Twitter Politics: The Effect of Language and Source Credibility on Public Perception

Social media sites are instrumental in influencing public perception (Lawson & Strange, 2015). Social media sites, such as Twitter, have provided millions with constant news coverage. Modern social media usage has allowed for public figures, such as President, Donald Trump, to influence public perception through his Twitter account. Because of the influx of information, coming from various sources on social media, it is imperative to consider the implications different types of information sources will have on individual perceptions. Individuals may be more influenced by high-credibility sources when searching for news. The current study attempts to investigate the relationship between language and authority and its effect on media viewer’s perception. Participants were shown one of four Tweets, varying by language used and account type. Participants were then asked questions to assess their views on the message. Results suggest a difference in perception based on language used, level of perceived intelligence, source authentication, and source’s level of knowledge on the topic

Effects of perceived fitness level of exercise partner on intensity of exertion

Problem statement: Social comparison theory was used to examine if exercising with a research confederate posing as either high fit or low fit would increase the exertion in exercising. Approach: 91 college students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Biking alone, biking with a high fit confederate, or biking with a low fit confederate. All participants were instructed to complete 20 min of exercise at 60-70% of their maximum target heart rate. Results: Results indicated that participants in the high fit condition exercised harder than those in the low fit condition. However, no mood differences emerged between conditions. Conclusion: Social comparison theory predicts exercise outcome such that participants gravitate towards the behavior (high fit or low fit) of those around them

DEVELOPMENT OF A ROBUST PROCEDURE FOR THE EVALUATION OF STRIATION SPACINGS IN LOW CYCLE FATIGUE SPECIMENS TESTED IN A SIMULATED PWR ENVIRONMENT

A pressurized water reactor primary environment can have a deleterious effect on the fatigue lifetime of austenitic stainless steels. There is a need to develop a greater understanding behind the effect of a pressurized water reactor primary environment on the fatigue behaviour of austenitic stainless steels. One of the ways that we can improve our mechanistic understanding is by carrying out striation spacing analysis. Striation counting is a widely used technique in fatigue failure investigations where it is typically used to infer information on crack progression, including the estimation of propagation rates and number of applied loading cycles. Standardised procedures for performing striation counting are uncommon, especially for environmental fatigue in a high temperature pressurized water reactor primary water environment where differences in fracture surface morphology and oxide coverage can lead to additional complications in performing an analysis. One of the main goals of the EU Horizon 2020 INCEFA-SCALE project is to develop an improved mechanistic understanding of fatigue in these systems through extensive characterisation of laboratory tested specimens. As part of this work, this paper describes the development of a standardised and robust striation counting procedure for the low cycle fatigue of austenitic stainless steels operating in both air and simulated pressurized water reactor environments. Additionally, results are presented from round robin exercises that involved eight partners of the INCEFA-SCALE consortium

Effect of oxytocin use during colostrum harvest and association of cow characteristics with colostrum yield and IgG concentration in Holstein dairy cows.

Our objectives were to determine the effect of oxytocin use during colostrum harvest on colostrum yield (CY) and IgG concentration in Holstein dairy cows on a commercial dairy in New York and to describe associations of cow characteristics with these outcomes. Animals were enrolled between July and October 2023 using a randomized block design, with day of enrollment as the unit of randomization. A median (range) of 10 (3 to 19) cows were enrolled/d. Treatments were 1) 40 IU Oxytocin (OXY40), 2) 20 IU Oxytocin (OXY20), and 3) an untreated control group (CNTR). Oxytocin was administered intramuscularly (IM) approximately 45 s before unit attachment in a rotary parlor. Colostrum weight was measured using the colostrum bucket-embedded scale or a platform scale when the yield was less than the smallest bucket scale. The concentration of IgG ([IgG]) in colostrum was determined using radial immunodiffusion (RID) and used to calculate total IgG, and dry matter (%) was determined by oven drying. Individual cow characteristics such as parity, calf sex, weight, dystocia score, stillbirth, milk production in wk 4 of lactation, and for multiparous cows, dry period length, previous lactation dry off linear score (LS) were collected. Data were analyzed separately for primiparous and multiparous cows using backward stepwise elimination to produce final mixed effects ANOVA models Primiparous cows (n = 201) were randomized to 35.8% (n = 72) OXY40, 32.8% (n = 66) OXY20, and 31.3% (n = 63) CNTR. Multiparous groups (n = 435) were randomized to 34.7% (n = 151) OXY40, 29.7% (n = 129) OXY20, and 35.6% (n = 155) CNTR. The median (range) CY was 6.0 (0 to 20.6) kg and [IgG] was 98.5 (0.1 to 293.6) g/L in the study population. In primiparous cows, OXY40 had a higher colostrum yield (LSM [95% CI]) of 5.4 (4.9 to 5.9) kg compared with both OXY20 (4.1 [3.5 to 4.7] kg) and CNTR (3.8 [3.3 to 4.3] kg) (P 65 d. Oxytocin use did not affect [IgG] in either primiparous or multiparous cows (P > 0.56), but [IgG] was highest in cows in parity ≥4 and lowest in cows dry >65 d. In summary, oxytocin use at 40 IU IM in primiparous was associated with a higher CY but not [IgG]. Oxytocin use likely addressed disturbed milk ejection and therefore increased CY in heifers milked for the first time in a rotary parlor. This study confirms cow characteristics associated with colostrum production within a single herd

The Right to Counsel in Illinois: Evaluation of Adult Criminal Trial-Level Indigent Defense Services

This study shows there are two overarching reasons why the State of Illinois is defaulting on its constitutional right to counsel obligations. First, the state requires counties and courts to provide and predominantly fund indigent defense systems in a way that bakes in governmental interference with the right to counsel. Second, as one of only seven states with no state-level mechanism to oversee any aspect of trial-level right to counsel services, Illinois lacks information about every aspect of the varied indigent defense systems implemented by the county governments and courts in their efforts to fulfill the Sixth Amendment right to counsel responsibilities that the state has delegated to them. There is a path forward, and it is important for Illinois to get this right

A Geographically-Restricted but Prevalent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strain Identified in the West Midlands Region of the UK between 1995 and 2008

Background: We describe the identification of, and risk factors for, the single most prevalent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain in the West Midlands region of the UK.Methodology/Principal Findings: Prospective 15-locus MIRU-VNTR genotyping of all M. tuberculosis isolates in the West Midlands between 2004 and 2008 was undertaken. Two retrospective epidemiological investigations were also undertaken using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. The first study of all TB patients in the West Midlands between 2004 and 2008 identified a single prevalent strain in each of the study years (total 155/3,056 (5%) isolates). This prevalent MIRU-VNTR profile (32333 2432515314 434443183) remained clustered after typing with an additional 9-loci MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping. The majority of these patients (122/155, 79%) resided in three major cities located within a 40 km radius. From the apparent geographical restriction, we have named this the "Mercian" strain. A multivariate analysis of all TB patients in the West Midlands identified that infection with a Mercian strain was significantly associated with being UK-born (OR = 9.03, 95% CI = 4.56-17.87, p 65 years old (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.09-0.67, p < 0.01). A second more detailed investigation analyzed a cohort of 82 patients resident in Wolverhampton between 2003 and 2006. A significant association with being born in the UK remained after a multivariate analysis (OR = 9.68, 95% CI = 2.00-46.78, p < 0.01) and excess alcohol intake and cannabis use (OR = 6.26, 95% CI = 1.45-27.02, p = .01) were observed as social risk factors for infection.Conclusions/Significance: The continued consistent presence of the Mercian strain suggests ongoing community transmission. Whilst significant associations have been found, there may be other common risk factors yet to be identified. Future investigations should focus on targeting the relevant risk groups and elucidating the biological factors that mediate continued transmission of this strain

Second extracellular loop of human glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) has a critical role in GLP-1 peptide binding and receptor activation

The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) is a therapeutically important family B G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is pleiotropically coupled to multiple signaling effectors and, with actions including regulation of insulin biosynthesis and secretion, is one of the key targets in the management of type II diabetes mellitus. However, there is limited understanding of the role of the receptor core in orthosteric ligand binding and biological activity. To assess involvement of the extracellular loop (ECL) 2 in ligand-receptor interactions and receptor activation, we performed alanine scanning mutagenesis of loop residues and assessed the impact on receptor expression and GLP-1(1-36)-NH 2 or GLP-1(7-36)-NH2 binding and activation of three physiologically relevant signaling pathways as follows: cAMP formation, intracellular Ca 2+ (Ca 2+ i) mobilization, and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (pERK1/2). Although antagonist peptide binding was unaltered, almost all mutations affected GLP-1 peptide agonist binding and/or coupling efficacy, indicating an important role in receptor activation. However, mutation of several residues displayed distinct pathway responses with respect to wild type receptor, including Arg-299 and Tyr-305, where mutation significantly enhanced both GLP-1(1-36)-NH2- and GLP-1(7-36)- NH 2-mediated signaling bias for pERK1/2. In addition, mutation of Cys-296, Trp-297, Asn-300, Asn-302, and Leu-307 significantly increased GLP-1(7-36)-NH 2-mediated signaling bias toward pERK1/2. Of all mutants studied, only mutation of Trp-306 to alanine abolished all biological activity. These data suggest a critical role of ECL2 of the GLP-1R in the activation transition(s) of the receptor and the importance of this region in the determination of both GLP-1 peptide- and pathway-specific effects

Learners' decisions for attending Pediatric Grand Rounds: a qualitative and quantitative study

BACKGROUND: Although grand rounds plays a major educational role at academic medical centers, there has been little investigation into the factors influencing the learners' decision to attend. Greater awareness of attendees' expectations may allow grand rounds planners to better accommodate the learners' perspective, potentially making continuing education activities more attractive and inviting. METHODS: We used both qualitative (part A) and quantitative (part B) techniques to investigate the motivators and barriers to grand rounds attendance. Part A investigated contextual factors influencing attendance as expressed through attendee interviews. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. We created a concept map linking key factors and their relationships. In part B we quantified the motivators and barriers identified during the initial interviews through a survey of the grand rounds audience. RESULTS: Sixteen persons voluntarily took part in the qualitative study (part A) by participating in one of seven group interview sessions. Of the 14 themes that emerged from these sessions, the most frequent factors motivating attendance involved competent practice and the need to know. All sessions discussed intellectual stimulation, social interaction, time constraints and convenience, licensure, content and format, and absence of cost for attending sessions. The 59 respondents to the survey (part B) identified clinically-useful topics (85%), continuing education credit (46%), cutting-edge research (27%), networking (22%), and refreshments (8%) as motivators and non-relevant topics (44%) and too busy to attend (56%) as barriers. CONCLUSION: Greater understanding of the consumers' perspective can allow planners to tailor the style, content, and logistics to make grand rounds more attractive and inviting

Evaluation of the ECOSSE model for simulating soil carbon under short rotation forestry energy crops in Britain

Understanding and predicting the effects of land-use change to short rotation forestry (SRF) on soil C is an important requirement for fully assessing the C mitigation potential of SRF as a bioenergy crop. There is little current knowledge of SRF in the UK and in particular a lack of consistent measured datasets on the direct impacts of land use change on soil C stocks. The ECOSSE model was developed to simulate soil C dynamics and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in mineral and organic soils. The ECOSSE model has already been applied spatially to simulate land-use change impacts on soil C and GHG emissions. However, it has not been extensively evaluated under SRF. Eleven sites comprising 29 transitions in Britain, representing land-use change from non-woodland land uses to SRF, were selected to evaluate the performance of ECOSSE in predicting soil C and soil C change in SRF plantations. The modelled C under SRF showed a strong correlation with the soil C measurements at both 0-30 cm (R = 0.93) and 0-100 cm soil depth (R = 0.82). As for the SRF plots, the soil C at the reference sites have been accurately simulated by the model. The extremely high correlation for the reference fields (R ≥ 0.99) shows a good performance of the model spin-up. The statistical analysis of the model performance to simulate soil C and soil C changes after land-use change to SRF highlighted the absence of significant error between modelled and measured values as well as the absence of significant bias in the model. Overall, this evaluation reinforces previous studies on the ability of ECOSSE to simulate soil C and emphasize its accuracy to simulate soil C under SRF plantations

The prevalence and experience of Australian naturopaths and Western herbalists working within community pharmacies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Naturopaths and Western herbal medicine (WHM) practitioners were surveyed to identify their extent, experience and roles within the community pharmacy setting and to explore their attitudes to integration of complementary medicine (CM) practitioners within the pharmacy setting.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Practising naturopaths and WHM practitioners were invited to participate in an anonymous, self-administered, on-line survey. Participants were recruited using the mailing lists and websites of CM manufacturers and professional associations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>479 practitioners participated. 24% of respondents (n = 111) reported they had worked in community pharmacy, three-quarters for less than 5 years. Whilst in this role 74% conducted specialist CMs sales, 62% short customer consultations, 52% long consultations in a private room and 51% staff education. This was generally described as a positive learning experience and many appreciated the opportunity to utilise their specialist knowledge in the service of both customers and pharmacy staff. 14% (n = 15) did not enjoy the experience of working in pharmacy at all and suggested pharmacist attitude largely influenced whether the experience was positive or not. Few practitioners were satisfied with the remuneration received. 44% of the total sample provided comment on the issue of integration into pharmacy, with the main concern being the perceived incommensurate paradigms of practice between pharmacy and naturopathy. Of the total sample, 38% reported that they would consider working as a practitioner in retail pharmacy in future.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The level of integration of CM into pharmacy is extending beyond the mere stocking of supplements. Naturopaths and Western Herbalists are becoming utilised in pharmacies</p