User experiences with editorial control in online newspaper comment fields

This article investigates user experiences with editorial control in online newspaper comment fields following the public backlash against online comments after the 2011 terror attacks in Norway. We analyze data from a survey of online news consumers focusing on experiences and attitudes towards editorial control set against a spectrum between “interventionist” and “noninterventionist” positions. Results indicate that interventionist respondents rate the quality of online comments as poor, whereas noninterventionist respondents have most often experienced being the target of editorial control measures and feel that editorial control has intensified after the terror attacks. We conclude that newspapers should pay attention to the different needs of participants when devising strategies for editorial control. Media professionals should also consider changes to increase the transparency of moderation practices

‘Friends call me racist’: Experiences of repercussions from writing comments on newspaper websites

acceptedVersio

Structural Relationships between Highly Conserved Elements and Genes in Vertebrate Genomes

Large numbers of sequence elements have been identified to be highly conserved among vertebrate genomes. These highly conserved elements (HCEs) are often located in or around genes that are involved in transcription regulation and early development. They have been shown to be involved in cis-regulatory activities through both in vivo and additional computational studies. We have investigated the structural relationships between such elements and genes in six vertebrate genomes human, mouse, rat, chicken, zebrafish and tetraodon and detected several thousand cases of conserved HCE-gene associations, and also cases of HCEs with no common target genes. A few examples underscore the potential significance of our findings about several individual genes. We found that the conserved association between HCE/HCEs and gene/genes are not restricted to elements by their absolute distance on the genome. Notably, long-range associations were identified and the molecular functions of the associated genes do not show any particular overrepresentation of the functional categories previously reported. HCEs in close proximity are found to be linked with different set of gene/genes. The results reflect the highly complex correlation between HCEs and their putative target genes

Transparency beyond information disclosure : strategies of the Scandinavian public health authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic

The concept of transparency has been problematized in risk research. This exploratory study contributes to the risk literature by considering an established three-dimensional transparency framework (information substantiality, accountability, and participation) and discussing the opportunities for and challenges to risk communication in relation to the framework. Furthermore, we examine the strategies of Scandinavian health authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the different levels of public trust in these authorities. In general, Norwegian authorities received higher levels of trust than their Swedish and Danish counterparts. We argue that this was partly due to differences in transparency management. Our findings support the importance of the three transparency dimensions and indicate that transparency regarding uncertainties positively impacts levels of trust

The effects of low to moderate alcohol consumption and binge drinking in early pregnancy on behaviour in 5-year-old children:a prospective cohort study on 1628 children

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of low to moderate maternal alcohol consumption and binge drinking in early pregnancy on behaviour in children at age five years. DESIGN: Follow-up study SETTING: Neuropsychological testing in four Danish cities 2003–2008 POPULATION: Prospective cohort study of 1,628 women and their children sampled from the Danish National Birth Cohort. METHODS: Participants were sampled based on maternal alcohol drinking patterns during early pregnancy. When the children were 5 years old, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Parent and Teacher versions were completed by the mothers and a preschool teacher. The full statistical model included the following potential confounders: Maternal binge drinking or low-moderate alcohol consumption, respectively, parental education, maternal IQ, prenatal maternal smoking, the child’s age at testing, the child’s gender, maternal age, parity, maternal marital status, family-home environment, postnatal parental smoking, pre-pregnancy maternal BMI, and the child’s health status. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Behaviour among children assessed by the SDQ parent and teacher forms. RESULTS: Adjusted for all potential confounders, no statistically significant associations were observed between maternal low to moderate average weekly alcohol consumption and SDQ behavioural scores (OR 1.1, CI 0.5–2.3 and OR 1.1., CI 0.6–2.1 for the total difficulties scores) or between binge drinking and SDQ behavioural scores (OR 1.2, CI 0.8–1.7 and OR 0.8, CI 0.6–1.2). CONCLUSION: This study observed no consistent effects of low to moderate alcohol consumption or binge drinking in early pregnancy on offspring behaviour at age 5 years

The association of pre-pregnancy alcohol drinking with child neuropsychological functioning

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of pre-pregnancy alcohol drinking on child neuropsychological functioning. DESIGN: Prospective follow-up study. SETTING AND POPULATION: 154 women and their children sampled from the Danish National Birth Cohort. METHODS: Participants were sampled based on maternal alcohol consumption before pregnancy. At 5 years of age, the children were tested with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, the Test of Everyday Attention for Children at Five (TEACh-5), and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC).The Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) were completed by the mothers and a preschool teacher. Parental education, maternal IQ, prenatal maternal smoking, child’s age at testing, child’s sex, and alcohol intake during pregnancy were considered potential confounders. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Performance on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, the TEACh-5, the MABC, and the BRIEF. RESULTS: Intake of 15-21 drinks/week on average prior to pregnancy was not associated with any of the outcomes, but intake of ≥22 drinks/week on average was associated with a significantly lower adjusted mean full scale IQ and lower adjusted means in overall attention and sustained attention score, but not in selective attention score or any of the BRIEF index scores or MABC scores. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of ≥22 drinks/week before pregnancy was associated with lower mean full scale IQ, overall attention and sustained attention. Assessment of pre-pregnancy drinking provides additional information regarding potential prenatal alcohol exposure and its implications for child neurodevelopment