Brand Messages On Twitter: Predicting Diffusion With Textual Characteristics

This dissertation assesses brand messages (i.e. tweets by a brand) on Twitter and the characteristics that predict the amount of engagement (a.k.a. interaction) a tweet receives. Attention is given to theories that speak to characteristics observable in text and how those characteristics affect retweet and favorite counts. Three key concepts include sentiment, arousal and concreteness. For positive sentiment, messages appeared overly positive, but still a small amount of the variance in favorites was explained. Very few tweets had strong levels of arousal, but positive arousal still explained a small amount of the variance in retweet counts. Despite research suggesting that concreteness would boost sharing and interest, concrete tweets were retweeted and shared less than vague tweets. Vagueness explained a small amount of the variance in retweet and favorite counts. The presence of hashtags and images boosted retweet and favorite counts, and also explained variance. Finally, characteristics of the brand itself (e.g. the number of followers the brand had, the number of users it followed and its overall reputation of the brand) boosted retweet and favorite counts, and also explained variance.Doctor of Philosoph

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

National television news and newspapers as media salience, Twitter as public salience: an agenda-setting effects analysis

The new social medium Twitter provides a unique opportunity for agenda setting scholars as a new source of public opinion. This thesis argued that this new measurement could be used as an indirect measurement of public salience. Twitter stores information posted by users of its service in a searchable and quantifiable mode. Freeing information that was private on other social networking sites, such as Facebook, issues can be tracked on Twitter much like that of a news archive, such as Google News or The Vanderbilt Television News Archive. Three popular public issues were tracked for a total of 92 days. The issues chosen were Immigration, BP Oil and the Mortgage and Housing Crisis. First and second-level agenda-setting variables were coded for national television newscasts and newspapers. These variables were interpreted as measurements of media salience and assigned as independent variables. In addition, Tweets were tracked and labeled as public salience. They were inversely named as dependent variables. Correlations were assessed, and a time series analysis was conducted to determine whether the independent variables were sufficient predictors of the dependent variables. Alternative explanations and conjecture not withstanding, this thesis found a mild relationship between media salience and public salience as it defined it. For the issues of BP Oil and the Mortgage and Housing Crisis, two independent variables were predictors of the dependent variables. For the issue of Immigration, only one independent variable was a predictor. The lack of predictors for the Immigration issue was attributed to an error between dependent and independent variables. Media salience was determined to consist of national news stories while public salience was determined to contain global stories. For all cases, the agenda-setting effect occurred on the same day. Ultimately, this thesis was an extension of agenda setting into a new digital medium. The mild support found echoes the agenda-setting research of the past that states traditional mass media outlets affect and set the agenda of the publics that listen to them. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Definitive salvage for vaginal recurrence of endometrial cancer: The impact of modern intensity-modulated-radiotherapy with image-based HDR brachytherapy and the interplay of the PORTEC 1 risk stratification

Data for salvage radiotherapy for recurrent endometrial cancer are limited especially in the era of modern radiotherapy including IMRT and 3-dimensional image-based HDR brachytherapy. Theoretically, modern radiotherapy reduces the dose to critical organs-at-risk and maximizes dose to the target volume, possibly decreasing morbidity and increasing tumor control. Forty-one patients completing definitive salvage radiotherapy for vaginal recurrence of endometrial cancer from June 2004 to December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. HDR Brachytherapy was completed using image-based planning with contouring/optimization with each fraction to a median dose of 23.75Gy in 5 fractions. HDR brachytherapy was preceded by external beam radiotherapy predominately using an IMRT technique (90%) to a median dose of 45Gy in 25 fractions. Toxicity was reported according to CTCAEv4. At a median follow-up of 18months (range: 3–78), the clinical complete response rate was 95%. The 3-year local control, distant control, recurrence free survival, and overall survival were 95%, 61%, 68%, and 67%. Significant predictors of both distant failure and overall survival were primary prognostic factors of depth of myometrial invasion, FIGO stage, and FIGO grade. There was no grade 3+ acute toxicity; the 3-year rate of grade 3+ late toxicity was 8%. Salvage IMRT plus 3-dimensional image-based HDR brachytherapy shows excellent tumor control and minimal morbidity for vaginal recurrence of endometrial cancer. Anticipated salvage rates must be taken in the context of primary risk factors including depth of myometrial invasion, FIGO stage, and FIGO grade

Iron Fertilization and the Trichodesmiumresponse on the West Florida Shelf

Prior laboratory studies of Trichodesmium have shown a high iron requirement that is consistent with the biochemical demand for iron in the enzyme nitrogenase. Summer delivery of iron, in the form of Saharan dust, may provide an explanation for Trichodesmium blooms observed in offshore waters of the West Florida shelf over the last 50 yr. During ecology and oceanography of harmful algal blooms (ECOHAB) field studies, background iron levels (0.1–0.5 nmol kg−1) were found at the surface during periods of minimal dust delivery (May 2000 and October 1999). In contrast, total dissolved iron concentrations on the order of ∼16 nmol kg−1 were measured at the West Florida shelfߚbreak after a July 1999 Saharan dust event that was identified by advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) imagery, groundߚbased radiometers, air mass analysis, and aerosol samples (dust and nonߚseaߚsalt nitrate) collected throughout South Florida. The Trichodesmium response following this July dust event was a 100–fold increase over background biomass, reaching a surface stock of ∼20 colonies L−1. Surface dissolved concentrations of both inorganic and organic phosphorus decreased below detectable limits during this bloom. Dissolved organic nitrogen concentrations associated with the bloom (15–20 µM) were 3–4–fold greater than background and much larger than ambient NO3− concentrations (\u3c0.5 µmol kg−1). If all dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) is converted to urea and ammonium, this organic nitrogen could have supported the red tide of \u3e20 µg chl L−1 of the toxic dinoflagellate, Gymnodinium breve, found along the West Florida coast during October 1999

Neoadjuvant radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy followed by extrafascial hysterectomy for locally advanced endometrial cancer clinically extending to the cervix or parametria

For locally-advanced uterine cancer clinically extending to the cervix, two treatment paradigms exist: surgical staging radical hysterectomy with tailored adjuvant therapy or neoadjuvant therapy followed by a less extensive simple hysterectomy. Currently, insufficient data exists to guide consensus guidelines and practical application of preoperative radiotherapy. Retrospective IRB approved cohort study from 1999 to 2014 of 36 endometrial cancer patients with clinical involvement of cervix±parametria treated with neoadjuvant external beam radiotherapy (45–50.4Gy in 25–28 fractions) and image-based HDR brachytherapy (5–5.5Gy times 3–4 fractions)±chemotherapy followed by extrafascial hysterectomy performed at a median of 6weeks after radiotherapy. All patients had clinical cervical extension, 50% also had parametria extension, and 31% had nodal involvement. At the time of surgery 91% had no clinical cervical involvement, 58% had no pathologic cervical involvement, and all had margin negative resection. The pathologic complete response rate was 24%. Median follow-up from the time of surgery was 20months (range: 0–153). The 3-year local control, regional control, distant control, disease free survival and overall survival rates were 96%, 89%, 84%, 73%, and 100%. The 3-year rate of grade 3 complications was 11%, with no grade 4+ toxicity. Neoadjuvant radiation therapy±chemotherapy followed by extrafascial hysterectomy appears to be a viable option for patients with endometrial cancer clinically extending to the cervix and parametria. The HDR brachytherapy schema of 5–5.5Gy times 3–4 fractions, for a cumulative EQD2 of 60–70Gy, is well tolerated with high rates of clinical and pathological response. •Clinical stage II or IIIB endometrial cancer, pre-operative chemoradiotherapy followed by extrafascial hysterectomy.•High rates of clinical and pathologic response, low rates of toxicity.•Impact of image-based HDR brachytherapy, chemotherapy, and PET/CT staging