There’s No “Me” in “Imgur”: Applying SIDE Theory and Content Analysis to Viral Posts on Imgur.com

The Social Identity model of Deindividuation Effects (SIDE) asserts that social (i.e., collective) identities are more salient under conditions of anonymity, prompting “deindividuation” as group members place more focus on community standards and downplay individual differences. As a result of deindividuation, social standards become the driving force of group interaction, and the successful practice of group norms identify individuals’ in-group status while reinforcing the social identity of the community. The current study applies the SIDE model to the anonymous image-sharing platform Imgur.com to ascertain whether self-referential posts are assessed more negatively than other-referential and non-directed content, and to examine whether posts of varying referential-type occur more frequently across post-type subcategories. A content analysis of 42 posts to Imgur’s “front page” revealed that self-referential posts receive significantly more “downvotes” (i.e., negative assessments) than non-directed content and substantially more downvotes compared to other-referential posts. Further, self-referential content was most common within the subcategories of “capitalizing” and “social support,” as compared to “community identification” and “information / mobilization” for other-referential, and “visually appealing” and “humor” for non-directed posts. The findings suggest that the Imgur community engages in voting habits that favor the maintenance of social identity over the sharing of individuating information, providing sustained support for the applicability of SIDE in anonymous online contexts such as Imgur

“People You May (or May Not) Know:” Usage Intensity, Status Motivation, and Intimate Self-Disclosure as Predictors of Bridging Social Capital on Facebook

Drawing on the concept of social capital, this study examines the impact of usage intensity, status motivations, and intimate public self-disclosure on Facebook users’ informational access and feelings of general social support. Survey data collected from a random sample of undergraduate Facebook users (n=583) were used to test several hypotheses predicting perceptions of bridging social capital. A multivariate ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model revealed significant positive associations between both Facebook usage intensity and status motivations, and perceptions of bridging social capital, while no significant relationships were found between various forms of intimate self-disclosure in public channels and perceptions of bridging. The findings of this study suggest that strict standards of information sharing exist on Facebook and that users selectively disclose personal information in order to adhere to these norms, supporting the view of social networking sites as diverse online communities that better facilitate the formation and maintenance of casual relationships rather than strong connections among users

Solution & Effects of Agricultural Practices

A potential solution of vertical farming PROFITABLE SCALABLE YEAR-ROUNDhttps://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/unsdg_infographics/1008/thumbnail.jp

Validation of the nonhydrostatic General Curvilinear Coastal Ocean Model (GCCOM) for stratified flows

While global- and basin-scale processes can be captured quite well with computationally-inexpensive hydrostatic models, smaller-scale features such as shoaling nonlinear internal waves and bores, coastal fronts, and other convective processes require the use of a nonhydrostatic model to accurately capture dynamics. Here the nonhydrostatic capabilities of the General Curvilinear Coastal Ocean Model (GCCOM) in a stratified environment are introduced. GCCOM is a three-dimensional, nonhydrostatic Large Eddy Simulation (LES), rigid lid model that has the ability to run in a fully three-dimensional general curvilinear coordinate system. This model was previously validated for unstratified flows with curvilinear coordinates. Here, recent advances of the model to simulate stratified flows are presented, focusing on sigma coordinate grids with both flat bottom geometry and a local gently sloping seamount. In particular, a suite of test cases widely used as benchmarks for assessing the nonhydrostatic capabilities for gravity-driven flows and internal waves is presented: an internal seiche in a flat bottom tank, the classic lock release and gravity current experiment, and a field-scale internal wave beam experiment consisting of an oscillating tidal flow over a topographic ridge. GCCOM shows excellent agreement with the benchmark test cases and is able to accurately resolve complex nonhydrostatic phenomena in stratified flows. Future studies will utilize the model capabilities for realistic field-scale internal wave simulations

Machine Learning Based Predictions of Dissolved Oxygen in a Small Coastal Embayment

Coastal dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations have a profound impact on nearshore ecosystems and, in recent years, there has been an increased prevalance of low DO hypoxic events that negatively impact nearshore organisms. Even with advanced numerical models, accurate prediction of coastal DO variability is challenging and computationally expensive. Here, we apply machine learning techniques in order to reconstruct and predict nearshore DO concentrations in a small coastal embayment while using a comprehensive set of nearshore and offshore measurements and easily measured input (training) parameters. We show that both random forest regression (RFR) and support vector regression (SVR) models accurately reproduce both the offshore DO and nearshore DO with extremely high accuracy. In general, RFR consistently peformed slightly better than SVR, the latter of which was more difficult to tune and took longer to train. Although each of the nearshore datasets were able to accurately predict DO values using training data from the same site, the model only had moderate success when using training data from one site to predict DO at another site, which was likely due to the the complexities in the underlying dynamics across the sites. We also show that high accuracy can be achieved with relatively little training data, highlighting a potential application for correcting time series with missing DO data due to quality control or sensor issues. This work establishes the ability of machine learning models to accurately reproduce DO concentrations in both offshore and nearshore coastal waters, with important implications for the ability to detect and indirectly measure coastal hypoxic events in near real-time. Future work should explore the ability of machine learning models in order to accurately forecast hypoxic events

Oceanic Zircon Records Extreme Fractional Crystallization of MORB to Rhyolite on the Alarcon Rise Mid-Ocean Ridge

The first known occurrence of rhyolite along the submarine segments of the mid-ocean ridge (MOR) system was discovered on Alarcon Rise, the northernmost segment of the East Pacific Rise (EPR), by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in 2012. Zircon trace element and Hf and O isotope patterns indicate that the rhyolite formed by extreme crystal fractionation of primary mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) sourced from normal to enriched MOR mantle with little to no addition of continental lithosphere or hydrated oceanic crust. A large range in zircon ϵHf spanning 11 ϵ units is comparable to the range of whole rock ϵHf from the entire EPR. This variability is comparable to continental granitoids that develop over long periods of time from multiple sources. Zircon geochronology from Alarcon Rise suggests that at least 20 kyr was needed for rhyolite petrogenesis. Grain-scale textural discontinuities and trace element trends from zircon cores and rims are consistent with crystal fractionation from a MORB magma with possible perturbations associated with mixing or replenishment events. Comparison of whole rock and zircon oxygen isotopes with modeled fractionation and zircon-melt patterns suggests that, after they formed, rhyolite magmas entrained hydrated mafic crust from conduit walls during ascent and/or were hydrated by seawater in the vent during eruption. These data do not support a model where rhyolites formed directly from partial melts of hydrated oceanic crust or do they require assimilation of such crust during fractional crystallization, both models being commonly invoked for the formation of oceanic plagiogranites and dacites. A spatial association of highly evolved lavas (rhyolites) with an increased number of fault scarps on the northern Alarcon Rise might suggest that low magma flux for ∼20 kyr facilitated extended magma residence necessary to generate rhyolite from MORB

Efficacy Evaluation of Zoology One: Kindergarten Research Labs Online Appendix of Measures and Tools for Data Collection

The development of this instrument was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences throughGrant R305A160109, awarded to theUniversity of Pennsylvania

Learning to teach international mindedness: Being and Becoming Teachers in Communities of Practice

This chapter examines Sequence 6 of the Teaching, Learning and Leading with Schools and Communities (TLLSC) teacher education program at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Education. A core purpose of Sequence 6 is to provide an extended engagement with an experienced, cooperating teacher. By applying a field-based, apprenticeship model, candidates, cooperating teachers, and instructors work together in curriculum planning and instruction in the teacher candidate’s grade level and/or content area specialization. The chapter provides multiple approaches to teaching international mindedness drawing from diverse perspectives of three instructors, International Baccalaureate (IB) coordinators, and selected candidates. IB coordinators play a crucial role in the partnership of TLLSC. Traditionally, IB schools seek out such community partnerships to continuously build the IB community at large. Two IB coordinators contend that the partnership created between Loyola and the partnering IB schools was mutually beneficial. Teaching international mindedness is embedded throughout teaching Sequence 6 as a whole

Early detection of malaria foci for targeted interventions in endemic southern Zambia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Zambia has achieved significant reductions in the burden of malaria through a strategy of "scaling-up" effective interventions. Progress toward ultimate malaria elimination will require sustained prevention coverage and further interruption of transmission through active strategies to identify and treat asymptomatic malaria reservoirs. A surveillance system in Zambia's Southern Province has begun to implement such an approach. An early detection system could be an additional tool to identify foci of elevated incidence for targeted intervention.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Based on surveillance data collected weekly from 13 rural health centres (RHCs) divided into three transmission zones, early warning thresholds were created following a technique successfully implemented in Thailand. Alert levels were graphed for all 52 weeks of a year using the mean and 95% confidence interval upper limit of a Poisson distribution of the weekly diagnosed malaria cases for every available week of historic data (beginning in Aug, 2008) at each of the sites within a zone. Annually adjusted population estimates for the RHC catchment areas served as person-time of weekly exposure. The zonal threshold levels were validated against the incidence data from each of the 13 respective RHCs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Graphed threshold levels for the three zones generally conformed to observed seasonal incidence patterns. Comparing thresholds with historic weekly incidence values, the overall percentage of aberrant weeks ranged from 1.7% in Mbabala to 36.1% in Kamwanu. For most RHCs, the percentage of weeks above threshold was greater during the high transmission season and during the 2009 year compared to 2010. 39% of weeks breaching alert levels were part of a series of three or more consecutive aberrant weeks.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The inconsistent sensitivity of the zonal threshold levels impugns the reliability of the alert system. With more years of surveillance data available, individual thresholds for each RHC could be calculated and compared to the technique outlined here. Until then, "aberrant" weeks during low transmission seasons, and during high transmission seasons at sites where the threshold level is less sensitive, could feasibly be followed up for household screening. Communities with disproportionate numbers of aberrant weeks could be reviewed for defaults in the scaling-up intervention coverage.</p