Culture Wars and Opinion Polarization: The Case of Abortion

Recent observers have pointed to a growing polarization within the U.S. public over politicized moral issues-the so-called culture wars. DiMaggio, Evans, and Bryson studied trends over the past 25 years in American opinion on a number of critical social issues, finding little evidence of increased polarization; abortion is the primary exception. However, their conclusions are suspect because they treat ordinal or nominal scales as interval data. This article proposes new methods for studying polarization using ordinal data and uses these to model the National Election Study (NES) abortion item. Whereas the analysis of this item by DiMaggio et al. points to increasing polarization of abortion attitudes between 1972 and 1994, this article's analyses of these data offers little support for this conclusion and lends weight to their view that recent concerns over polarization are overstated

Capturing optically important constituents and properties in a marine biogeochemical and ecosystem model

We present a numerical model of the ocean that couples a three-stream radiative transfer component with a marine biogeochemical–ecosystem component in a dynamic three-dimensional physical framework. The radiative transfer component resolves the penetration of spectral irradiance as it is absorbed and scattered within the water column. We explicitly include the effect of several optically important water constituents (different phytoplankton functional types; detrital particles; and coloured dissolved organic matter, CDOM). The model is evaluated against in situ-observed and satellite-derived products. In particular we compare to concurrently measured biogeochemical, ecosystem, and optical data along a meridional transect of the Atlantic Ocean. The simulation captures the patterns and magnitudes of these data, and estimates surface upwelling irradiance analogous to that observed by ocean colour satellite instruments. We find that incorporating the different optically important constituents explicitly and including spectral irradiance was crucial to capture the variability in the depth of the subsurface chlorophyll a (Chl a) maximum. We conduct a series of sensitivity experiments to demonstrate, globally, the relative importance of each of the water constituents, as well as the crucial feedbacks between the light field, the relative fitness of phytoplankton types, and the biogeochemistry of the ocean. CDOM has proportionally more importance at attenuating light at short wavelengths and in more productive waters, phytoplankton absorption is relatively more important at the subsurface Chl a maximum, and water molecules have the greatest contribution when concentrations of other constituents are low, such as in the oligotrophic gyres. Scattering had less effect on attenuation, but since it is important for the amount and type of upwelling irradiance, it is crucial for setting sea surface reflectance. Strikingly, sensitivity experiments in which absorption by any of the optical constituents was increased led to a decrease in the size of the oligotrophic regions of the subtropical gyres: lateral nutrient supplies were enhanced as a result of decreasing high-latitude productivity. This new model that captures bio-optical feedbacks will be important for improving our understanding of the role of light and optical constituents on ocean biogeochemistry, especially in a changing environment. Further, resolving surface upwelling irradiance will make it easier to connect to satellite-derived products in the future

Satellite sensor requirements for monitoring essential biodiversity variables of coastal ecosystems

The biodiversity and high productivity of coastal terrestrial and aquatic habitats are the foundation for important benefits to human societies around the world. These globally distributed habitats need frequent and broad systematic assessments, but field surveys only cover a small fraction of these areas. Satellite‐based sensors can repeatedly record the visible and near‐infrared reflectance spectra that contain the absorption, scattering, and fluorescence signatures of functional phytoplankton groups, colored dissolved matter, and particulate matter near the surface ocean, and of biologically structured habitats (floating and emergent vegetation, benthic habitats like coral, seagrass, and algae). These measures can be incorporated into Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), including the distribution, abundance, and traits of groups of species populations, and used to evaluate habitat fragmentation. However, current and planned satellites are not designed to observe the EBVs that change rapidly with extreme tides, salinity, temperatures, storms, pollution, or physical habitat destruction over scales relevant to human activity. Making these observations requires a new generation of satellite sensors able to sample with these combined characteristics: (1) spatial resolution on the order of 30 to 100‐m pixels or smaller; (2) spectral resolution on the order of 5 nm in the visible and 10 nm in the short‐wave infrared spectrum (or at least two or more bands at 1,030, 1,240, 1,630, 2,125, and/or 2,260 nm) for atmospheric correction and aquatic and vegetation assessments; (3) radiometric quality with signal to noise ratios (SNR) above 800 (relative to signal levels typical of the open ocean), 14‐bit digitization, absolute radiometric calibration temporal resolution of hours to days. We refer to these combined specifications as H4 imaging. Enabling H4 imaging is vital for the conservation and management of global biodiversity and ecosystem services, including food provisioning and water security. An agile satellite in a 3‐d repeat low‐Earth orbit could sample 30‐km swath images of several hundred coastal habitats daily. Nine H4 satellites would provide weekly coverage of global coastal zones. Such satellite constellations are now feasible and are used in various applications

Absorption and fluorescence properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter of the eastern Bering Sea in the summer with special reference to the influence of a cold pool

The absorption and fluorescence properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) are reported for the inner shelf, slope waters and outer shelf regions of the eastern Bering Sea during the summer of 2008, when a warm, thermally stratified surface mixed layer lay over a cold pool (< 2 °C) that occupied the entire middle shelf. CDOM absorption at 355 nm (<i>a</i>_g355) and its spectral slope (<i>S</i>) in conjunction with excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) revealed large variability in the characteristics of CDOM in different regions of the Bering Sea. PARAFAC analysis aided in the identification of three humic-like (components one, two and five) and two protein-like (a tyrosine-like component three, and a tryptophan-like component four) components. In the extensive shelf region, average absorption coefficients at 355 nm (<i>a</i>_g355, m⁻¹) and DOC concentrations (μM) were highest in the inner shelf (0.342 ± 0.11 m⁻¹, 92.67 ± 14.60 μM) and lower in the middle (0.226 ± 0.05 m⁻¹, 78.38 ± 10.64 μM) and outer (0.185 ± 0.05 m⁻¹, 79.24 ± 18.01 μM) shelves, respectively. DOC concentrations, however were not significantly different, suggesting CDOM sources and sinks to be uncoupled from DOC. Mean spectral slopes <i>S</i> were elevated in the middle shelf (24.38 ± 2.25 μm⁻¹) especially in the surface waters (26.87 ± 2.39 μm⁻¹) indicating high rates of photodegradation in the highly stratified surface mixed layer, which intensified northwards in the northern middle shelf likely contributing to greater light penetration and to phytoplankton blooms at deeper depths. The fluorescent humic-like components one, two, and five were most elevated in the inner shelf most likely from riverine inputs. Along the productive "green belt" in the outer shelf/slope region, absorption and fluorescence properties indicated the presence of fresh and degraded autochthonous DOM. Near the Unimak Pass region of the Aleutian Islands, low DOC and <i>a</i>_g355 (mean 66.99 ± 7.94 μM; 0.182 ± 0.05 m⁻¹) and a high <i>S</i> (mean 25.95 ± 1.58 μm⁻¹) suggested substantial photobleaching of the Alaska Coastal Water, but high intensities of humic-like and protein-like fluorescence suggested sources of fluorescent DOM from coastal runoff and glacier meltwaters during the summer. The spectral slope <i>S</i> vs. <i>a</i>_g355 relationship revealed terrestrial and oceanic end members along with intermediate water masses that were modeled using nonlinear regression equations that could allow water mass differentiation based on CDOM optical properties. Spectral slope <i>S</i> was negatively correlated (<i>r</i>² = 0.79) with apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) for waters extending from the middle shelf into the deep Bering Sea indicating increasing microbial alteration of CDOM with depth. Although our data show that the CDOM photochemical environment of the Bering Sea is complex, our current information on its optical properties will aid in better understanding of the biogeochemical role of CDOM in carbon budgets in relation to the annual sea ice and phytoplankton dynamics, and to improved algorithms of ocean color remote sensing for this region

Theology, News and Notes - Vol. 41, No. 02

Theology News & Notes was a theological journal published by Fuller Theological Seminary from 1954 through 2014.https://digitalcommons.fuller.edu/tnn/1120/thumbnail.jp

α5β1-Integrin promotes tension-dependent mammary epithelial cell invasion by engaging the fibronectin synergy site.

Tumors are fibrotic and characterized by abundant, remodeled, and cross-linked collagen that stiffens the extracellular matrix stroma. The stiffened collagenous stroma fosters malignant transformation of the tissue by increasing tumor cell tension to promote focal adhesion formation and potentiate growth factor receptor signaling through kinase. Importantly, collagen cross-linking requires fibronectin (FN). Fibrotic tumors contain abundant FN, and tumor cells frequently up-regulate the FN receptor α5β1 integrin. Using transgenic and xenograft models and tunable two- and three-dimensional substrates, we show that FN-bound α5β1 integrin promotes tension-dependent malignant transformation through engagement of the synergy site that enhances integrin adhesion force. We determined that ligation of the synergy site of FN permits tumor cells to engage a zyxin-stabilized, vinculin-linked scaffold that facilitates nucleation of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-triphosphate at the plasma membrane to enhance phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent tumor cell invasion. The data explain why rigid collagen fibrils potentiate PI3K activation to promote malignancy and offer a perspective regarding the consistent up-regulation of α5β1 integrin and FN in many tumors and their correlation with cancer aggression

Application of the Beer–Lambert Model to Attenuation of Photosynthetically Active Radiation in a Shallow, Eutrophic Lake

Models of primary production in aquatic systems must include a means to estimate subsurface light. Such models often use the Beer–Lambert law, assuming exponential attenuation of light with depth. It is further assumed that the diffuse attenuation coefficient may be estimated as a summation of scattering/absorbing constituent concentrations multiplied by their respective specific attenuation coefficients. While theoretical deviations from these assumptions have been documented, it is useful to consider the empirical performance of this common approach. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) levels and water quality conditions were recorded weekly from six to eight monitoring stations in western Lake Erie between 2012 and 2016. Exponential PAR extinction models yielded a mean attenuation coefficient of 1.55 m (interquartile range = 0.74–1.90 m). While more complex light attenuation models are available, analysis of residuals indicated that the simple Beer–Lambert model is adequate for shallow, eutrophic waters similar to western Lake Erie (R2 > 0.9 for 96% of samples). Three groups of water quality variables were predictive of PAR attenuation: total and nonvolatile suspended particles, dissolved organic substances (dissolved organic carbon and chromophoric dissolved organic matter), and organic solids (volatile suspended solids and chlorophyll). Multiple regression models using these variables predicted 3–90% of the variability in PAR attenuation, with a median adjusted R2 = 0.86. Explanatory variables within these groups may substitute for each other while maintaining similar model performance, indicating that various combinations of water quality variables may be useful to predict PAR attenuation, depending on availability within a model framework or monitoring program.Key PointsThe Beer–Lambert law effectively models photosynthetically active radiation in western Lake Erie, despite some systematic deviationsField‐obtained water quality parameters can predict photosynthetically active radiation attenuation with a high degree of confidenceSuspended particle concentration is most predictive of photosynthetically active radiation attenuation in this turbid, eutrophic basinPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147097/1/wrcr23654_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147097/2/wrcr23654-sup-0001-2018WR023024-SI.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147097/3/wrcr23654.pd

Obtaining Phytoplankton Diversity from Ocean Color: A Scientific Roadmap for Future Development

To improve our understanding of the role of phytoplankton for marine ecosystems and global biogeochemical cycles, information on the global distribution of major phytoplankton groups is essential. Although algorithms have been developed to assess phytoplankton diversity from space for over two decades, so far the application of these data sets has been limited. This scientific roadmap identifies user needs, summarizes the current state of the art, and pinpoints major gaps in long-term objectives to deliver space-derived phytoplankton diversity data that meets the user requirements. These major gaps in using ocean color to estimate phytoplankton community structure were identified as: (a) the mismatch between satellite, in situ and model data on phytoplankton composition, (b) the lack of quantitative uncertainty estimates provided with satellite data, (c) the spectral limitation of current sensors to enable the full exploitation of backscattered sunlight, and (d) the very limited applicability of satellite algorithms determining phytoplankton composition for regional, especially coastal or inland, waters. Recommendation for actions include but are not limited to: (i) an increased communication and round-robin exercises among and within the related expert groups, (ii) the launching of higher spectrally and spatially resolved sensors, (iii) the development of algorithms that exploit hyperspectral information, and of (iv) techniques to merge and synergistically use the various streams of continuous information on phytoplankton diversity from various satellite sensors' and in situ data to ensure long-term monitoring of phytoplankton composition

Obtaining phytoplankton diversity from ocean color: A scientific roadmap for future development

This is the final version. Available from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this record.To improve our understanding of the role of phytoplankton for marine ecosystems and global biogeochemical cycles, information on the global distribution of major phytoplankton groups is essential. Although algorithms have been developed to assess phytoplankton diversity from space for over two decades, so far the application of these data sets has been limited. This scientific roadmap identifies user needs, summarizes the current state of the art, and pinpoints major gaps in long-term objectives to deliver space-derived phytoplankton diversity data that meets the user requirements. These major gaps in using ocean color to estimate phytoplankton community structure were identified as: (a) the mismatch between satellite, in situ and model data on phytoplankton composition, (b) the lack of quantitative uncertainty estimates provided with satellite data, (c) the spectral limitation of current sensors to enable the full exploitation of backscattered sunlight, and (d) the very limited applicability of satellite algorithms determining phytoplankton composition for regional, especially coastal or inland, waters. Recommendation for actions include but are not limited to: (i) an increased communication and round-robin exercises among and within the related expert groups, (ii) the launching of higher spectrally and spatially resolved sensors, (iii) the development of algorithms that exploit hyperspectral information, and of (iv) techniques to merge and synergistically use the various streams of continuous information on phytoplankton diversity from various satellite sensors' and in situ data to ensure long-term monitoring of phytoplankton composition.ESA SEOM SY-4Sci Synergy projectNAS