Don’t be stupid : The role of social media policies in journalistic boundary-setting

This document is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Journalism Studies on 9 May 2018, available online via: https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2018.1467782 Under embargo until 9 November 2019.Social media are now firmly embedded in professional newsrooms, and policies and guidance within these newsrooms have evolved to include social media activities. These policies articulate and expose the underlying assumptions of the role of these new media within the traditional boundaries of the newsroom. Through thematic analysis of the policies of 17 news organizations, this research identifies and explicates the ways in which professional news organizations have moved and reinforced the boundaries of newswork to both include social media, and to bring social media under its control—to the extent of requiring newsworkers to subsume their personal online identities under their professional ones. The research identifies a number of areas of further research, including analysis of compliance with these policies and resistance to them on the part of newsworkers.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Patient Complexity Factors and their Influence on Nurses\u27 Perception of Staffing Adequacy

Nurse leaders must consider the influence of nurse-specific and patient-specific factors on nursing workload and nurses’ perception of staffing adequacy when developing nurse staffing plans. All of the factors that influence individual nurses’ perception of staffing adequacy are not known. Using a synthesis of the Roy Adaptation Model (RAM) and economic theory as a guiding model, the purpose of the current study was to determine if selected patient complexity factors that are not consistently captured in the measurement of patient acuity by an automated workforce management system influence nurses’ perception of staffing adequacy. The current study employed a complex predictive correlational research design, which included repeated measures of patient data and nurses’ perception of staffing adequacy at the shift-level. A selection of repeated measures data from 26 Registered Nurses (RNs) and 1,605 patients over 328 shifts was entered into the initial analysis. The number of shifts with complete data used for final analysis was N = 294. Disruptive behavior (r= -.274) and family demands (r=-.186), were negatively correlated with nurses’ perception of staffing adequacy and explained 10% of the variance in a regression model. There was a negative correlation between total shift factor score (r=-.418), derived from the presence of patient complexity factors, and nurses’ perception of staffing adequacy. No correlation was found between perception of staffing adequacy and nurse staffing variables. A theoretical proposition of RAM was tested to describe the interaction between the group subsystems and the RAM modes in relationship to the goals of an organizational system. Study findings supported the RAM proposition and contribute to the middle range theory of adaptation, production decision-making process, and nurses’ perception of staffing adequacy. The findings inform the science of nurse staffing, but indicate further opportunities for research since other factors might exist that contribute to the perception of staffing adequacy

Academic Optimism in High Schools

This study contributes to the research foundation of academic optimism (Hoy, Tarter & Woolfolk Hoy, 2006) through incorporating the following three aims: to determine the relationship between academic emphasis, collective efficacy, faculty trust in students and parents, and academic optimism to explore the relationship of academic optimism with state student achievement and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards and to identify the practices in schools that demonstrate academic emphasis, faculty trust in students and parents, and collective efficacy that comprise academic optimism. Qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized to collect quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data on academic emphasis, collective efficacy and faculty trust in students and parents from teachers and principals in one high and one lower performing Midwestern high school, as identified by state and federal standard mandates. This study provides an opportunity to describe how the construct of academic optimism, also linked to student achievement, translates into practice in the high school settin

Service Experience and the Moral Development of College Students

A considerable body of literature on deliberate moral education is now accumulating. Blatt was the first to explore the effect of \u27classroom discussion on the level of moral judgment, Others have continued to report on moral education in both the secondary and college levels

In Their Own Words: Using Media Artifacts to Teach Media Literacy

This article discusses methods and associated readings for teaching media literacy. The prescribed methods allow the media and their decision-makers to implicate themselves using examples of their own products and their own words. Media kits, video news releases and advertisements are used to illuminate and criticize media structures, products and economic imperatives. Media literacy may be defined as the learned ability to understand the rules, conventions and persuasive elements of mass mediated products. Media literacy involves inviting individuals to see media products as part of the process of building realities and of constructing cultures

Assessment and Accountability Across the 50 States

In recent years, all 50 states have embarked on education initiatives related to high standards and challenging content. A central focus of these efforts has been the establishment of a common set of academic standards for all students, the assessments that measure student performance, and accountability systems that are at least partially focused on student outcomes. This CPRE Policy Brief summarizes a longer report about state assessment and accountability systems in all 50 states and examines the extent to which state policies meet the intent of federal policy, particularly Title I

Assessment and Accountability Systems in the 50 States: 1999-2000

In the late 1990s and early 2000, all 50 states embarked on education initiatives related to high standards and challenging content. A central focus of these efforts was on the establishment of standards-based reforms and assessments that measured student performance and accountability systems that were at least partially focused on student outcomes. The policy talk asserted that these high standards apply to all students, and standards-based reform focused on high achievement for all children. Much of this activity took place within the context of the Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA) of 1994. This law created major changes in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the $8 billion federal program that provides additional funding to schools with large concentrations of poor children. The legislation was developed in response to concerns about the operation and impact of the Title I program over the previous 25 years: low expectations for educationally disadvantaged students, an instructional emphasis on basic skills, isolation from the regular curriculum, and a focus on procedural compliance rather than academic outcomes (U.S. Department of Education, 1993). Researchers, policymakers, and advocates concluded that a new federal approach was needed to improve education for all students—an approach built on a framework of standards-based reform that is integrated with state and local education reform initiatives. The provisions of IASA gave states a prominent role in Title I. States were expected to establish challenging content and performance standards, implement assessments that measure student performance against these standards, hold schools and school systems accountable for the achievement of all students, and take other steps that promote programmatic flexibility and foster instructional and curricular reform. States were also expected to align their Title I programs with these policies to ensure that disadvantaged students are held to the same high standards. In addition, the 1997 revisions to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) require states to include students having disabilities in state and district assessment programs, with appropriate accommodations, and to disaggregate and report their test scores. This report uses data collected from the 50 states to describe state assessment and accountability systems and to examine the extent to which state policies meet the objectives of federal policy

Investigation and manipulation of adenovirus interactions with host proteins

Adenoviruses are the most commonly used vectors for clinical gene therapy applications, accounting for 24% of all clinical trials to date, the majority of which are based on Ad serotype 5 (Ad5). However, the high prevalence of neutralising antibodies and a range of “off target” interactions result in liver sequestration, hepatic transduction and decreased circulation times. Such interactions include Kupffer cell uptake and binding to blood components such as erythrocytes, platelets, complement and coagulation factors. Recent studies have shown that hepatocyte transduction by Ad5 is mediated by a high-affinity interaction between coagulation factor X (FX) and the Ad5 major capsid protein hexon, with FX bridging the virus to heparan sulphate proteoglycans (HSPGs) on the cell surface. This thesis has focused on gaining a greater understanding of the Ad5:FX pathway and potential strategies for its manipulation. FX, a key component of the blood coagulation system, is a zymogen of a vitamin K-dependent serine protease that is primarily synthesised in the liver and circulates in the bloodstream at 8-10 μg/ml. It is composed of a light chain consisting of a domain rich in γ-carboxylated glutamic acid (Gla) residues, two epidermal growth factor-like domains and a serine protease (SP) heavy chain. The Gla domain of FX binds to the virion by docking in the cup formed by each hexon trimer, whilst the SP domain tethers the Ad5:FX complex to the hepatocyte surface through binding HSPGs. Previously, it was demonstrated that pharmacological blockade of the heparin-binding proexosite (HBPE) in the SP domain prevents FX-mediated cell binding. Here, the specific residues of FX which mediate Ad5 attachment to HSPGs were identified. Employing mutagenesis techniques each of the seven basic residues R93, K96, R125, R165, K169, K236 and R240 that were previously shown to bind heparin, were converted to alanine. This mutated FX was termed “SP mutant”. Stable cell lines were generated to constitutively produce the wild-type and SP mutant rFX protein in the presence of vitamin K. The conditioned media was affinity purified using a FX specific mouse monoclonal antibody 4G3 coupled to sepharose. The rFX proteins were quantified by ELISA, had the predicted molecular weight of 59 kDa and were biologically active, as shown by conversion to FXa in the presence of tissue factor and FVIIa. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis demonstrated the SP mutations had no effect on FX-specific binding to the Ad5 hexon. However the proexosite mutations ablated FX-mediated Ad5 cell surface binding, internalisation, cytosolic transport and gene transfer as shown by confocal microscopy, qPCR and quantification of transgene expression. Assessing the involvement of rFX with single (R125A) and double (R93A_K96A, R165A_K169A and K236A_R240A) point mutations in the SP domain, indicated the residues exhibit different levels of contribution to Ad5:FX complex binding to HSPGs. The seven SP mutations also inhibited FX-mediated Ad5 binding to mouse liver sections ex vivo. Taken together, this study uncovered that basic residues within the HBPE of FX have a fundamental role in Ad5:FX complex engagement with HSPGs at the surface of target cells. This study contributes to the existing knowledge of the FX-mediated Ad5 transduction pathway. Whilst the classical in vitro CAR-mediated Ad5 infection mechanism has been extensively studied, the post-binding events governing FX-mediated Ad5 intracellular transport and gene expression have not been fully characterised. This study employed a panel of small molecule inhibitors of cellular kinases in vitro to investigate cellular and signalling events occurring during FX-mediated Ad5 infection. Blockade of protein kinase A, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase significantly hindered efficient Ad5 intracellular trafficking and colocalisation with the microtubule organising centres (MTOC), as shown by confocal microscopy, indicating their fundamental involvement in the pathway. Screening a library of 80 diverse kinase inhibitors for effects on FX-mediated gene transfer, highlighted the compound ER-27319 had the ability to prevent Ad5 transduction in vitro. Previous work reported that ER-27319 acts by binding to the immunoreceptor tyrosine based activation motif (ITAM) of the FcεRI receptor gamma subunit in mast cells to prevent spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) activation. Here, this compound had no effect on FX-mediated cell binding but substantially disrupted intracellular transport at 3 h in the absence of toxicity. It was postulated that this effect may be due to ER-27319 binding to a viral or cellular ITAM-containing protein involved in viral trafficking. Sequence analysis of the Ad capsid proteome for ITAM-like motifs ((D/E)-x-x-Y-x-x-(L/I)-(xn=6-8)-Y-x-x-(L/I)) identified two motifs on the hexon. However neither followed that reported for the FcεRI gamma subunit, instead of the conventional 6-8 amino acid residues between the two Y-x-x-I/L, the hexon ITAM-like sequences expressed 17 or 22 amino acids. Alternatively the ITAM-containing cellular proteins, ezrin, radixin and moesin (ERM) were investigated. The ERM family are key regulators of the cell cortex, capable of interacting with both the plasma membrane and filamentous actin. However, in the time frame imposed by this study this hypothesis could not be studied in depth, but warrants further research to investigate whether ERM proteins have a novel role in FX-mediated Ad5 intracellular trafficking. A wide range of approaches have been investigated to detarget Ad5 from the liver. In this thesis, a pharmacological strategy to preclude FX-mediated liver gene transfer was implemented. A high throughput screening platform was developed to identify a novel small molecule(s) to manipulate the Ad5:FX infection pathway. In addition to the value of such an agent in the gene therapy setting, it may also have potential to treat life-threatening disseminated Ad infections in immunocompromised individuals. Using a fluorescence and cell-based in vitro high throughput assay 10,240 small molecules were screened using the Pharmacological Diversity Drug-like Set library. Initial screening identified 288 compounds that reduced FX-mediated Ad5 gene transfer by > 75% without causing toxicity. Upon further analysis, three compounds, T5424837, T5550585 and T5660138 were identified as consistently ablating Ad5 transduction both in the absence and presence of FX and all had IC50 values < 5.5 μM. These compounds did not directly interfere with Ad5 binding to FX, instead they primarily caused a post-binding stage block of the Ad infection pathway and all affected optimal virus trafficking to the MTOC, as demonstrated by SPR, flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. The candidate molecules have common structural features and fall into the “one pharmacophore” model. Focused mini-libraries were generated relating to these molecules and structure-activity relationship analysis was performed. In vitro screening of the analogues revealed novel hits with similar or improved activity, thereby further validating the initial hits and pharmacophore model. Six compounds, T5550585, its analogue T5572402, T5660138, its analogue T5660136, T5424837 and its analogue T5677956 were tested in vivo. 10 μM T5660138 substantially reduced Ad5 liver accumulation 48 h post-injection and, in addition to its closely related analogue T5660136, significantly reduced transgene expression at 48 h post-intravenous administration of a high viral dose (1 x 1011 vp/mouse). Therefore, this study identifies novel small molecule inhibitors of circulating Ad5 infection. Through investigation and manipulation of Ad5 interactions with host proteins the work presented here, increases the understanding of the key in vivo Ad5:FX tropism determining pathway. In summary, in this thesis the mechanism of FX-mediated Ad5 complex binding to hepatocytes was dissected and potent inhibitors of this important Ad5 infectivity pathway both in vitro and in vivo were identified. This data may contribute to the optimisation of Ad vectors for gene therapy applications and potentially the advancement of anti-adenoviral drug development

Perturbing parameters to understand cloud contributions to climate change

The sensitivity of cloud feedbacks to atmospheric model parameters is evaluated using a CAM6 perturbed parameter ensemble (PPE). The CAM6 PPE perturbs 45 parameters across 262 simulations, 206 of which are used here. The spread in total cloud feedback and its six components across the CAM6 PPE are comparable to the spread across the CMIP6 and AMIP ensembles, indicating that parametric uncertainty mirrors structural uncertainty. However, the high-cloud altitude feedback is generally larger in the CAM6 PPE than WCRP assessment, CMIP6, and AMIP values. We evaluate the influence of each of the 45 parameters on the total cloud feedback and each of the six cloud feedback components. We also explore whether the CAM6 PPE can be used to constrain the total cloud feedback, with inconclusive results. Further, we find that despite the large parametric sensitivity of cloud feedbacks in CAM6, a substantial increase in cloud feedbacks from CAM5 to CAM6 is not a result of changes in parameter values. Notably, the CAM6 PPE is run with a more recent version of CAM6 (CAM6.3) than was used for AMIP (CAM6.0), and has a smaller total cloud feedback (0.56 W m$^{-2}$ K$^{-1}$) as compared to CAM6.0 (0.81 W m$^{-2}$ K$^{-1}$) owing primarily to reductions in low clouds over the tropics and middle latitudes. The work highlights the large sensitivity of cloud feedbacks to both parameter values and structural details in CAM6

Gow’s Typology of Scotland’s Islands : Technical notes

Publisher PD