Latin American leaders on Twitter. Old uses for new media during political crises

Introduction. Twitter has evolved into an important medium for political communication. However, research on Twitter has focused almost exclusively on its use in electoral campaigns. Objectives. This article analyses the use that the main Latin American political leaders make of Twitter as a communication channel. Method. Content analysis was applied to 688 tweets posted by ten political leaders in two different time periods, one of them characterised by the attention paid by the media to a political scandal. The content analysis focused on identifying the different types of messages posted and the direction of their discourse. Results and conclusions. Based on this analysis, we concluded that there is still no common strategy to use Twitter in times of crisis among the Latin American political leaders in the government and the opposition.Introducción. Twitter representa un canal cada vez más importante para la comunicación política, aunque los estudios sobre su uso se han centrado casi exclusivamente en su empleo dentro de un marco cronológico marcado por las campañas electorales. Objetivos. Este artículo aborda el uso de esta herramienta como vehículo para la comunicación por parte de los principales políticos hispanoamericanos. Metodología. Se aplica un análisis de contenido a 688 mensajes publicados por diez políticos durante dos periodos de tiempo diferenciados, uno de ellos marcado por la atención mediática prestada a un escándalo político. Se aplican criterios de tipo de mensaje y direccionalidad del discurso. Resultados y conclusiones. Se concluye que no existe todavía una estrategia común de uso de Twitter en momentos de crisis por parte de los distintos líderes políticos latinoamericanos en el Gobierno y la oposición

Aims and Strategies of Spanish Politicians in Twitter

This paper analyses the uses of Twitter by the most important Spanish politicians outside elections political campaigns. The overall objective is to analyze how Spanish politicians use Twitter and to find out if political scandals influence those uses. A content analysis is applied to 586 messages posted by ten political leaders in two different time lapses, one of them characterized by the attention paid by media to a political scandal. Criteria regarding type of messages and discourse directionality are followed. Results indicate that most messages are basically unidirectional, with few addressing other users. Similarly most of the messages are categorized as ‘self-promotion’ or ‘information sharing’. It is concluded that their communicative practices on this platform are driven by propagandist objectives, leaving aside the search of a higher transparence or a deeper dialogue with the citizens.Este artículo aborda el uso de Twitter como vehículo para la comunicación por parte de los políticos españoles fuera del periodo electoral. El objetivo general es analizar el uso que estos políticos hacen de Twitter. De modo concreto, plantea comprobar si el surgimiento de un escándalo mediático afecta a ese uso y, en caso afirmativo, en qué sentido. Se aplica un análisis de contenido a 586 mensajes publicados por diez políticos durante dos periodos de tiempo diferenciados, uno de ellos marcado por la atención mediática prestada a un escándalo político. Se emplean criterios de tipo de mensaje y direccionalidad del discurso. Los resultados indican que la mayoría de mensajes son fundamentalmente unidireccionales, con un bajo índice de apelaciones a otros usuarios. Del mismo modo, los mensajes más abundantes son de autopromoción o comparten información referente al partido. Se concluye por tanto que sus prácticas comunicativas en esta plataforma responden meramente a objetivos propagandísticos, sin la búsqueda de mayor transparencia ni diálogo con la ciudadanía

Cardiometabolic effects of genetic upregulation of the interleukin 1 receptor antagonist: a Mendelian randomisation analysis.

BACKGROUND: To investigate potential cardiovascular and other effects of long-term pharmacological interleukin 1 (IL-1) inhibition, we studied genetic variants that produce inhibition of IL-1, a master regulator of inflammation. METHODS: We created a genetic score combining the effects of alleles of two common variants (rs6743376 and rs1542176) that are located upstream of IL1RN, the gene encoding the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra; an endogenous inhibitor of both IL-1α and IL-1β); both alleles increase soluble IL-1Ra protein concentration. We compared effects on inflammation biomarkers of this genetic score with those of anakinra, the recombinant form of IL-1Ra, which has previously been studied in randomised trials of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders. In primary analyses, we investigated the score in relation to rheumatoid arthritis and four cardiometabolic diseases (type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, ischaemic stroke, and abdominal aortic aneurysm; 453,411 total participants). In exploratory analyses, we studied the relation of the score to many disease traits and to 24 other disorders of proposed relevance to IL-1 signalling (746,171 total participants). FINDINGS: For each IL1RN minor allele inherited, serum concentrations of IL-1Ra increased by 0.22 SD (95% CI 0.18-0.25; 12.5%; p = 9.3 × 10(-33)), concentrations of interleukin 6 decreased by 0.02 SD (-0.04 to -0.01; -1.7%; p = 3.5 × 10(-3)), and concentrations of C-reactive protein decreased by 0.03 SD (-0.04 to -0.02; -3.4%; p = 7.7 × 10(-14)). We noted the effects of the genetic score on these inflammation biomarkers to be directionally concordant with those of anakinra. The allele count of the genetic score had roughly log-linear, dose-dependent associations with both IL-1Ra concentration and risk of coronary heart disease. For people who carried four IL-1Ra-raising alleles, the odds ratio for coronary heart disease was 1.15 (1.08-1.22; p = 1.8 × 10(-6)) compared with people who carried no IL-1Ra-raising alleles; the per-allele odds ratio for coronary heart disease was 1.03 (1.02-1.04; p = 3.9 × 10(-10)). Per-allele odds ratios were 0.97 (0.95-0.99; p = 9.9 × 10(-4)) for rheumatoid arthritis, 0.99 (0.97-1.01; p = 0.47) for type 2 diabetes, 1.00 (0.98-1.02; p = 0.92) for ischaemic stroke, and 1.08 (1.04-1.12; p = 1.8 × 10(-5)) for abdominal aortic aneurysm. In exploratory analyses, we observed per-allele increases in concentrations of proatherogenic lipids, including LDL-cholesterol, but no clear evidence of association for blood pressure, glycaemic traits, or any of the 24 other disorders studied. Modelling suggested that the observed increase in LDL-cholesterol could account for about a third of the association observed between the genetic score and increased coronary risk. INTERPRETATION: Human genetic data suggest that long-term dual IL-1α/β inhibition could increase cardiovascular risk and, conversely, reduce the risk of development of rheumatoid arthritis. The cardiovascular risk might, in part, be mediated through an increase in proatherogenic lipid concentrations.This work was funded by the UK Medical Research Council ( G0800270 ), British Heart Foundation ( SP/09/002 ), UK National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, European Research Council ( 268834 ), and European Commission Framework Programme 7 ( HEALTH-F2-2012-279233 ). Funding for the component studies in this analysis is provided in the appendix. Murray Clarke, Philip De Jager, Peter Libby, Ziad Mallat, Nadeem Sarwar, and John Todd provided helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. Collaborators are listed in the appendix pp 65–86. A full set of acknowledgments is provided in the appendix pp 87–96.This is the final version. It was first published by Elsevier at http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587%2815%2900034-0/fulltext

Self-Perceptions on Digital Competences for M-Learning and Education Sustainability: A Study with Teachers from Different Countries

The current international landscape shows that the most common alternative for the continuity of formative learning processes during the coronavirus pandemic has been the use the of e-learning to support children's learning in environments outside of school. This forced change in teaching methods has consolidated the recognition that the digital skills of teachers are a relevant factor for the sustainability of education, both during the pandemic and in a future post-pandemic period or in other emergencies. In this sense, the objective of this study carried out between May and September 2020 was to determine the perceptions of 427 teachers from 15 countries about their digital competences in working with m-learning in primary education using a Montessori approach. The results of the questionnaire showed that teachers perceive their digital competences as inert and not very effective for innovation compared with the subsistence of traditional pedagogical practices, to deal with unpredictable situations or to generate differentiated adaptations for an inclusive education. The results of this study also serve as empirical support for establishing four training dimensions that can be considered priorities for the construction and implementation of a teacher training model that contributes to the sustainable development of education

Message from the President of the United States, transmitting a letter of the Secretary of the Interior with an agreement by the Cherokee Commission with the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians for the cession of certain lands

51-2Indian AffairsCession of Certain Indian Lands. [2818] Agreement of 1890 with the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians for cession of their lands in Indian Territory; belong to them under the treaty of 28 Oct. 1867; allotments to be made.1890-36

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Official Congressional Directory for the use of the United States Congress

Part 2 of 3.50-1Congressional Directory. [2516] Responsibilites of the CIA are listed.1887-9