greater identification with the process of dialogue. This paper recapitulates that theory and then provides an empirical illustration of what it looks like in practice. In order to do this a methodology for researching the impact of dialogic education is outlined and applied to the evaluation of the impact of a programme designed to promote greater dialogic open-mindedness: the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change’s Generation Global Project (GG) supports schools in over twenty different countries to engage in dialogue with each other through videos and blogs. The methodology put forward argues that the understanding sought by educational research is dialogic in that it emerges from the dialogue between inside and outside perspectives. The findings offer some clear evidence of a shift in identifications resulting from dialogue through the analysis of changes in online language use supported by interview evidence. This study suggests that a pedagogical intervention can produce identity change in the direction of becoming more dialogic and shows that it is possible to evaluate this change.The empirical aspect of this paper reports on research funded by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Applying behavioral insights to tax compliance: Experimental evidence from Latvia

This is the final version. Available on open access from the Journal of Tax Administration via the link in this recordIn recent years, tax authorities around the world have started using behavioral insights to encourage taxpayers to fulfill their obligations. We review and discuss some of the recent empirical literature on tax compliance. In line with recent trends, we report on a field experiment in collaboration with the tax authority of Latvia (SRS) to encourage previously non-compliant individuals, who also have own business income, to submit their tax declarations on time in 2017. These individuals were pre-emptively sent emails with behaviorally informed messages, in order to reach and influence an important target population, at a salient moment. Our results indicate that all the behaviorally informed messages increased submission by the submission deadline, compared to a control group. The best performer was a message that specifically framed noncompliant behavior as a deliberate choice, which increased timely submission by 9.4% (4.1 percentage points; p=0.05)

Applying behavioral insights to tax compliance: Experimental evidence from Latvia

This is the final version. Available on open access from the Journal of Tax Administration via the link in this recordIn recent years, tax authorities around the world have started using behavioral insights to encourage taxpayers to fulfill their obligations. We review and discuss some of the recent empirical literature on tax compliance. In line with recent trends, we report on a field experiment in collaboration with the tax authority of Latvia (SRS) to encourage previously non-compliant individuals, who also have own business income, to submit their tax declarations on time in 2017. These individuals were pre-emptively sent emails with behaviorally informed messages, in order to reach and influence an important target population, at a salient moment. Our results indicate that all the behaviorally informed messages increased submission by the submission deadline, compared to a control group. The best performer was a message that specifically framed noncompliant behavior as a deliberate choice, which increased timely submission by 9.4% (4.1 percentage points; p=0.05)

Pilot Evaluation of Model Based Design Tooling for Guidance, Navigation, and Control Flight Software Development

No abstract availabl

Relationship of Foot Strike Pattern and Landing Impacts during a Marathon

Purpose: Foot strike patterns influence landing mechanics, with rearfoot strike (RFS) runners exhibiting higher impact loading than forefoot strike (FFS) runners. The few studies that included midfoot strike (MFS) runners have typically grouped them together with FFS. Additionally, most running studies have been conducted in laboratories. Advances in wearable technology now allow the measurement of runners' mechanics in their natural environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between foot strike pattern and impacts across a marathon race. Methods: 222 healthy runners (119 M, 103 F; 44.1±10.8 years) running a marathon race were included. A treadmill assessment was undertaken to determine foot strike pattern (FSP). An ankle mounted accelerometer recorded tibial shock (TS) over the course of the marathon. TS was compared between RFS, MFS and FFS. Correlations between speed and impacts were examined between FSPs. TS was also compared at the 10km and 40km race points. Results: RFS and MFS runners exhibited similar TS (12.24±3.59g vs. 11.82±2.68g, p=0.46) that was significantly higher (p<0.001 and p<0.01, respectively) than FFS runners (9.88±2.51g). Additionally, TS increased with speed for both RFS (r=0.54, p=0.01) and MFS (r=0.42, p=0.02) runners, but not FFS (r=0.05, p=0.83). Finally, both speed (p<0.001) and TS (p<0.001) were reduced between the 10km and 40km race points. However, when normalized for speed, TS was not different (p= 0.84). Conclusions: RFS and MFS exhibit higher TS than FFS. Additionally, RFS and MFS increase TS with speed, while FFS do not. These results suggest that the impact loading of MFS is more like RFS than FFS. Finally, TS, when normalized for speed, is similar between the beginning and end of the race

Amenability of algebras of approximable operators

We give a necessary and sufficient condition for amenability of the Banach algebra of approximable operators on a Banach space. We further investigate the relationship between amenability of this algebra and factorization of operators, strengthening known results and developing new techniques to determine whether or not a given Banach space carries an amenable algebra of approximable operators. Using these techniques, we are able to show, among other things, the non-amenability of the algebra of approximable operators on Tsirelson's space.Comment: 20 pages, to appear in Israel Journal of Mathematic

Permeability evolution during progressive development of deformation bands in porous sandstones

[1] Triaxial deformation experiments were carried out on large (0.1 m) diameter cores of a porous sandstone in order to investigate the evolution of bulk sample permeability as a function of axial strain and effective confining pressure. The log permeability of each sample evolved via three stages: (1) a linear decrease prior to sample failure associated with poroelastic compaction, (2) a transient increase associated with dynamic stress drop, and (3) a systematic quasi-static decrease associated with progressive formation of new deformation bands with increasing inelastic axial strain. A quantitative model for permeability evolution with increasing inelastic axial strain is used to analyze the permeability data in the postfailure stage. The model explicitly accounts for the observed fault zone geometry, allowing the permeability of individual deformation bands to be estimated from measured bulk parameters. In a test of the model for Clashach sandstone, the parameters vary systematically with confining pressure and define a simple constitutive rule for bulk permeability of the sample as a function of inelastic axial strain and effective confining pressure. The parameters may thus be useful in predicting fault permeability and sealing potential as a function of burial depth and faul

The Nordic Maintenance Care Program – An interview study on the use of maintenance care in a selected group of Danish chiropractors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although maintenance care appears to be relatively commonly used among chiropractors, the indications for its use are incompletely understood. A questionnaire survey was recently carried out among Swedish chiropractors in order to identify their choice of various management strategies, including maintenance care. That study revealed a common pattern of choice of strategies. However, it would be necessary to verify these findings in another study population and to obtain some additional information best collected through an interview.</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>The main aim of the present study was to attempt to reproduce the findings in the Swedish study and to obtain more information on the use of maintenance care.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>A group of 11 chiropractors were selected because they used maintenance care. They were interviewed using the questionnaire from the previous Swedish survey. The questionnaire consisted of a simple description of a hypothetical patient with low back pain and nine possible ways in which the case could develop ("scenarios"). They could choose between six different management strategies for each scenario. In addition, the chiropractors were encouraged to provide their own definition of maintenance care in an open-ended question. Interviews were taped, transcribed and analyzed. For the open-ended question, statements were identified relating to six pre hoc defined topics on the inclusion criteria/rationale for maintenance care, the frequency of treatments, and the duration of the maintenance care program.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The open-ended question revealed that in patients with low back pain, maintenance care appears to be offered to prevent new events. The rationale was to obtain optimal spinal function. There appears to be no common convention on the frequency of treatments and duration of the treatment program was not mentioned by any of the interviewees.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results from the questionnaire in the Danish survey showed that the response pattern for the nine scenarios was similar to that obtained in the Swedish survey. There seems to be relative agreement between chiropractors working in different countries and sampled through different methods in relation to their choice of management strategies in patients with low back pain. However, more precise information is needed on the indications for maintenance care and its treatment program, before proceeding to studying its clinical validity.</p