Can Slacktivism Work? Perceived Power Differences Moderate the Relationship Between Social Media Activism and Collective Action Intentions Through Positive Affect

We argue that the often-used critique of social media activism as merely a ‘feel-good’ mechanism can be countered by conceptualizing social media activism as a necessary type of collective action (i.e., consensus mobilization), incorporating theory on the benefits of positive feelings for activism, and by examining how power may affect these relationships. Women from two different samples (MTurk and university) were randomly assigned to recall a high- versus low-power experience, view real-world events of sexism, and then complete questionnaires assessing endorsement of social media activism, positive affect, and collective action intentions. A dual moderated mediation analyses at the second stage of mediation showed equivalency across two samples, at which point the single moderated mediation model was tested on the combined sample. The model was significant, such that among those in the high-power condition, endorsing social media activism was associated with greater positive affect, which in turn predicted greater collective action intentions. Among those in the low-power condition, however, this indirect effect was not significant. This study provides counter-evidence to the ‘slacktivism’ critique, contributes to theories of collective action, power and their integration, and identifies a possible intervention to enhance the effectiveness of social media activism

Privilege and Marginality: How Group Identification and Personality Predict Rightâ and Leftâ Wing Political Activism

In two studies, we examine how different processes might underlie the political mobilization of individuals with marginalized versus privileged identities for leftâ wing activism (LWA) versus rightâ wing activism (RWA). In the first study, with a sample of 244 midlife women, we tested the hypotheses that endorsement of system justification beliefs and social identities were direct predictors of political activism, and that system justification beliefs moderated the mobilization of social identities for activism on both the left and the right. We found that system justification predicted RWA only among those who felt close to privileged groups; the parallel reverse effect did not hold for LWA, though rejection of systemâ justifying beliefs was an important direct predictor. In Study 2, we replicated many of these findings with a sample of 113 college students. In addition, we tested and confirmed the hypothesis that LWA is predicted by openness to experience and is unrelated to RWA, but not that openness plays a stronger role among those with marginalized identities. These two studies together support our overall hypothesis that different personality processes are involved with political mobilization of privileged and marginalized individuals on the right and the left.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141967/1/asap12132_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141967/2/asap12132.pd

Strawberry cultivars vary in productivity, sugars and phytonutrient content when grown in a greenhouse during the winter

In many areas of the US, fresh locally grown berries are not available during the winter. With this in mind, a research study comprised of three experiments was conducted focused on cultivar selection for berry yield, number, sweetness and phytonutrient content. Using a capillary mat system with under bench heating within a double-layer polyethylene greenhouse, strawberries were grown in the Great Plains Region of the US during the winter. During experiment 1, 12 cultivars were grown; berries were weighed, counted and analyzed for sugars and phytonutrients. “Albion” plants produced a high number/mass of berries, had relatively high sugar content but a lower level of phytonutrients when compared to other cultivars. Sugar and phytonutrients concentrations overlapped across cultivars and thus, one cultivar could not be statistically singled out as best. As all cultivars flowered and fruited, two additional 8-month-long experiments were conducted. It took only 7 weeks from potting of dormant crowns for most cultivars to produce fruit. Certain cultivars fruited more successfully during certain months than others, but this was not associated with response time. For example,” “Albion”, “Chandler”, “Darselect”, “Evie-2” and “Seascape” plants consistently produced fruit October to early January while “AC Wendy”, “Cavendish”, “Honeoye” and “Strawberry Festival” plants mainly produced berries in March/April. Summed over experiment 2, “Albion”, “ Cavendish”, “Chandler”, “ Evie-2”, “Portola” and “Seascape” plants produced the greatest mass of berries. “AC Wendy” and “Darselect” berries contained some of the highest levels of sugars while berries from “Chandler”, “Darselect”, “Evie-2”, “Seascape” and “Strawberry Festival” had some of the highest phytonutrient values. In the third experiment, of the 8 selected cultivars, “Evie-2”, “Evie−2+” and “Portola” plants had the highest total yield and average berry mass/plant. “Seascape” and” Chandler” plants were second in total production. Glucose, fructose and sucrose levels varied across cultivars with “Chandler” and “Seascape” berries possessing the lowest level of total sugars. Phytonutrient values varied among cultivars with some having better flavonoids (“Seascape”), phenols (“Seascape” and “Chandler”) and ant oxidant capacity (“Seascape”, “Evie-2” and “Cavendish”). Measurement of soluble solids concentration varied by week among the cultivars with “Seascape”, “Seascape+”, and “Albion” berries possessing higher levels than other cultivars such as “Cavendish”. Overall, under these winter greenhouse conditions using capillary mat fertigation and an under-bench heat delivery system, strawberries were successfully produced for the off-season market

Discovery of chlorophyll d: isolation and characterization of a far-red cyanobacterium from the original site of manning and strain (1943) at Moss Beach, California

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Kiang, N. Y., Swingley, W. D., Gautam, D., Broddrick, J. T., Repeta, D. J., Stolz, J. F., Blankenship, R. E., Wolf, B. M., Detweiler, A. M., Miller, K. A., Schladweiler, J. J., Lindeman, R., & Parenteau, M. N. Discovery of chlorophyll d: isolation and characterization of a far-red cyanobacterium from the original site of manning and strain (1943) at Moss Beach, California. Microorganisms, 10(4), (2022): 819, https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10040819.We have isolated a chlorophyll-d-containing cyanobacterium from the intertidal field site at Moss Beach, on the coast of Central California, USA, where Manning and Strain (1943) originally discovered this far-red chlorophyll. Here, we present the cyanobacterium’s environmental description, culturing procedure, pigment composition, ultrastructure, and full genome sequence. Among cultures of far-red cyanobacteria obtained from red algae from the same site, this strain was an epiphyte on a brown macroalgae. Its Qyin vivo absorbance peak is centered at 704–705 nm, the shortest wavelength observed thus far among the various known Acaryochloris strains. Its Chl a/Chl d ratio was 0.01, with Chl d accounting for 99% of the total Chl d and Chl a mass. TEM imagery indicates the absence of phycobilisomes, corroborated by both pigment spectra and genome analysis. The Moss Beach strain codes for only a single set of genes for producing allophycocyanin. Genomic sequencing yielded a 7.25 Mbp circular chromosome and 10 circular plasmids ranging from 16 kbp to 394 kbp. We have determined that this strain shares high similarity with strain S15, an epiphyte of red algae, while its distinct gene complement and ecological niche suggest that this strain could be the closest known relative to the original Chl d source of Manning and Strain (1943). The Moss Beach strain is designated Acaryochloris sp. (marina) strain Moss Beach.N.Y.K., M.N.P. and R.E.B. were supported by the NASA Virtual Planetary Laboratory team (VPL), which was funded under NASA Astrobiology Institute Cooperative Agreement Number NNA13AA93A, and Grant Number 80NSSC18K0829. This work also benefited from participation in the NASA Nexus for Exoplanet Systems Science (NExSS) research coordination network (RCN). W.D.S, N.Y.K. and M.N.P. were also supported by a NASA Exobiology grant No. 80NSSC19K0478. J.TB. was supported by the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) award number NPP168014S. N.Y.K. received training support from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Training Office to take the Microbial Diversity course at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA

Structural Analysis of the UBA Domain of X-linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein Reveals Different Surfaces for Ubiquitin-Binding and Self-Association

BACKGROUND: Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) belong to a pivotal antiapoptotic protein family that plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis, cancer progression, chemoresistance and poor patient-survival. X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is a prominent member of IAPs attracting intense research because it has been demonstrated to be a physiological inhibitor of caspases and apoptosis. Recently, an evolutionarily conserved ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain was identified in XIAP and a number of RING domain-bearing IAPs. This has placed the IAPs in the group of ubiquitin binding proteins. Here, we explore the three-dimensional structure of the XIAP UBA domain (XIAP-UBA) and how it interacts with mono-ubiquitin and diubiquitin conjugates. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The solution structure of the XIAP-UBA domain was determined by NMR spectroscopy. XIAP-UBA adopts a typical UBA domain fold of three tightly packed alpha-helices but with an additional N-terminal 3(10) helix. The XIAP-UBA binds mono-ubiquitin as well as Lys48-linked and linear-linked diubiquitins at low-micromolar affinities. NMR analysis of the XIAP-UBA-ubiquitin interaction reveals that it involves the classical hydrophobic patches surrounding Ile44 of ubiquitin and the conserved MGF/LV motif surfaces on XIAP-UBA. Furthermore, dimerization of XIAP-UBA was observed. Mapping of the self-association surface of XIAP-UBA reveals that the dimerization interface is formed by residues in the N-terminal 3(10) helix, helix alpha1 and helix alpha2, separate from the ubiquitin-binding surface. CONCLUSION: Our results provide the first structural information of XIAP-UBA and map its interaction with mono-ubiquitin, Lys48-linked and linear-linked diubiquitins. The notion that XIAP-UBA uses different surfaces for ubiquitin-binding and self-association provides a plausible model to explain the reported selectivity of XIAP in binding polyubiquitin chains with different linkages.published_or_final_versio

Global disparities in SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance

Genomic sequencing is essential to track the evolution and spread of SARS-CoV-2, optimize molecular tests, treatments, vaccines, and guide public health responses. To investigate the global SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance, we used sequences shared via GISAID to estimate the impact of sequencing intensity and turnaround times on variant detection in 189 countries. In the first two years of the pandemic, 78% of high-income countries sequenced >0.5% of their COVID-19 cases, while 42% of low- and middle-income countries reached that mark. Around 25% of the genomes from high income countries were submitted within 21 days, a pattern observed in 5% of the genomes from low- and middle-income countries. We found that sequencing around 0.5% of the cases, with a turnaround time <21 days, could provide a benchmark for SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance. Socioeconomic inequalities undermine the global pandemic preparedness, and efforts must be made to support low- and middle-income countries improve their local sequencing capacity

Global disparities in SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance

Genomic sequencing is essential to track the evolution and spread of SARS-CoV-2, optimize molecular tests, treatments, vaccines, and guide public health responses. To investigate the global SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance, we used sequences shared via GISAID to estimate the impact of sequencing intensity and turnaround times on variant detection in 189 countries. In the first two years of the pandemic, 78% of high-income countries sequenced >0.5% of their COVID-19 cases, while 42% of low- and middle-income countries reached that mark. Around 25% of the genomes from high income countries were submitted within 21 days, a pattern observed in 5% of the genomes from low- and middle-income countries. We found that sequencing around 0.5% of the cases, with a turnaround time <21 days, could provide a benchmark for SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance. Socioeconomic inequalities undermine the global pandemic preparedness, and efforts must be made to support low- and middle-income countries improve their local sequencing capacity

Can Slacktivism Work? Perceived Power Differences Moderate the Relationship Between Social Media Activism and Collective Action Intentions Through Positive Affect

We argue that the often-used critique of social media activism as merely a ‘feel-good’ mechanism can be countered by conceptualizing social media activism as a necessary type of collective action (i.e., consensus mobilization), incorporating theory on the benefits of positive feelings for activism, and by examining how power may affect these relationships. Women from two different samples (MTurk and university) were randomly assigned to recall a high- versus low-power experience, view real-world events of sexism, and then complete questionnaires assessing endorsement of social media activism, positive affect, and collective action intentions. A dual moderated mediation analyses at the second stage of mediation showed equivalency across two samples, at which point the single moderated mediation model was tested on the combined sample. The model was significant, such that among those in the high-power condition, endorsing social media activism was associated with greater positive affect, which in turn predicted greater collective action intentions. Among those in the low-power condition, however, this indirect effect was not significant. This study provides counter-evidence to the ‘slacktivism’ critique, contributes to theories of collective action, power and their integration, and identifies a possible intervention to enhance the effectiveness of social media activism

Strawberry cultivars vary in productivity, sugars and phytonutrient content when grown in a greenhouse during the winter

In many areas of the US, fresh locally grown berries are not available during the winter. With this in mind, a research study comprised of three experiments was conducted focused on cultivar selection for berry yield, number, sweetness and phytonutrient content. Using a capillary mat system with under bench heating within a double-layer polyethylene greenhouse, strawberries were grown in the Great Plains Region of the US during the winter. During experiment 1, 12 cultivars were grown; berries were weighed, counted and analyzed for sugars and phytonutrients. “Albion” plants produced a high number/mass of berries, had relatively high sugar content but a lower level of phytonutrients when compared to other cultivars. Sugar and phytonutrients concentrations overlapped across cultivars and thus, one cultivar could not be statistically singled out as best. As all cultivars flowered and fruited, two additional 8-month-long experiments were conducted. It took only 7 weeks from potting of dormant crowns for most cultivars to produce fruit. Certain cultivars fruited more successfully during certain months than others, but this was not associated with response time. For example,” “Albion”, “Chandler”, “Darselect”, “Evie-2” and “Seascape” plants consistently produced fruit October to early January while “AC Wendy”, “Cavendish”, “Honeoye” and “Strawberry Festival” plants mainly produced berries in March/April. Summed over experiment 2, “Albion”, “ Cavendish”, “Chandler”, “ Evie-2”, “Portola” and “Seascape” plants produced the greatest mass of berries. “AC Wendy” and “Darselect” berries contained some of the highest levels of sugars while berries from “Chandler”, “Darselect”, “Evie-2”, “Seascape” and “Strawberry Festival” had some of the highest phytonutrient values. In the third experiment, of the 8 selected cultivars, “Evie-2”, “Evie−2+” and “Portola” plants had the highest total yield and average berry mass/plant. “Seascape” and” Chandler” plants were second in total production. Glucose, fructose and sucrose levels varied across cultivars with “Chandler” and “Seascape” berries possessing the lowest level of total sugars. Phytonutrient values varied among cultivars with some having better flavonoids (“Seascape”), phenols (“Seascape” and “Chandler”) and ant oxidant capacity (“Seascape”, “Evie-2” and “Cavendish”). Measurement of soluble solids concentration varied by week among the cultivars with “Seascape”, “Seascape+”, and “Albion” berries possessing higher levels than other cultivars such as “Cavendish”. Overall, under these winter greenhouse conditions using capillary mat fertigation and an under-bench heat delivery system, strawberries were successfully produced for the off-season market

Trust and tribulation: Racial identity centrality, institutional trust, and support for candidates in the 2020 US presidential election

We examined how racial- ethnic identity centrality, or the importance of race/ethnicity in people’s self- perceptions, affected peoples- support for the Democratic and Republican candidates in the 2020 US election. We explored this association by examining the mediating role of trust in important social institutions. In Study 1, we examined these effects by comparing the pattern of relationships among people of color (POC) and white people, using a sample of 177 Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) participants. In Study 2, we expanded our focus on different racial- ethnic groups, by comparing effects for Black, Latinx, Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI), and white participants, using a sample of 530 MTurk workers. Although there were a few findings that ran contrary to our expectations, the two studies generally found that trust in institutions that challenge the status quo, such as the media, explained the relationship between identity centrality and support for candidates among POC, especially Black and Latinx participants. We also found that trust in institutions that uphold the status quo, such as police and courts, explained the relationship between racial- ethnic identity centrality and support for candidates among white people.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/171243/1/asap12256.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/171243/2/asap12256_am.pd