Fraud in Online Surveys: Evidence from a Nonprobability, Subpopulation Sample

We hired a well-known market research firm whose surveys have been published in leading political science journals, including JEPS. Based on a set of rigorous screeners, we detected what appears to be exceedingly high rates of identity falsification: over 81 percent of respondents seemed to misrepresent their credentials to gain access to the survey and earn compensation. Similarly high rates of presumptive character falsification were present in panels from multiple sub-vendors procured by the firm. Moreover, we found additional, serious irregularities embedded in the data, including evidence of respondents using deliberate strategies to detect and circumvent one of our screeners, as well as pervasive, observable patterns reflecting that the survey had been taken repeatedly by a respondent or collection of respondents. This evidence offers reasons to be concerned about the quality of online nonprobability, subpopulation samples, and calls for further, systematic research

The moral foundations of restraint: Partisanship, military training, and norms of civilian protection

How does partisan identification shape the attitudes of US military officers toward the protection of civilians in war? Drawing on unique cross-cohort surveys of soon-to-be commissioned officers in 12 Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) training battalions, we find that Democratic-leaning cadets generally prioritize norms of civilian protection more than Republican-leaning cadets when confronted with competing values of military advantage and force protection as part of a ‘combatant’s trilemma’. This gap remains partially resilient after sustained exposure to military training and socialization, including in the norms of restraint embodied by principles of combat ethics and the law of war. We attribute these partisan differences to insights from Moral Foundations Theory (MFT), which suggests that the moral values of Democrats and Republicans guide their views toward the individual use of force in combat. Our findings have important implications for comprehending the impact of political ideology and military training and socialization on attitudes regarding restraint toward civilians in war. Given the widely recognized conservative composition of the US military’s membership, these findings may help to further inform understanding of US military operations and the underlying causes of US adherence to – or violation of – the laws of armed conflict

A comparison of methods for determining ploidy in white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)

Release of sturgeon with abnormal ploidy into the wild may result in reduced fitness due to lowered fertility in the F2 and subsequent generations. Further, there is evidence that ploidy affects reproductive development and caviar yield. Therefore, the ability to accurately characterize the ploidy of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)is essential for both commercial and conservation aquaculture. This study compares nuclear volume and whole erythrocyte long-axis lengths obtained using Coulter counter and blood smears, respectively, from captive white sturgeon from populations originating in California and Idaho. We examine which method provides the most accurate, time efficient and cost-effective characterization of ploidy in this species. Results from Coulter counter and blood smears were compared to results from flow cytometry, the gold standard for genome size analysis. Previous work suggests that blood smears can distinguish between 8N (diploid)and 12N (triploid)sturgeon, but further analysis is required to see if this method can also be used to identify 10N fish and to provide robust evidence of its utility in 8N and 12N fish across populations. In this study, we demonstrated that the Coulter counter had 100% agreement with flow cytometry in ploidy assignment, while blood smears vary in their accuracy based on population. Blood smears showed a high degree of overlap in erythrocyte long-axis length between 8N and 10N individuals as well as some overlap between 10N and 12N individuals in the California fish, and a high degree of overlap between 8N and 12N individuals in the Idaho fish. Although blood smears are time-intensive and vary in their ploidy assignment accuracy, they are a low-cost technique and as such may have some utility for caviar farms attempting to identify 12N individuals in a small number of broodstock. By comparing the accuracy, efficiency and cost of these three methods, sturgeon farmers and conservation hatcheries will be able to choose the best method for their needs in determining the ploidy of their fish. We determined that Coulter counter is equally accurate to flow cytometry and is also the most time efficient method for ploidy determination in white sturgeon

An evolutionary ecology of individual differences

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleIndividuals often differ in what they do. This has been recognised since antiquity. Nevertheless, the ecological and evolutionary significance of such variation is attracting widespread interest, which is burgeoning to an extent that is fragmenting the literature. As a first attempt at synthesis, we focus on individual differences in behaviour within populations that exceed the day-to-day variation in individual behaviour (i.e. behavioural specialisation). Indeed, the factors promoting ecologically relevant behavioural specialisation within natural populations are likely to have far reaching ecological and evolutionary consequences. We discuss such individual differences from three distinct perspectives: individual niche specialisations, the division of labour within insect societies and animal personality variation. In the process, while recognising that each area has its own unique motivations, we identify a number of opportunities for productive 'cross-fertilisation' among the (largely independent) bodies of work. We conclude that a complete understanding of evolutionary and ecologically relevant individual differences must specify how ecological interactions impact the basic biological process (e.g. Darwinian selection, development, information processing) that underpin the organismal features determining behavioural specialisations. Moreover, there is likely to be co-variation amongst behavioural specialisations. Thus, we sketch the key elements of a general framework for studying the evolutionary ecology of individual differences

Entering the "foxhole": Partisan media priming and the application of racial justice in America

Can accessing a partisan media environment—irrespective of its content—change how Americans interpret and assess news? We examine this question by focusing on one of the most fraught issues in American society: racial justice. Although studies suggest that repeated exposure to right-leaning media messaging can amplify racial resentment, we leverage a pair of survey experiments to test whether merely seeing a conservative media masthead can make Whites render justice with racialized considerations. Results show that—even keeping the content of stories identical—entering a simulated right-leaning media environment significantly conditions racial attitudes. We find evidence of both anti-Black and pro-White biases that are activated when respondents consume information under the Fox News masthead. This study has important implications for understanding how partisan media priming shapes political views and the distinctive nature of racism in America

Genetic evaluation of Addison's disease in the Portuguese Water Dog

BACKGROUND: Addison's disease, also known as hypoadrenocorticism, has been reported in many individual dogs, although some breeds exhibit a greater incidence than the population as a whole. Addison's is presumed to be an autoimmune mediated hereditary defect but the mode of inheritance remains unclear. In particular, the heritability and mode of inheritance have not been defined for the Portuguese Water Dog although Addison's is known to be prevalent in the breed. RESULTS: The analyses present clear evidence that establishes Addison's disease as an inherited disorder in the Portuguese Water Dog with an estimate of heritability of 0.49 (± 0.16); there were no differences in risk for disease across sexes (p > 0.49). Further, the complex segregation analysis provides suggestive evidence that Addison's disease in the Portuguese Water Dog is inherited under the control of a single, autosomal recessive locus. CONCLUSION: The high heritability and mode of inheritance of Addison's disease in the Portuguese Water Dog should enable the detection of segregating markers in a genome-wide scan and the identification of a locus linked to Addison's. Though the confirmation of Addison's disease as an autosomal recessive disorder must wait until the gene is identified, breeders of these dogs may wish to keep the present findings in mind as they plan their breeding programs to select against producing affected dogs

Depressive symptoms are associated with analgesic use in people with Alzheimer's disease: Kuopio ALSOVA study.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) such as depression may be associated with pain, which according to the literature may be inadequately recognized and managed in this population. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with analgesic use in persons with AD; in particular, how AD severity, functional status, neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD, co-morbidities and somatic symptoms are associated with analgesic use. 236 community-dwelling persons with very mild or mild AD at baseline, and their caregivers, were interviewed over five years as part of the prospective ALSOVA study. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEEs) were used to estimate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the factors associated with analgesic use over a five year follow-up. The proportion of persons with AD using any analgesic was low (13.6%) at baseline and remained relatively constant during the follow-up (15.3% at Year 5). Over time, the most prevalent analgesic changed from non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (8.1% of persons with AD at Year 1) to acetaminophen (11.1% at Year 5). Depressive symptoms (measured by the Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) were independently associated with analgesic use, after effects of age, gender, education, AD severity, comorbidities and somatic symptoms were taken into account. For every one unit increase in BDI, the odds of analgesic use increased by 4% (OR = 1.04, 95% confidence interval CI = 1.02-1.07). Caregiver depressive symptoms were not statistically significantly associated with analgesic use of the person with AD. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with analgesic use during the five year follow-up period. Possible explanations warranting investigation are that persons with AD may express depressive symptoms as painful somatic complaints, or untreated pain may cause depressive symptoms. Greater awareness of the association between depressive symptoms and analgesic use may lead to safer and more effective prescribing for these conditions

Load-bearing capacity of human incisor restored with various fiber-reinforced composite posts

Objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the load-bearing capacity and microstrain of incisors restored with posts of various kinds. Both prefabricated titanium posts and different fiber-reinforced composite posts were tested.Methods. The crowns of human incisors were cut and post preparation was carried out. The roots were divided into groups: (1) prefabricated serrated titanium posts, (2) prefabricated carbon fiber-reinforced composite posts, (3) individually formed glass fiber-reinforced composite posts with the canal full of fibers, and (4) individually formed "split" glass fiber-reinforced composite posts. The posts were cemented and composite crowns were made. Intact human incisors were used as reference. All roots were embedded in acrylic resin cylinders and stored at room temperature in water. Static load was applied under a loading angle of 45 degrees using a universal testing machine. On half of the specimens microstrain was measured with strain gages and an acoustic emission analysis was carried out. Failure mode assessment was also made.Results. The group with titanium posts showed highest number of unfavorable failures compared to the groups with fiber-reinforced composite posts. Significance. With fiber-reinforced composite posts the failures may more often be favorable compared to titanium posts, which clinically means repairable failures. (C) 2011 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Genetic analysis of seed proteins contents in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata

In order to select cowpea genotypes with high food value, 10 varieties were genetically screened in Ngaoundéré (Cameroon) for seed crude protein and its soluble fractions contents. Five divergent lines were studied through a 5 x 5 half diallel cross mating. The genotypes presented a significant genetic variability for these parameters (p < 0.05). The globulins constituted the major seed protein fraction, followed by albumins. Diallel analysis demonstrated that, both additive and non-additive gene effects were responsible for the genetic variation of these traits. However, dominance variance was more important than additive variance for all traits. The model of over-dominance was most widespread, suggesting delayed selection to fairly good improvement. All these parameters were found highly inheritable (h2 = 0.68 to 0.83). The parents differed significantly for their general combining ability (GCA) and the F1 progenies showed specific combining ability (SCA). Dominant genes have positive effects for high levels of albumins, globulins and prolamins, while high percentage of seed protein and high glutenins content appeared to be associated with recessive genes. In the Guinea savannah zone, these results would help breeders to improve these biochemical traits in terms of initial parent selection and subsequent crossbred selection and breeding procedures.Key words: Vigna unguiculata, seed crude protein content, soluble protein fractions, diallel analysis, genetic improvement, Guinea savannah zone