Apple-Polishers, Ass-Kissers and Suck-Ups: Towards a Sociology of Ingratiation

In this paper we use one form of communicative action, “brownnosing”, as a social lens for understanding power relations in both formal, organizational contexts and interpersonal relationships. We investigate this phenomenon by assessing processes of ingratiation at school and work settings. We do so using data collected from over one hundred student respondents to ascertain the meanings, uses, and outcomes of brownnosing. The study finds that members of the “millennial generation” develop skills in both the act of brownnosing and the detection of this form of communication as they participate in a variety of contexts, including family, school, work, and interpersonal relationships. Utilizing power-dependence models for analysis, our data suggest that brownnosing, as an organizational resource, commonly reflects the structural arrangements of both school and the workplace. We draw upon organizational and exchange theories in the interpretation of the data

A Tool in the Kit: Uses of Bullshitting among Millennial Workers

This study explores the nature, use, and social organization of one form of communicative action that is common in everyday life -- bullshitting. We use this form of communication to assess the ways in which dimensions of community, power and status are created in interaction. Abiding by the canons of ethnographic content analysis, we gathered data from over one hundred student respondents to ascertain the behaviors, utterances, and stories that people define as bullshitting. The study finds that members of the millennial generation hone skills both in the telling and detection of this form of communication as they participate in a variety of contexts, including school, work, and interpersonal relationships. Special attention is given to the ways in which bullshitting is used as a cultural resource for agentive action. Dramaturgical and organizational theories are drawn upon in theorizing the data

Popular Cultural Portrayals of Those Who Do Mathematics

This article examines the popular cultural portrayals of mathematicians, but also anyone who does mathematics. Themes occurring in comic strips, television programs, literature, and, especially, in the movies are examined. Implications discussed include that secondary students are not going to be willing to do mathematics, if doing mathematics is not presented as a cultural activity

Metaphors and Mathematical Identity: Math is Like a Tornado in Kansas

Mathematical identity is an individual’s concept of who he or she is mathematically. In this paper, metaphors for mathematics from elementary education majors are compared to metaphors created by secondary mathematics teaching majors. The analysis demonstrates a basic difference in the mathematical identity of the two groups, with the latter group having more holistic conceptions of mathematics than the first group. Elementary education majors describe mathematics as an ongoing struggle in which the mathematics is active, and they are the victims. The secondary teaching mathematics majors describe mathematics as an ongoing struggle in which they are active

Elementary Education Majors’ Stories About Math: An Analysis of Students’ Mathematics Autobiographies

This paper analyzes 52 preservice elementary education majors’ mathematical autobiographies. Participants wrote about their previous experiences with mathematics. Three themes emerged: (1) My previous teachers have played a significant role in the formation of my mathematical identity. (2) I want to help my future students understand, enjoy, and appreciate mathematics. And (3) Mathematics has its ups and downs. Although directed to define mathematics, many participants did not do so. The remaining participants described mathematics as needed for everyday life, as problem solving, or as a study

Nostalgia: Sanctuary of Meaning

1 computer file (PDF); 189 pagesIn writing this book, Dr. Janelle L Wilson, Professor in the Department of Sociology/Anthropology at the University of Minnesota Duluth, explores the concept (and experience) of nostalgia. This work brings together research Dr. Wilson carried out over the past several years. In writing the book, she hopes to place the body of research in a framework, make meaning of it, and share it with you, the reader. Dr. Wilson challenges readers to think about their own experience of nostalgia and how it may (or may not) fit with the ideas presented here.This book was created with support from the University of Minnesota Duluth Library

Dynamic Imaging of the Effector Immune Response to Listeria Infection In Vivo

Host defense against the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) requires innate and adaptive immunity. Here, we directly imaged immune cell dynamics at Lm foci established by dendritic cells in the subcapsular red pulp (scDC) using intravital microscopy. Blood borne Lm rapidly associated with scDC. Myelomonocytic cells (MMC) swarmed around non-motile scDC forming foci from which blood flow was excluded. The depletion of scDC after foci were established resulted in a 10-fold reduction in viable Lm, while graded depletion of MMC resulted in 30–1000 fold increase in viable Lm in foci with enhanced blood flow. Effector CD8+ [CD8 superscript +] T cells at sites of infection displayed a two-tiered reduction in motility with antigen independent and antigen dependent components, including stable interactions with infected and non-infected scDC. Thus, swarming MMC contribute to control of Lm prior to development of T cell immunity by direct killing and sequestration from blood flow, while scDC appear to promote Lm survival while preferentially interacting with CD8+ [CD8 superscript +] T cells in effector sites.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant P01AI-071195

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery