Not a Fair Go: A History and Analysis of Social Credit's Struggle for Success in New Zealand's Electoral System

This thesis is an examination of the main issues Social Credit contended with while trying to succeed in New Zealand politics. Its historical and political analysis is in the context of the electoral system. The first section argues for and describes the changing electoral context and outlines how this created difficulties for Social Credit. It concludes that the movement faced very adverse electoral periods for third parties. The second part examines founder Major C.H. Douglas's Social Credit vision and charts Social Credit's political adaptations from its New Zealand beginnings to the time Bruce Beetham took over as leader in 1972. It challenges the myths that Social Credit could not change without ceasing to be Social Credit and that its economics were unworkable. In the third section the centrality of Beetham's leadership to Social Credit success is explored by looking at his life, personality, beliefs and vision for the movement. It concludes that he believed in Social Credit and that his drive and dedication were essential to Social Credit's revival. Then the thesis follows Social Credit's electoral progress from 1972 to 1981. It examines the impact from its own activities and other political actors and circumstances. This includes effects from organisational changes, the effect of growing and changing membership and the sources of its votes. The fifth part outlines the factors that put Social Credit into permanent decline after 1981. These include the Clyde dam issue, the emerging New Zealand party, the 1984 snap election and the failure to revitalise the party. Finally, it examines Social Credit influence on the electoral system itself, particularly in regard to the move to proportional representation. Here its existence and size mattered more than direct action. The contribution of this thesis is, firstly, in challenging the usual roles assigned to third parties. Second, it outlines the characteristics of different electoral periods. Third, it examines the nature of Social Credit in a more positive way. Fourth, it looks at the electoral elements that shaped Social Credit's successes and failures. Finally, it shows the effects of professionalisation on a typical party branch

Ecological and physiological studies of the effect of sulfate pulp mill wastes on oysters in the York River, Virginia

This study of the York River and issues impacting the oyster fishery provides historical information on the river\u27s physical and chemical conditions (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, currents, etc.) effluent observations, history and data of the oyster fishery, oyster condition, biological and pathological work and experimental studies. The project studies were responsible for the establishment of a fisheries laboratory in Yorktown, Va. p. 59 - Funds for the York River investigations were made available in 1935 by a special allotment from the Public Works Administration. Continuation of the project was made possible by regular allotments by the Bureau of Fisheries and appropriations from the Commonwealth of Virginia through its Commission of Fisheries. In October 1935 a laboratory was established at Yorktown, Va., where a satisfactory supply of sea water was available for physiological studies\u27 on oysters. A boat suitable for the field observations was supplied by the Virginia Commission of Fisheries. Studies of the chemical nature of the pulp-mill effluents were carried on from July 1938 to July 1940 at laboratories made available by the College of William and Mary

Developments in fieldwork procedures and monitoring in longitudinal surveys: case prioritisation and electronic contact sheets on the UK Millennium Cohort Study

Maximising response is important in any survey and especially so in a longitudinal survey where non-response at a particular wave contributes to attrition. A key element of response maximisation in face-to-face surveys is the adoption and implementation of thorough fieldwork procedures. The introduction of electronic sample management systems has provided more timely and accurate para-data with which to monitor interviewers’ compliance with fieldwork procedures. One of the major advantages of longitudinal surveys is that they are able to make use of prior wave data in order to identify cases at highest risk of non-response and thereby target appropriate fieldwork interventions designed to minimise non-response. This paper examines two developments in the fieldwork procedures used on the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) designed to maximise response: case prioritisation for low-contact propensity cases and electronic contact sheets to help ensure adherence to contact protocols. We compare fieldwork procedures used in the fifth wave in 2012 (at age 11) with those used at the sixth wave in 2015 (at age 14), utilising wave-on-wave changes in procedures to compare the effectiveness of different approaches to response maximisation. In the first part of our paper, we compare our two different approaches to case prioritisation: response propensity models employed at wave 5 and a simpler approach using prior wave outcomes only used at waves 6. We conclude that the simpler approach to identifying cases which are likely to have low contact propensity, based on prior wave outcomes only, is more effective than a more complex approach based on response propensity models. The second part of our paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of using of electronic contact sheets (ECS) at wave 6 to improve compliance with fieldwork procedures, cost-effectiveness and reduce non-response. We show that at wave 6 interviewer compliance rates were higher and non-contact rates were lower than at wave 5, and argue that the introduction of the ECS has led to this improvement in fieldwork quality and reduction in nonresponse

Identification of FAM111A as an SV40 Host Range Restriction and Adenovirus Helper Factor

The small genome of polyomaviruses encodes a limited number of proteins that are highly dependent on interactions with host cell proteins for efficient viral replication. The SV40 large T antigen (LT) contains several discrete functional domains including the LXCXE or RB-binding motif, the DNA binding and helicase domains that contribute to the viral life cycle. In addition, the LT C-terminal region contains the host range and adenovirus helper functions required for lytic infection in certain restrictive cell types. To understand how LT affects the host cell to facilitate viral replication, we expressed full-length or functional domains of LT in cells, identified interacting host proteins and carried out expression profiling. LT perturbed the expression of p53 target genes and subsets of cell-cycle dependent genes regulated by the DREAM and the B-Myb-MuvB complexes. Affinity purification of LT followed by mass spectrometry revealed a specific interaction between the LT C-terminal region and FAM111A, a previously uncharacterized protein. Depletion of FAM111A recapitulated the effects of heterologous expression of the LT C-terminal region, including increased viral gene expression and lytic infection of SV40 host range mutants and adenovirus replication in restrictive cells. FAM111A functions as a host range restriction factor that is specifically targeted by SV40 LT

Interpreting Cancer Genomes Using Systematic Host Perturbations by Tumour Virus Proteins

Genotypic differences greatly influence susceptibility and resistance to disease. Understanding genotype-phenotype relationships requires that phenotypes be viewed as manifestations of network properties, rather than simply as the result of individual genomic variations. Genome sequencing efforts have identified numerous germline mutations associated with cancer predisposition and large numbers of somatic genomic alterations. However, it remains challenging to distinguish between background, or “passenger” and causal, or “driver” cancer mutations in these datasets. Human viruses intrinsically depend on their host cell during the course of infection and can elicit pathological phenotypes similar to those arising from mutations. To test the hypothesis that genomic variations and tumour viruses may cause cancer via related mechanisms, we systematically examined host interactome and transcriptome network perturbations caused by DNA tumour virus proteins. The resulting integrated viral perturbation data reflects rewiring of the host cell networks, and highlights pathways that go awry in cancer, such as Notch signalling and apoptosis. We show that systematic analyses of host targets of viral proteins can identify cancer genes with a success rate on par with their identification through functional genomics and large-scale cataloguing of tumour mutations. Together, these complementary approaches result in increased specificity for cancer gene identification. Combining systems-level studies of pathogen-encoded gene products with genomic approaches will facilitate prioritization of cancer-causing driver genes so as to advance understanding of the genetic basis of human cancer

Viral Perturbations of Host Networks Reflect Disease Etiology

Many human diseases, arising from mutations of disease susceptibility genes (genetic diseases), are also associated with viral infections (virally implicated diseases), either in a directly causal manner or by indirect associations. Here we examine whether viral perturbations of host interactome may underlie such virally implicated disease relationships. Using as models two different human viruses, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV), we find that host targets of viral proteins reside in network proximity to products of disease susceptibility genes. Expression changes in virally implicated disease tissues and comorbidity patterns cluster significantly in the network vicinity of viral targets. The topological proximity found between cellular targets of viral proteins and disease genes was exploited to uncover a novel pathway linking HPV to Fanconi anemia

Dynamics of sputum conversion during effective tuberculosis treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Two weeks' isolation is widely recommended for people commencing treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The evidence that this corresponds to clearance of potentially infectious tuberculous mycobacteria in sputum is not well established. This World Health Organization-commissioned review investigated sputum sterilisation dynamics during TB treatment. METHODS AND FINDINGS: For the main analysis, 2 systematic literature searches of OvidSP MEDLINE, Embase, and Global Health, and EBSCO CINAHL Plus were conducted to identify studies with data on TB infectiousness (all studies to search date, 1 December 2017) and all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) for drug-susceptible TB (from 1 January 1990 to search date, 20 February 2018). Included articles reported on patients receiving effective treatment for culture-confirmed drug-susceptible pulmonary TB. The outcome of interest was sputum bacteriological conversion: the proportion of patients having converted by a defined time point or a summary measure of time to conversion, assessed by smear or culture. Any study design with 10 or more particpants was considered. Record sifting and data extraction were performed in duplicate. Random effects meta-analyses were performed. A narrative summary additionally describes the results of a systematic search for data evaluating infectiousness from humans to experimental animals (PubMed, all studies to 27 March 2018). Other evidence on duration of infectiousness-including studies reporting on cough dynamics, human tuberculin skin test conversion, or early bactericidal activity of TB treatments-was outside the scope of this review. The literature search was repeated on 22 November 2020, at the request of the editors, to identify studies published after the previous censor date. Four small studies reporting 3 different outcome measures were identified, which included no data that would alter the findings of the review; they are not included in the meta-analyses. Of 5,290 identified records, 44 were included. Twenty-seven (61%) were RCTs and 17 (39%) were cohort studies. Thirteen studies (30%) reported data from Africa, 12 (27%) from Asia, 6 (14%) from South America, 5 (11%) from North America, and 4 (9%) from Europe. Four studies reported data from multiple continents. Summary estimates suggested smear conversion in 9% of patients at 2 weeks (95% CI 3%-24%, 1 single study [N = 1]), and 82% of patients at 2 months of treatment (95% CI 78%-86%, N = 10). Among baseline smear-positive patients, solid culture conversion occurred by 2 weeks in 5% (95% CI 0%-14%, N = 2), increasing to 88% at 2 months (95% CI 84%-92%, N = 20). At equivalent time points, liquid culture conversion was achieved in 3% (95% CI 1%-16%, N = 1) and 59% (95% CI 47%-70%, N = 8). Significant heterogeneity was observed. Further interrogation of the data to explain this heterogeneity was limited by the lack of disaggregation of results, including by factors such as HIV status, baseline smear status, and the presence or absence of lung cavitation. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review found that most patients remained culture positive at 2 weeks of TB treatment, challenging the view that individuals are not infectious after this interval. Culture positivity is, however, only 1 component of infectiousness, with reduced cough frequency and aerosol generation after TB treatment initiation likely to also be important. Studies that integrate our findings with data on cough dynamics could provide a more complete perspective on potential transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by individuals on treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Systematic review registration: PROSPERO 85226

Transmission of Vibrio cholerae Is Antagonized by Lytic Phage and Entry into the Aquatic Environment

Cholera outbreaks are proposed to propagate in explosive cycles powered by hyperinfectious Vibrio cholerae and quenched by lytic vibriophage. However, studies to elucidate how these factors affect transmission are lacking because the field experiments are almost intractable. One reason for this is that V. cholerae loses the ability to culture upon transfer to pond water. This phenotype is called the active but non-culturable state (ABNC; an alternative term is viable but non-culturable) because these cells maintain the capacity for metabolic activity. ABNC bacteria may serve as the environmental reservoir for outbreaks but rigorous animal studies to test this hypothesis have not been conducted. In this project, we wanted to determine the relevance of ABNC cells to transmission as well as the impact lytic phage have on V. cholerae as the bacteria enter the ABNC state. Rice-water stool that naturally harbored lytic phage or in vitro derived V. cholerae were incubated in a pond microcosm, and the culturability, infectious dose, and transcriptome were assayed over 24 h. The data show that the major contributors to infection are culturable V. cholerae and not ABNC cells. Phage did not affect colonization immediately after shedding from the patients because the phage titer was too low. However, V. cholerae failed to colonize the small intestine after 24 h of incubation in pond water—the point when the phage and ABNC cell titers were highest. The transcriptional analysis traced the transformation into the non-infectious ABNC state and supports models for the adaptation to nutrient poor aquatic environments. Phage had an undetectable impact on this adaptation. Taken together, the rise of ABNC cells and lytic phage blocked transmission. Thus, there is a fitness advantage if V. cholerae can make a rapid transfer to the next host before these negative selective pressures compound in the aquatic environment