Magnetic Oscillations and Maxwell Theory

We explore the possibility of using the Kaluza-Klein geometry of Riemannian Submersions to modify the classical Maxwell Theory. We further argue that the resulting modification of Electromagnetism may be interesting in the context of, among other topics, magnetic oscillations in metals.Comment: 10 pages, Latex, 6 Postscript figures, submitted to Physics Letters

The impact of post-merger integration on the customer-supplier relationship

While the impact of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on internal stakeholders has generated considerable empirical study, comparatively little academic attention has been paid as to how external stakeholders such as customers are affected by, and respond to, M&A activity. This study adopts case-study methodology to illuminate how the customer–supplier relationship is affected by post-merger integration processes in the business-to-business context, with the aim of increasing our understanding of why customers respond to M&A in the ways that they do. The findings highlight the importance of a set of critical customer relationship variables through which post-M&A integration actions can influence customers' perceptions of the merged organisation and, ultimately, their purchase decisions. We also identify a set of specific individual integration actions that appear to trigger changes in the critical customer relationship variables. Together, the findings contribute to our understanding of the precise mechanisms through which M&A can affect customers' purchase decisions and the combining firms' market-related performance. More broadly, consistent with the stakeholder perspective, they reinforce the need to take account of external as well as internal stakeholders when considering the drivers of M&A outcome. Implications are discussed for future research as well as for B2B service industry executives involved in M&A

Point process modeling of wildfire hazard in Los Angeles County, California

The Burning Index (BI) produced daily by the United States government's National Fire Danger Rating System is commonly used in forecasting the hazard of wildfire activity in the United States. However, recent evaluations have shown the BI to be less effective at predicting wildfires in Los Angeles County, compared to simple point process models incorporating similar meteorological information. Here, we explore the forecasting power of a suite of more complex point process models that use seasonal wildfire trends, daily and lagged weather variables, and historical spatial burn patterns as covariates, and that interpolate the records from different weather stations. Results are compared with models using only the BI. The performance of each model is compared by Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), as well as by the power in predicting wildfires in the historical data set and residual analysis. We find that multiplicative models that directly use weather variables offer substantial improvement in fit compared to models using only the BI, and, in particular, models where a distinct spatial bandwidth parameter is estimated for each weather station appear to offer substantially improved fit.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOAS401 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Acquired Resistance Mutations to EGFR Treatment in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is currently the number one cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women.1 Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene are detected in approximately 30% of individuals with advanced NSCLC in Asia and 10-15% in Western countries.2 For patients harboring activating EGFR mutations, treatment includes the use of first or second-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), such as afatinib, gefitinib, or erlotinib. The purpose of this case study is to review the pathophysiology of the progression of NSCLC in a 63-year-old non-smoking Caucasian woman. The patient presented with worsening back pain for four months, sudden onset of lower extremity weakness, and unintentional 20-pound weight loss. Imaging revealed spinal cord compression, a right upper lung mass with hilar adenopathy, multiple vertebral metastases, adrenal lesions, and a mass in the left lobe of the liver. Transbronchial biopsy of the lung mass in the patient confirmed NSCLC of the adenocarcinoma type. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) identified an L858R mutation in exon 21 of EGFR, which results in activation of the tyrosine kinase (TK) domain of the EGFR protein product, without the need for ligand binding and a decreased binding affinity for ATP. The patient began daily erlotinib therapy with subsequent regression of disease at four months follow-up. After 12 months on erlotinib the patient developed radiographic progression with a T790M mutation in exon 20, the most common resistance mutation secondary to treatment with first generation TKIs. The patient was subsequently started on the third-generation TKI, osimertinib. After 12 months of treatment the patient developed the EGFR C797S tertiary mutation leading to osimertinib resistance and further progression of the disease. According to clinical guidelines, all patients with non-squamous NSCLC should be tested for mutations in EGFR. This case study serves as evidence that constant monitoring of EGFR positive patients is essential, as there are multiple ways in which cells develop resistance to TKI treatment.

How General is Specific Human Capital? Using Mobility Patterns to Study Skill Transferability in the Labor Market

Previous studies assume that labor market skills are either fully general or specific to a firm. This paper uses patterns in mobility and wages to the transferability of specific skills across occupations. The empirical analysis combines information on tasks performed in different occupations with a large panel on complete work histories and wages. Our results demonstrate that labor market skills are partially transferable across occupations. We find that individuals move to occupations with similar task requirements, and that the distance of moves declines with time in the labor market. Further, tenure in the last occupation affects current wages, and the effect is stronger if the two occupations are similar. We calculate that task-specific human capital is an important source of wage growth, especially for university graduatesHuman Capital