Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election

Following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, many have expressed concern about the effects of false stories ("fake news"), circulated largely through social media. We discuss the economics of fake news and present new data on its consumption prior to the election. Drawing on web browsing data, archives of fact-checking websites, and results from a new online sur-vey, we find:(i) social media was an important but not dominant source of election news, with14 percent of Americans calling social media their "most important" source;(ii) of the known false news stories that appeared in the three months before the election, those favoring Trump were shared a total of 30 million times on Facebook, while those favoring Clinton were shared8 million times;(iii) the average American adult saw on the order of one or perhaps several fake news stories in the months around the election, with just over half of those who recalled seeing them believing them; and(iv) people are much more likely to believe stories that favor their preferred candidate, especially if they have ideologically segregated social media networks

On the abundance of extreme voids II : a survey of void mass functions

The abundance of cosmic voids can be described by an analogue of halo mass functions for galaxy clusters. In this work, we explore a number of void mass functions: from those based on excursion-set theory to new mass functions obtained by modifying halo mass functions. We show how different void mass functions vary in their predictions for the largest void expected in an observational volume, and compare those predictions to observational data. Our extreme-value formalism is shown to be a new practical tool for testing void theories against simulation and observation

Two-dimensional surface waves in magnetohydrodynamics

The study of nonlinear waves in water has a long history beginning with the seminal paper by Korteweg & de Vries (Phil. Mag., vol. 39, 1895, p. 240) and more recently for magnetohydrodynamics Danov & Ruderman (Fluid Dyn., vol. 18, 1983, pp. 751–756). The appearance of a Hilbert transform in the nonlinear equation for magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) distinguishes it from the water wave model description. In this paper, we are interested in examining weakly nonlinear interfacial waves in dimensions. First, we determine the wave solution in the linear case. Next, we derive the corresponding generalisation for the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) equation with the inclusion of an equilibrium magnetic field. The derived governing equation is a generalisation of the Benjamin–Ono (BO) equation called the Benjamin equation first derived in Benjamin (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 245, 1992, pp. 401–411) and in the higher-dimensional context in Kim & Akylas (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 557, 2006, pp. 237–256)

Organochloride Pesticides Present in Animal Fur, Soil, and Streambed in an Agricultural Region of Southeastern Arkansas

Animals in agricultural settings may be subject to bioaccumulation of toxins. For the last several years, we collected hair samples from bats and rodents in an agricultural area near Bayou Bartholomew in Drew County, Arkansas. Samples were submitted to the Center of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of Connecticut for wide-screen toxin analysis. Several of these samples contained measurable amounts of organochloride pesticides or their metabolites, including some that have been banned for decades, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and chlordane. In addition, we collected several samples of soil from within an agricultural field, from adjacent edge habitat, from alongside the bank of the Bayou, and from the bed of the Bayou itself. Although none of these samples tested positive for DDT or chlordane, all of the samples except one contained measurable amounts of metabolites from these pesticides. This study raises questions about environmental persistence of DDT/DDE and other organochlorides. There may be risk to wildlife populations, warranting further investigation into effects of long-term exposure to these toxins

Nonprofit Board of Director Training: The Experiences of Chief Executive Officers in Western Kentucky

This reality-oriented inquiry investigates chief executive officers’ experiences of board training within 501(c)(3) nonprofit acute care hospitals. This study provides an insight into the practices, barriers, and drivers of board training. Katz’s (1955) skillsbased leadership model serves as the theoretical framework for this study. The model suggests leadership skills are not innate but can be developed through training. This qualitative study includes nine in-depth interviews with chief executive officers to acquire a rich description of the phenomenon of interest throughout nine 501(c)(3) nonprofit acute care hospitals. A constant-comparative analysis and inductive analysis are employed to develop six themes related to board training: (1) training is multi-faceted, (2) training is a team approach, (3) time is a scarce commodity, (4) healthcare is exceedingly complex, (5) fiduciary duties are wide in scope, and (6) trained board members often are engaged board members. The research findings provide meaningful information for chief executive officers, senior level healthcare executives, board chairs, and board members interested in developing and refining practices of board training. Likewise, this study has implications for academicians with research interests concentrating on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, and board development

Biological roles of small RNAs expressed during infection of barley by the obligate fungal biotroph, Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei

Plants and their pathogens have constantly co-evolving mechanisms that determine infection success. Small RNAs (sRNAs) of 18-30 nucleotides can have a large effect regulating plant defense responses as well as fungal virulence factors. The goal of this project was to understand how sRNAs regulate gene expression both for species of origin, as well as trans-kingdom sRNA communication between barley and Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (Bgh), the causal agent of barley powdery mildew. To accomplish this goal we examined Bgh sRNA expression over a time course representing the key stages of Bgh infection of barley (appressorium formation, penetration of epidermal cells, and development of haustoria) in five barley lines including four fast-neutron derived immune-signaling mutants and their progenitor line CI 16151. The sRNA expression data was complemented by parallel analysis of RNA ends (PARE) analysis that confirms sRNA transcript cut sites with in vivo data. In barley, conserved and novel miRNAs were identified with predicted target transcripts enriched in the transcriptional regulation, signaling, and photosynthesis categories. Phasing siRNAs (phasiRNAs) were also identified in barley overlapping with protein coding genes including receptor-like kinases and resistance genes. Bgh micro RNA-like RNAs (milRNAs) were identified that are predicted to regulate transcripts encoding effectors, metabolic proteins, and translation-related proteins. A subset of effectors homologous to the AVRk1 and AVRa10 (EKA) family may be regulated by a sRNA-encoding hairpin that is overlapping and antiparallel to an EKA gene. These genes are heavily regulated by sRNAs, in contrast to most Bgh protein-coding genes. Potential trans-kingdom functional sRNAs were identified from both barley and Bgh. The predicted Bgh trans-kingdom sRNA are highly enriched in transcripts that function in non-species-specific defenses. The transcript targets encode proteins related to vesicle secretion, cell wall synthesis, protein turnover, transcriptional regulation, ROS response, and fungal cell wall breakdown. The potential barley trans-kingdom sRNAs are predicted to target Bgh transcripts including Bgh-specific effector proteins, ribosome synthesis/function, core transcription factors, and cell cycle regulators. Overall, these findings indicate that sRNAs are integral in regulation of gene expression during Bgh infection of barley leaves