Trump, Twitter, and news media responsiveness: a media systems approach

How populists engage with media of various types, and are treated by those media, are questions of international interest. In the United States, Donald Trump stands out for both his populism-inflected campaign style and his success at attracting media attention. This article examines how interactions between candidate communications, social media, partisan media, and news media combined to shape attention to Trump, Clinton, Cruz, and Sanders during the 2015–2016 American presidential primary elections. We identify six major components of the American media system and measure candidates’ efforts to gain attention from them. Our results demonstrate that social media activity, in the form of retweets of candidate posts, provided a significant boost to news media coverage of Trump, but no comparable boost for other candidates. Furthermore, Trump tweeted more at times when he had recently garnered less of a relative advantage in news attention, suggesting he strategically used Twitter to trigger coverage.Accepted manuscrip

Meta-Analysis of Anger and Persuasion: An Empirical Integration of Four Models

Despite the increasing use of anger in persuasive messaging, such as political ads and health campaigns, very little is known about when and how anger affects persuasion. Building on theoretical propositions derived from four theoretical models that have addressed the link between anger and persuasion, the current meta-analysis (k = 55, N = 6,805) finds a weak impact of anger on behavior (r = .15, p = .04) and nonsignificant effects on attitudes (r = −.03, p = .30) and intent (r = .06, p = .13). Yet a closer look reveals a more complicated reality, where positive effects are identified with the presence of strong arguments, relevant anger, and the inclusion of efficacy appeals. Further, the study identifies an interplay between emotional intensity and argument strength, such that argument strength plays an important role only at lower levels of anger. The study concludes by integrating the results and proposing three promising areas for future research into anger and persuasion

Novel Neuromodulation Techniques to Assess Interhemispheric Communication in Neural Injury and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Interhemispheric interaction has a major role in various neurobehavioral functions. Its disruption is a major contributor to the pathological changes in the setting of brain injury such as traumatic brain injury, peripheral nerve injury, and stroke, as well as neurodegenerative diseases. Because interhemispheric interaction has a crucial role in functional consequence in these neuropathological states, a review of noninvasive and state-of-the-art molecular based neuromodulation methods that focus on or have the potential to elucidate interhemispheric interaction have been performed. This yielded approximately 170 relevant articles on human subjects or animal models. There has been a recent surge of reports on noninvasive methods such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation. Since these are noninvasive techniques with little to no side effects, their widespread use in clinical studies can be easily justified. The overview of novel neuromodulation methods and how they can be applied to study the role of interhemispheric communication in neural injury and neurodegenerative disease is provided. Additionally, the potential of each method in therapeutic use as well as investigating the pathophysiology of interhemispheric interaction in neurodegenerative diseases and brain injury is discussed. New technologies such as transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial direct current stimulation could have a great impact in understanding interhemispheric pathophysiology associated with acquired injury and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as designing improved rehabilitation therapies. Also, advances in molecular based neuromodulation techniques such as optogenetics and other chemical, thermal, and magnetic based methods provide new capabilities to stimulate or inhibit a specific brain location and a specific neuronal population

Patterning Osteogenesis by Inducible Gene Expression in Microfluidic Culture Systems

The development of transitional interfacial zones between adjacent tissues remains a significant challenge for developing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine strategies. Using osteogenic differentiation as a model, we describe a novel approach to spatially regulate expression and secretion of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2) in a two-dimensional field of cultured cells, by flow patterning the modulators of inducible BMP-2 gene expression. We first demonstrate control of gene expression, and of osteogenic differentiation of the cell line with inducible expression of BMP-2. Then we design laminar flow systems, with patterned delivery of Doxycycline (Dox), the expression modulator of BMP-2. The patterned concentration profiles were verified by computational simulation and dye separation experiments. Patterned differentiation experiments conducted in the flow systems for a period of three weeks showed the Dox concentration dependent osteogenic differentiation, as evidenced by mineral deposition. In summary, by combining inducible gene expression with laminar flow technologies, this study provided an innovative way to engineer tissue interfaces

Fish-oil esters of plant sterols differ from vegetable-oil sterol esters in triglycerides lowering, carotenoid bioavailability and impact on plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) concentrations in hypercholesterolemic subjects

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Consumption of plant sterol (PS) esters lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels by suppressing intestinal absorption of cholesterol. Commercially available PS are mainly esterified to omega-6 fatty acid (FA), such as sunflower oil (SO) FA. Emerging trends include using other sources such as olive oil (OO) or omega-3 FA from fish oil (FO), known to exert potent hypotriglyceridemic effects. Our objective was to compare the actions of different FA esterified to PS on blood lipids, carotenoid bioavailability as well as inflammatory and coagulation markers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty-one moderately overweight, hypercholesterolemic subjects consumed experimental isoenergetic diets enriched with OO (70% of fat), each lasting 28-day and separated by 4-week washout periods, using a randomized crossover design. Diets were supplemented with three PS esters preparations, PS-FO, PS-SO, or PS-OO. All PS treatments contained an equivalent of 1.7 PS g/d, and the PS-FO provided a total of 5.4 g/d FO FA (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were no differences between PS-containing diet effects on total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels. However, PS-FO consumption resulted in markedly lower (P < 0.0001) fasting and postprandial triglyceride concentrations compared with PS-SO and PS-OO. These treatments affected plasma β-carotene (P = 0.0169) and retinol (P = 0.0244), but not tocopherol (P = 0.2108) concentrations. Consumption of PS-FO resulted in higher β-carotene (P = 0.0139) and retinol (P = 0.0425) levels than PS-SO and PS-OO, respectively. Plasma TNF-α, IL-6, C-reactive protein, prostate specific antigen, and fibrinogen concentrations were unaffected by the PS-interventions. In contrast, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) concentrations were lower (P = 0.0282) in the PS-FO-fed than the PS-SO, but not the PS-OO (P = 0.7487) groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings suggest that, in hypercholesterolemic subjects consuming an OO-based diet, PS-FO results in lowered blood triglyceride and PAI-1 concentrations, and higher fat-soluble vitamin levels in comparison to the vegetable oil FA esters of PS (PS-SO and PS-OO). Thus, PS-FO may offer hyperlipidemic subjects a more comprehensive lipid lowering approach while reducing the potential risk of decreased plasma carotenoid concentrations.</p

Multimodal Evaluation of TMS - Induced Somatosensory Plasticity and Behavioral Recovery in Rats With Contusion Spinal Cord Injury

Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes partial or complete damage to sensory and motor pathways and induces immediate changes in cortical function. Current rehabilitative strategies do not address this early alteration, therefore impacting the degree of neuroplasticity and subsequent recovery. The following study aims to test if a non-invasive brain stimulation technique such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is effective in promoting plasticity and rehabilitation, and can be used as an early intervention strategy in a rat model of SCI.Methods: A contusion SCI was induced at segment T9 in adult rats. An rTMS coil was positioned over the brain to deliver high frequency stimulation. Behavior, motor and sensory functions were tested in three groups: SCI rats that received high-frequency (20 Hz) rTMS within 10 min post-injury (acute-TMS; n = 7); SCI rats that received TMS starting 2 weeks post-injury (chronic-TMS; n = 5), and SCI rats that received sham TMS (no-TMS, n = 5). Locomotion was evaluated by the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) and gridwalk tests. Motor evoked potentials (MEP) were recorded from the forepaw across all groups to measure integrity of motor pathways. Functional MRI (fMRI) responses to contralateral tactile hindlimb stimulation were measured in an 11.7T horizontal bore small-animal scanner.Results: The acute-TMS group demonstrated the fastest improvements in locomotor performance in both the BBB and gridwalk tests compared to chronic and no-TMS groups. MEP responses from forepaw showed significantly greater difference in the inter-peak latency between acute-TMS and no-TMS groups, suggesting increases in motor function. Finally, the acute-TMS group showed increased fMRI-evoked responses to hindlimb stimulation over the right and left hindlimb (LHL) primary somatosensory representations (S1), respectively; the chronic-TMS group showed moderate sensory responses in comparison, and the no-TMS group exhibited the lowest sensory responses to both hindlimbs.Conclusion: The results suggest that rTMS therapy beginning in the acute phase after SCI promotes neuroplasticity and is an effective rehabilitative approach in a rat model of SCI

A high oleic sunflower oil fatty acid esters of plant sterols mixed with dietary diacylglycerol reduces plasma insulin and body fat accumulation in Psammomys obesus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Metabolic syndrome is associated with subsequent development of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. It is characterized by reduced response to insulin, central obesity, and dyslipidemia. Intake of plant sterols (PS) has been shown to confer a healthier lipid profile and ameliorate cardiovascular disease risk factors in experimental animals and humans. In this study we used an animal model of type 2 diabetes to assess the effects of a preparation of PS esterified to high oleic sunflower oil fatty acids mixed with dietary diacylglycerol (PS-HOSO) on diabetic related metabolic parameters. <it>Psammomys obesus </it>(<it>P. obesus</it>) were fed high energy (HE) diet supplemented by either PS-HOSO or control oil. Following 4.5 weeks of intervention, animals were divided into fasting and non-fasting modes prior to outcome measurements. Glucose and insulin levels as well as blood lipid profile, body weight, and fat accumulation were evaluated in fasting and non-fasting modes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>P. obesus </it>fed with a HE diet displayed a characteristic heterogeneity in their blood glucose and insulin levels with a subset group displaying type 2 diabetes symptoms. PS-HOSO treatment significantly reduced total cholesterol (24%, <it>P </it>< 0.001) and non-HDL cholesterol (34%, <it>P </it>< 0.01) compared to the control diet. Among fasting animals, body weight at end point and epididymal fat-to-liver weight ratio were significantly (<it>P </it>< 0.05 each) reduced (7% and 16%, respectively) compared to controls. Interestingly, fasting blood glucose levels were similar between groups, whereas plasma insulin level at end point was 44% lower in the PS-HOSO group compared to control group (<it>P </it>< 0.0001)</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>PS-HOSO supplementation to diabetes-prone gerbils counteracts the increase in body weight and epididymal fat accumulation, and also results in a drop in circulating insulin levels. These effects are pointing out that PS-HOSO may serve as a functional ingredient for metabolic syndrome or diabetic sufferers, which not only influences body weight, but also prevents or reverses insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia.</p

Conflicting Risk Attitudes

AbstractThis paper examines whether differences in individual risk attitudes are related to interpersonal conflict. In more than thirty villages of rural Uganda, we conduct a social survey to document social links between pairs of individuals within a village, and separately elicit individual risk attitudes using an incentivized task. Our findings reveal that the difference in risk attitudes between two individuals is significantly and positively related to the presence of interpersonal conflict between them. This relationship is particularly strong among kin. By contrast, the strength of risk aversion per se is not related to conflict. Further, we conduct simulations that suggest that the relationship cannot be solely explained by diverging attitudes after the severing of social ties as a result of interpersonal conflict

Conditioned emergence: a dissipative structures approach to transformation

This paper presents a novel framework for the management of organisational transformation, defined here as a relatively rapid transition from one archetype to another. The concept of dissipative structures, from the field of complexity theory, is used to develop and explain a specific sequence of activities which underpin effective transformation. This sequence integrates selected concepts from the literatures on strategic change, organisational learning and business processes; in so doing, it introduces a degree of prescriptiveness which differentiates it from other managerial interpretations of complexity theory. Specifically, it proposes a three-stage process: first, the organisation conditions the outcome of the transformation process by articulating and reconfiguring the rules which underpin its deep structure; second, it takes steps to move from its current equilibrium and, finally, it moves into a period where positive and negative feedback loops become the focus of managerial attention. The paper argues that by managing at the level of deep structure in social systems, organisations can gain some influence over self-organising processes which are typically regarded as unpredictable in the natural sciences. However, the paper further argues that this influence is limited to archetypal features and that detailed forms and behaviours are emergent properties of the system. Two illustrative case-vignettes are presented to give an insight into the practical application of the model before conclusions are reached which speculate on the implications of this approach for strategy research