Statistical Asynchronous Regression: Determining the Relationship Between two Quantities that are not Measured Simultaneously

We introduce the Statistical Asynchronous Regression (SAR) method: a technique for determining a relationship between two time varying quantities without simultaneous measurements of both quantities. We require that there is a time invariant, monotonic function Y = u(X) relating the two quantities, Y and X. In order to determine u(X), we only need to know the statistical distributions of X and Y. We show that u(X) is the change of variables that converts the distribution of X into the distribution of Y, while conserving probability. We describe an algorithm for implementing this method and apply it to several example distributions. We also demonstrate how the method can separate spatial and temporal variations from a time series of energetic electron flux measurements made by a spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit. We expect this method will be useful to the general problem of spacecraft instrument calibration. We also suggest some applications of the SAR method outside of space physics.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, stronger motivations and rewriting to make the paper more accessible to a general audience. in press in J. Geophys. Res. (Space Physics

Disruption of pre-mRNA splicing in vivo results in reorganization of splicing factors

We have examined the functional significance of the organization of pre-mRNA splicing factors in a speckled distribution in the mammalian cell nucleus. Upon microinjection into living cells of oligonucleotides or antibodies that inhibit pre-mRNA splicing in vitro, we observed major changes in the organization of splicing factors in vivo. Interchromatin granule clusters became uniform in shape, decreased in number, and increased in both size and content of splicing factors, as measured by immunofluorescence. These changes were transient and the organization of splicing factors returned to their normal distribution by 24 h following microinjection. Microinjection of these oligonucleotides or antibodies also resulted in a reduction of transcription in vivo, but the oligonucleotides did not inhibit transcription in vitro. Control oligonucleotides did not disrupt splicing or transcription in vivo. We propose that the reorganization of splicing factors we observed is the result of the inhibition of splicing in vivo

Gender, media, and mixed martial arts in Poland: the case of Joanna Jędrzejczyk

Recent growth in the media visibility of female combat sport athletes has offered a compelling site for research on gender and sport media, as women in deeply masculinized sports have been increasingly placed in the public spotlight. While scholars in the Anglophone West have offered analyses of the media framing of this phenomenon, little work has been done outside these cultural contexts. Thus, in this paper we offer a qualitative exploration of how Joanna Jędrzejczyk, a Polish champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has been represented in Polish media. Our findings reveal a relatively de-gendered, widely celebratory account, primarily framed by nationalistic discourse–findings we ascribe to both the particularities of the sport of mixed martial arts as well as the historic nature of Jędrzejczyk’s success

"It is what it is": masculinity, homosexuality, and inclusive discourse in mixed martial arts

In this paper we make use of inclusive masculinity theory to explore online media representations of male homosexuality and masculinity within the increasingly popular combat sport of mixed martial arts MMA). Adopting a case-study approach, we discuss narratives constructed around one aspirational male MMA fighter, Dakota Cochrane, whose history of having participated in gay pornography became a major talking point on a number of MMA 'fanzine'/'community' websites during early 2012. While these narratives attempted to discursively 'rescue' Cochrane's supposedly threatened masculinity, highlighting both his 'true' heterosexuality and his prodigious fighting abilities, they also simultaneously celebrated the acceptance of homosexual men within the sport which Cochrane's case implied. Thus, we suggest that these media representations of homosexuality and masculinity within MMA are indicative of declining cultural homophobia and homohysteria, and an inclusive vision of masculinity, as previously described by proponents of inclusive masculinity theory

Western men and Eastern arts: The significance of Eastern martial arts disciplines in British men's narratives of masculinity

Previous Western sociological research on Eastern martial arts has identified a tension between ‘traditional’ Eastern forms of practice and ‘modernized’ Western methods of training and competition. In particular, the ‘sportization’ of Eastern styles, where combat-centred arts based upon moral philosophies have transformed more or less into competitive activities following Western models of rationalized sport, has been an important theme. However, it is also suggested that Eastern martial arts hold special significance in the West for their seemingly esoteric nature. In this regard, such martial arts are considered significant because they are not ‘sports’, but rather disciplines, with fairly different connotations for practitioners. Drawing on interview data, this paper explores how Western practitioners of Eastern martial arts articulate this difference, principally by examining the place of martial artistry in British men's narratives of masculinity. Comparing themselves favourably to assumed, typical visions of Western sporting masculinity, such men draw upon the imagined uniqueness of their martial arts to construct a sense of moral superiority over other men. In so doing, they contribute to a rejection of what they believe to be ‘mainstream’ sporting Western masculinity, thus indicating the role that ‘alternative’ visions of physical culture can play in men's active constructions of gender

INTERCORRÊNCIAS PELO USO DO POLIMETILMETACRILATO (PMMA) COMO PREENCHEDOR EM PROCEDIMENTOS ESTÉTICOS

Os procedimentos estéticos estão cada dia mais em evidência no mercado da saúde e beleza, dentre a grande gama de produtos e equipamentos nesse setor, o uso de materiais preenchedores têm ganhado um grande destaque nos procedimentos de harmonização facial e corporal, traumas ou lipodistrofias de maneira permanente. Apesar deste produto ter sua aprovação junto à Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, sua aplicação tem sido associada a algumas intercorrências, como por exemplo, necrose e granuloma, já que seu uso muitas vezes é indiscriminado e realizado por profissionais não capacitados. Desta forma, os objetivos deste trabalho foram reunir as principais informações sobre as características do preenchedor estético PMMA, pesquisar sobre as principais intercorrências relacionadas ao seu uso, relacionando-as com suas principais causas e apontar condutas tomadas após intercorrências, relacionando-as com suas principais causas e apontar condutas tomadas após intercorrências. Com isso foi evidenciado que a maior problemática por trás do PMMA é seu efeito irreversível no tecido, causado principalmente por más práticas por profissionais, especialmente aqueles que atuam de forma irregular. Para isso, foi realizada uma revisão de literatura narrativa. 

2-D or not 2-D, that is the question: A Northern California test

Reliable estimates of the seismic source spectrum are necessary for accurate magnitude, yield, and energy estimation. In particular, how seismic radiated energy scales with increasing earthquake size has been the focus of recent debate within the community and has direct implications on earthquake source physics studies as well as hazard mitigation. The 1-D coda methodology of Mayeda et al. has provided the lowest variance estimate of the source spectrum when compared against traditional approaches that use direct S-waves, thus making it ideal for networks that have sparse station distribution. The 1-D coda methodology has been mostly confined to regions of approximately uniform complexity. For larger, more geophysically complicated regions, 2-D path corrections may be required. The complicated tectonics of the northern California region coupled with high quality broadband seismic data provides for an ideal ''apples-to-apples'' test of 1-D and 2-D path assumptions on direct waves and their coda. Using the same station and event distribution, we compared 1-D and 2-D path corrections and observed the following results: (1) 1-D coda results reduced the amplitude variance relative to direct S-waves by roughly a factor of 8 (800%); (2) Applying a 2-D correction to the coda resulted in up to 40% variance reduction from the 1-D coda results; (3) 2-D direct S-wave results, though better than 1-D direct waves, were significantly worse than the 1-D coda. We found that coda-based moment-rate source spectra derived from the 2-D approach were essentially identical to those from the 1-D approach for frequencies less than {approx}0.7-Hz, however for the high frequencies (0.7{le} f {le} 8.0-Hz), the 2-D approach resulted in inter-station scatter that was generally 10-30% smaller. For complex regions where data are plentiful, a 2-D approach can significantly improve upon the simple 1-D assumption. In regions where only 1-D coda correction is available it is still preferable over 2-D direct wave-based measures

Do chiropractic college faculty understand informed consent: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to survey full-time faculty at a single chiropractic college concerning their knowledge of Institutional Review Board (IRB) policies in their institution as they pertain to educational research. METHODS: All full-time faculty were invited to participate in an anonymous survey. Four scenarios involving educational research were described and respondents were asked to select from three possible courses of action for each. In addition, respondents were queried about their knowledge of IRB policies, how they learned of these policies and about their years of service and departmental assignments. RESULTS: The response rate was 55%. In no scenario did the level of correct answers by all respondents score higher than 41% and in most, the scores were closer to just under 1 in 3. Sixty-five percent of respondents indicated they were unsure whether Palmer had any policies in place at all, while 4% felt that no such policies were in place. Just over one-quarter (27%) were correct in noting that students can decline consent, while more than half (54%) did not know whether there were any procedures governing student consent. CONCLUSION: Palmer faculty have only modest understanding about institutional policies regarding the IRB and human subject research, especially pertaining to educational research. The institution needs to develop methods to provide knowledge and training to faculty. The results from this pilot study will be instrumental in developing better protocols for a study designed to survey the entire chiropractic academic community

Strong Structural Controllability and Zero Forcing

In this chapter, we study controllability and output controllability of systems defined over graphs. Specifically, we consider a family of state-space systems, where the state matrix of each system has a zero/non-zero structure that is determined by a given directed graph. Within this setup, we investigate under which conditions all systems in this family are controllable, a property referred to as strong structural controllability. Moreover, we are interested in conditions for strong structural output controllability. We will show that the graph-theoretic concept of zero forcing is instrumental in these problems. In particular, as our first contribution, we prove necessary and sufficient conditions for strong structural controllability in terms of so-called zero forcing sets. Second, we show that zero forcing sets can also be used to state both a necessary and a sufficient condition for strong structural output controllability. In addition to these main results, we include interesting results on the controllability of subfamilies of systems and on the problem of leader selection.</p