All the Rumors are True: Verification, Actual Malice, and Celebrity Gossip

More than half of Americans get their news from social media. These spaces – social media platforms, video and audio recommender systems, social news and gossip boards – have their own fact-checking and editorial cultures that, although not the exact same as those found in newsrooms, offer similar controls for the distribution of information. While imperfect, just like the controls of traditional media, these fact-checking cultures may offer a response to recent US judicial rejection of actual malice and provide a route of inquiry for courts examining evidence to determine if a defamation plaintiff has met the heightened standard. This brief essay considers these cultures of fact-checking with a focus on the cultures of celebrity gossip using the recent ruling in Almanzar v. Kebe, the Cardi B vs Tasha K defamation case, as a point of departure

Knowledge Management Practice Strategies in Project-Based Organizations

Companies globally have lost profit each year because of the lack of intra-organizational knowledge sharing. The purpose of this descriptive, multiple case study was to explore the knowledge management practice strategies that project management business leaders use to improve knowledge sharing in project-based organizations. Nine project management business leaders from 4 project-based organizations in metro Atlanta, Georgia completed individual Skype/phone semistructured interviews, and 5 project team members completed an in-person focus group discussion and an interview questionnaire. Knowledge management was the conceptual framework for this study, the basis for understanding the world around project management business leaders, and the implementation of knowledge management practice strategies for knowledge sharing. The individual interviews, focus group discussion, and interview questionnaire yielded the lived experiences of project management business leaders and the perceptions of project team members regarding knowledge sharing in their project-based organizations. The data were analyzed through data source triangulation and cross-case synthesis, which resulted in various themes such as communication, practices to overcome barriers, and a centralized resource center. The findings of this study may effect positive social change and the improvement of knowledge sharing by promoting the worth, dignity, and development of individuals, communities, organizations, cultures, or societies

A study of gene expression in Legionella pneumophila biofilms through the use of confocal microscopy

Legionella pneumophila is the causative agent of Legionnaires\u27 Disease. L. pneumophila is ubiquitous in freshwater environments as well as in man-made water systems such as air conditioners and cooling towers. Legionella biofilms in these systems have been identified as the source of a number of outbreaks. Gene expression in planktonic phase L. pneumophila has been well characterized but little analysis has been conducted within biofilms. We hypothesize that gene expression in Legionella biofilms will exhibit unique expression patterns as compared to planktonic cells. To test this hypothesis Legionella were transformed with reporter gene vectors and biofilms grown on glass slides and imaged using confocal microscopy. Characterization of biofilm stages was conducted from attachment through dispersal. Gene expression of the global regulatory protein, CsrA, and the flagellar gene, FlaA, was quantified over 120hr of biofilm growth. Biofilms were imaged at five key time points in the biofilm development: 12 hr (initial attachment), 24hr (irreversible attachment), 48hr (early maturation), 72hr (late maturation), 96hr (mature biofilm) and 120hr (mature biofilm with dispersal). Whole biofilm fluorescence was measured with syto59 staining and compared to the percentage of cells that demonstrated GFP fluorescence from the reporter gene. DIC images clearly demonstrate that Legionella biofilms follow the typical biofilm developmental stages. Analysis of the CsrA expression showed upregulation in early biofilms but little to no CsrA expression in mature biofilms. FlaA was expressed in early biofilms and during late biofilms where dispersal was occurring. Planktonic cultures are often used to characterize cycles of gene expression which are often not identical to the patterns seen in biofilms. Legionella biofilms are not well characterized molecularly and here we present the first evidence showing gene expression patterns of essential genes over time within biofilms. Use of confocal microscopy for such assays provides a high resolution, specific image that allows for quantification and detailed analysis of gene expression. This research begins the opportunity to better understand biofilm gene expression that can lead to improved prevention and control of infectious biofilms

Spatially restricted expression of candidate taste receptors in the Drosophila gustatory system

AbstractBackground: Taste is an important sensory modality in most animals. In Drosophila, taste is perceived by gustatory neurons located in sensilla distributed on several different appendages throughout the body of the animal. Here we show that the gustatory receptors are encoded by a family of at least 54 genes (Gr genes), most of which are expressed exclusively in a small subset of taste sensilla located in narrowly defined regions of the fly's body.Results: BLAST searches with the predicted amino acid sequences of 6 7-transmembrane-receptor genes of unknown function and 20 previously identified, putative gustatory receptor genes led to the identification of a large gene family comprising at least 54 genes. We investigated the expression of eight genes by using a Gal4 reporter gene assay and found that five of them were expressed in the gustatory system of the fly. Four genes were expressed in 1%–4% of taste sensilla, located in well-defined regions of the proboscis, the legs, or both. The fifth gene was expressed in about 20% of taste sensilla in all major gustatory organs, including the taste bristles on the anterior wing margin. Axon-tracing experiments demonstrated that neurons expressing a given Gr gene project their axons to a spatially restricted domain of the subesophageal ganglion in the fly brain.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that each taste sensillum represents a discrete, functional unit expressing at least one Gr receptor and that most Gr genes are expressed in spatially restricted domains of the gustatory system. These observations imply the potential for high taste discrimination of the Drosophila brain

Understanding of Interprofessional Communication to Impact Patient Safety in the Operating Room: A Grounded Theory Study

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Intraoperative adverse events (IAEs) due to interprofessional miscommunication continue to occur despite implementation of surgical checklists and focused communication trainings. Much of the previous intraoperative communication research has focused on the content and quantity of interprofessional communication instead of its context and quality, and current communication interventions seem to have varying levels of engagement, effectiveness, and persistence. The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the psychosocial processes involved during the establishment and maintenance of interprofessional communication surrounding IAEs or potential IAEs in the intraoperative environment and to identify the perceived facilitators and barriers to communication. Twenty surgical team members participated in semi-structured interviews and described their experiences with interprofessional communication during IAEs. Grounded theory methodology was used to identify the central process, Testing the Water, and two subprocesses, Reading the Room and Navigating Hierarchy. Testing the Water describes the situational nature of interprofessional communication as surgical team members navigate factors influencing the context and probable trajectories of surgical cases and the perceptions of professional rights and responsibilities within surgical teams. Participants in this study experienced Testing the Water differently based on their professional roles and tenure; findings were organized around three emerging groups identified as inexperienced nurses, experienced nurses, and surgeons. Interprofessional communication surrounding IAEs occurred for study participants in fluid, iterative phases identified as 1) Recognition, 2) Reconnaissance, 3) Rallying, 4) Reaction, and 5) Resolution. Participants recognized IAEs or potential IAEs, gathered information through reconnaissance, rallied other team members, reacted to stabilize patients, and resolved IAEs through individual or surgical team reflection. Study participants reported using strategies during communication to accomplish two psychosocial goals, preserving the flow of surgical cases, and protecting the ‘face’ of themselves and other surgical team members. Supporting these psychosocial goals through increased psychological safety for all surgical team members potentially leads to more effective, timely surgical team communication. More effective interprofessional communication facilitates the improved situational awareness, collective sensemaking, and integrated team mental models that are critical to coordinated responses to IAEs. The findings of this study suggest practical implications to increase the effectiveness of interprofessional communication in the intraoperative environment

Best practices to develop situational awareness in dynamic small group military settings

The fast-paced environment of army operations brings a great deal of responsibilities to the Tactical Operations Center (TOC). A critical component required to carry out these responsibilities is situational awareness, which includes knowledge about military units, the enemy, and battlefield environment. It is important to understand the practices with which leaders can develop and maintain their own situational awareness as well as that of their group members. This study describes a situational awareness analysis, using video analysis of an active Army combat unit engaging in a combat simulation exercise and interviews with former small group leaders. Analysis of eight out of seventeen hours of simulated combat in an artillery TOC and interviews with seven small group leaders produced several best practices which leaders may use to develop and maintain their small group situational awareness, their situational awareness beyond their small group, and the situational awareness of their group members

Business In Nebraska #244- January 1965

Stock and Bond Yields (Keith Broman) The recent change in the Federal Reserve discount rate has focused attention on interest rates both here and abroad. Equally important is the relationship between bond and stock yields. Business Summary (Kim McNealy) In October, the dollar volume of business for Nebraska rose 4.6% from the same month in 1963, but dropped 3.7% from September of 1964. The same index for the U.S. behaved similarly, the dollar volume of business rising 2.1% from October, 1963, and falling 1.9% from September, 1964. Business activity as measured by the Physical Volume Index increased 2.5% over last year in both Nebraska and the U.S. Compared to last month, the volume of Business transacted decreased a slight 1.5% in Nebraska and .9% in the U.S. In the individual series, construction activity registered the greatest decline from September, having dropped 9.1%. Employment changed only slightly in both Nebraska and the nation over the same period. Financing Higher Education (E. S. Wallace) The benefits of higher education are probably more highly esteemed and more universally sought after now than ever before. Hardly anyone would deny today that both society and the individual are richer, in material as well as in cultural terms, because of the contributions of our colleges and universities. A college degree has become not just a status symbol but an actual prerequisite for many kinds of employment. Indeed, recent studies have shown that a college education is the common characteristic of leaders in industry, government, and the professions. Education has made it possible for the sons of janitors, unskilled laborers, and tenant farmers to become college presidents, corporate executives, and surgeons. Creating New Jobs (E. S. Wallace) Conventional industrial development programs seek to create more jobs by establishing new manufacturing plants. Another way of making more jobs, however, is to build up the volume of existing plants. Wisconsin has recently completed a project aimed at increasing industrial employment in northern and rural areas of the state by bringing more business to plants already in operation. Reviews in Brie

Business in Nebraska #245- February 1965

Sources of County Income in Nebraska: 1950 and 1962 (Wallace C. Peterson) This is the fourth report of a preliminary character on the findings of a comprehensive research study of personal income in Nebraska\u27s 93 counties. Earlier reports in this series appeared in Business in Nebraska in June, October, and November, 1964. A Bureau Bulletin, which will contain the complete data developed in this study, as well as an explanation of the methodology used, is being prepared for publication in the Spring of 1965. Business Summary (Kim McNealy) The dollar volume of business in Nebraska for November, 1964, rose 2.0% over November, 1963, and dropped 2.9% from October, 1963. The same index for the United States rose 5.6% from November of 1963, and a small .1% from October. compared to the same month a year ago, the physical volume of business activity in Nebraska for November rose very slightly, but dropped slightly from the preceding month. Business activity in the U.S. increased 5.1% from November, 1963, and only .6% from October. The individual indicators are mixed, with life insurance sales in Nebraska registering the largest gain from a year ago. Manufacturing and other employment rose slightly from November, 1963, and October, 1964, both in Nebraska and the nation. Contemporary Business Thinking (Palmer Hoyt) It seems to me that sound business thinking in these times starts with this proposition: The greatest sin for a businessman is to fail to be contemporary. What I mean by that is that the greatest shortcoming is to fail to look realistically at the world we live in, and at its economic facts of life. Retail Trading Area Analysis (J. Timothy Wilson) The businessman in Nebraska communities faces the ever difficult problem of answering the questions: Who are my customers ? ... From where do they come? ... What are they like? and . .. What makes them my customers? With the development of the interstate highway system and the improvement of many other Nebraska highways, the small business community is increasingly faced with the prospect of losing its customers to larger centers. Never before has the customer been so mobile