Y\u27all Think We\u27re Stupid: Deconstructing Media Stereotypes of The American South

This study examines the various stereotypes that persist about the American South, giving consideration to the common stereotypes, their persistence, and the response of Southerners and non-Southerners to them. Further, it aims to examine in-depth the methods by which these stereotypes are perpetuated, such as literature, movies, television, and music. Within this dissertation, pieces of literature by traditional Southern authors, like William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams, are examined for the images they employ. Further, films such as Deliverance and Sweet Home Alabama, as well as television shows like The Dukes of Hazzard and The Beverly Hillbillies are analyzed for how they convey stereotypes about the South. Lastly, music of all genres, though primarily country, is considered for the images it conveys. The major aim of this study is not only to reveal these stereotypes but also to deconstruct them

Religious Beliefs or A College Ethics Course- Does Either Really Impact Student Perceptions of Ethical Behavior?

This study considers the impact of two variables on the perception of students regarding various classroom behaviors concerning themselves, and then concerning their peers. The first variable is the self-reported level of religiosity of the students, and the second is the completion of a business ethics course. Two universities participated in the study: Temple University with 61 juniors and seniors and Columbus State University with 215 juniors and seniors out of a total of 332 mostly undergraduate, business students attending selected business classes. The findings are that students viewing themselves as more religious have higher critical standards for both themselves and their peers. Students who completed on ethics course, whether they considered themselves more religious or not, did not demonstrate a significantly higher level of ethical standards for either themselves or their peers

Making connections and promoting the profession: social media use by World Federation of Occupational Therapy member organisations

BACKGROUND: World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) member organisations comprise 77 national occupational therapy organisations across the world. Each national organisation interacts with its members and the public using diverse methods. Increasingly, national organisations are broadening their communication methods. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine if and how occupational therapy organisations are using social media for communication, and if so, the types of concerns or barriers they experience and what role they anticipate social media might play in the near future. METHODS: An online survey was developed; 57 of 77 WFOT member organisations responded. FINDINGS: This study identified that WFOT national organisations are using social media, to varying degrees, with or without an individual formally assigned to manage social media. Respondents reported that they used social media to: communicate with members, promote the organisation and promote the profession. Commonly expressed needs included assistance with guide- lines for ethical social media use, developing technical expertise, and recognition of limits of time and competing priorities. Recommendations arising from this research are at the global, national, local and individual levels and incorporate active dissemination and pure diffusion approaches. Taking steps to increase the use of social media could indirectly impact occu- pational therapy practice through enhancing organisations’ abilities to support practitioners to enhance their practice. LIMITATIONS AND RECOMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Although 57% of WFOT member organisations returned usable responses, there may be some additional perspectives that were not captured. It would be helpful to contact non-responding organisations to explore their social media use and plans. Further research could examine how future initiatives put in place by WFOT impact social media use by member organisations.Published versio

CD4−CD8− T cells control intracellular bacterial infections both in vitro and in vivo

Memory T cells, including the well-known CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, are central components of the acquired immune system and are the basis for successful vaccination. After infection, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells expand into effector cells, and then differentiate into long-lived memory cells. We show that a rare population of CD4−CD8−CD3+αβ+γδ−NK1.1− T cells has similar functions. These cells potently and specifically inhibit the growth of the intracellular bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb.) or Francisella tularensis Live Vaccine Strain (LVS) in macrophages in vitro, promote survival of mice infected with these organisms in vivo, and adoptively transfer immunity to F. tularensis LVS. Furthermore, these cells expand in the spleens of mice infected with M. tb. or F. tularensis LVS, and then acquire a memory cell phenotype. Thus, CD4−CD8− T cells have a role in the control of intracellular infection and may contribute to successful vaccination

Robert James Baker (1942-2018), Obituary

First paragraph: On 30 March 2018, the science of mammalogy and the American Society of Mammalogists lost one of the most influential figures of the last half-century. Robert James Baker died quietly at his home in Lubbock, Texas (Fig. 1). He was born on 8 April 1942 to James Simeon Baker and Laura Cooper in Warren, Arkansas. His father was killed during World War II and his mother remarried, resulting in his growing up with six half-siblings. According to Robert’s autobiography in Going afield (330—number refers to specific publication in “Bibliography”), he spent a good deal of his youth with his grandparents on a 100-acre farm in the West Gulf Coastal Plain of southeastern Arkansas. He identified his maternal grandmother, “Grandma Rosie,” as his best friend and his greatest influence during these years. His marriage to Jean Joyner on 19 August 1961 ended in divorce in 1975, but the marriage resulted in a daughter, April Baker-Padilla, and two grandchildren, Jason Baker and Faith Padilla. Robert was married to his wife of 39 years, Laura Kyle (M.D.), on 28 May 1978 in Lubbock. Their son, Robert Kyle Baker, preceded his father in death, which was a tragedy from which neither Robert nor Laura ever completely recovered

Designer diatom episomes delivered by bacterial conjugation.

Eukaryotic microalgae hold great promise for the bioproduction of fuels and higher value chemicals. However, compared with model genetic organisms such as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, characterization of the complex biology and biochemistry of algae and strain improvement has been hampered by the inefficient genetic tools. To date, many algal species are transformable only via particle bombardment, and the introduced DNA is integrated randomly into the nuclear genome. Here we describe the first nuclear episomal vector for diatoms and a plasmid delivery method via conjugation from Escherichia coli to the diatoms Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Thalassiosira pseudonana. We identify a yeast-derived sequence that enables stable episome replication in these diatoms even in the absence of antibiotic selection and show that episomes are maintained as closed circles at copy number equivalent to native chromosomes. This highly efficient genetic system facilitates high-throughput functional characterization of algal genes and accelerates molecular phytoplankton research

What Should Be Done To Tackle Ghostwriting in the Medical Literature?

Background to the debate: Ghostwriting occurs when someone makes substantial contributions to a manuscript without attribution or disclosure. It is considered bad publication practice in the medical sciences, and some argue it is scientific misconduct. At its extreme, medical ghostwriting involves pharmaceutical companies hiring professional writers to produce papers promoting their products but hiding those contributions and instead naming academic physicians or scientists as the authors. To improve transparency, many editors' associations and journals allow professional medical writers to contribute to the writing of papers without being listed as authors provided their role is acknowledged. This debate examines how best to tackle ghostwriting in the medical literature from the perspectives of a researcher, an editor, and the professional medical writer

Beyond the martial façade: gender, heritage and medieval castles

Gendered interpretations are rare both within castle-studies and heritage discourses on medieval castles. Yet, castles hold potential to inform multi-vocal accounts of the medieval past and to inspire meaningful heritage interpretations to achieve greater societal impact. This article explores the role that gender currently plays in interpretations of medieval castles in Britain, supported by three case-studies written by heritage professionals. The enduring narrative of militarism at medieval castles sites is discussed, together with issues of authenticity in relation to the historical record, which is in itself biased and inherently gendered. Outcomes from a collaborative workshop highlight the need to address interpretative issues where gender is considered to equate to ‘making women visible’. Finally, we pose the question: What makes a ‘good gendered interpretation’ at a public heritage site

Nivolumab in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Safety Profile and Select Treatment-Related Adverse Events From the CheckMate 040 Study

Background. CheckMate 040 assessed the efficacy and safety of nivolumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Understanding the safety profile of nivolumab is needed to support the management of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). This analysis assessed the safety of nivolumab monotherapy in the phase I/II, open-label CheckMate 040 study. Materials and Methods. Select TRAEs (sTRAEs; TRAEs with potential immunologic etiology requiring more frequent monitoring) occurring between first dose and 30 days after last dose were analyzed in patients in the dose-escalation and -expansion phases. Time to onset (TTO), time to resolution (TTR), and recurrence of sTRAEs were assessed, and the outcome of treatment with immune-modulating medication (IMM) was evaluated. Results. The analysis included 262 patients. The most common sTRAE was skin (35.5%), followed by gastrointestinal (14.5%) and hepatic (14.1%) events; the majority were grade 1/2, with 10.7% of patients experiencing grade 3/4 events. One patient had grade 5 pneumonitis. Median (range) TTO ranged from 3.6 (0.1–59.9) weeks for skin sTRAEs to 47.6 (47.1–48.0) weeks for renal sTRAEs. Overall, 68% of sTRAEs resolved, with median (range) TTR ranging from 3.7 (0.1–123.3+) weeks for gastrointestinal sTRAEs to 28.4 (0.1–79.1) weeks for endocrine sTRAEs. Most gastrointestinal and all hepatic events resolved with treatment in accordance with established toxicity management algorithms. In 57 patients (40%), sTRAEs were managed with IMM. Reoccurrence of sTRAEs was uncommon following rechallenge with nivolumab. Conclusion. Nivolumab demonstrated a manageable safety profile in this analysis of patients with advanced HCC. A majority of sTRAEs resolved with treatment