Calculating Edge Length Bias and the Relative Size of a “Neighborhood” in Spatial Social Networks

Many spatial social networks have the property that nearby nodes are more likely to be connected than are nodes that are farther apart. We develop a characteristic of spatial graphs that captures whether or not shorter distance ties are preferred over longer distance ties, and the degree to which this edge length bias occurs. This allows us to estimate what is far and what is close -what we call neighborhood radius -for any randomly generated spatial network. Results from Monte Carlo Markov Chain simulations presented similar distribution of edge length bias to data from personal networks from a neighborhood in New Orleans, Post-Katrina, although the latter presented greater variation

Strengthening community-level understanding of and responses to intimate partner violence using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Purpose – Recently, there has been increased attention to community- and neighborhood-level influences on rates and experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to geographically analyze these influences in order to enhance community-level understanding of and responses to IPV. Design/methodology/approach – The authors review existing literature supporting the needs for this level of analysis, and then they present eight steps for researchers and practitioners to use when applying GIS to analyze IPV. Findings – This is a conceptual paper. Research limitations/implications – This paper offers researchers and practitioners suggested strategies for using GIS analyses to examine community-level influences on IPV in future research. Practical implications – The practical implications of using GIS analyses are discussed, including ways that the findings of these analyses can be used to enhance community-level resources to prevent and respond to IPV. Social implications – This innovative, interdisciplinary approach offers new insights into understanding and addressing IPV at a community level. Originality/value – To date, there has been minimal research used to apply GIS analyses to the problem of IPV in communities. This paper presents a framework for future researchers and practitioners to apply this methodology to expand on community-level understanding of IPV

Measuring Anti-Americanism in Editorial Cartoons

Objective- Anti-Americanism has been subjected to minimal statistical analysis. Further, scant attention is paid to what constitutes anti-Americanism for Americans. The objective of this article is to measure Americans' perceptions of anti-Americanism. Methods- Using a range of quantitative methods, including Pearson's correlation coefficient, Shannon's entropy measure, and Cohen's d statistics, we measure students' evaluations of editorial cartoons after 9/11. Twin measures of message and equity, along with participant and cartoon variables, are used to calibrate anti-Americanism in Spanish and U.S. editorial cartoons. Results- Our results indicate that message ratings, that is, anti- or pro-American, were more dependent on the nature of the cartoons than of the participants. White males rated these editorial cartoons as more equitable than other participants. The study shows that Spanish cartoons were rated significantly more anti-American. Conclusion- The article concludes that the use of U.S. icons is key to seeing anti-Americanism, along with gender, race, and origin of cartoon

Anti-Americanism, Political Cartoons, and a Socio-Geographic Imagination: An Invitation to Further Work

This research note synopsizes previous studies to present future directions for the measurement of anti-Americanism within the United States and comparatively. We explain new vectors in our research design and posit new hypotheses for future research. The note highlights the importance of cross-national investigation of anti-Americanism, and suggests some methodological considerations in that endeavor

Leveraging the Science of Geographic Information Systems

The Center for Geographic Information Science (CGISc) at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG) was established in the Summer of 2006. CGISc is an educational research entity that relies on the use of GIS and the science of geographic information to conduct research on human and natural phenomena distributed on the Earth’s surface. CGISc welcomes interdisciplinary collaboration, and emphasizes the development of public-private sector partnerships. CGISc also places a high priority on research that involves students. This paper first provides an overview of the CGISc. This section is followed by a discussion on the fundamental approach to conducting geographic research using GIS. The paper concludes with several significant projects and a discussion on future directions

Delitpyrones: a-Pyrone Derivatives from a Freshwater Delitschia sp.

In research focused on the discovery of new chemical diversity from freshwater fungi, a peak library was built and evaluated against a prostate cancer cell line, E006AA-hT, which was derived from an African American, as this population is disproportionately affected by prostate cancer. The chemical study of the bioactive sample accessioned as G858 (Delitschia sp.) led to the isolation of eight new a-pyrone derivatives (1?–?7, and 11), as well as the new 3S*,4S*-7-ethyl-4,8-dihydroxy-3,6-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one (15). In addition, the known compounds 5-(3-S-hydroxybutyl)-4-methoxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (8), 5-(3-oxobutyl)-4-methoxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (9), pyrenocine I (10), 5-butyl-6-(hydroxymethyl)-4-methoxy-2H-pyran-2-one (12), sporidesmin A (13), 6-ethyl-2,7-dimethoxyjuglone (14), artrichitin (16), and lipopeptide 15G256e (17) were also obtained. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated using a set of spectroscopic (NMR) and spectrometric (HRMS) methods. The absolute configuration of the most abundant member of each subclass of compounds was assigned through a modified Mosher's ester method. For 15, the relative configuration was assigned based on analysis of 3 J values. Compounds 1, 2, 5?–?14, 16, and 17 were evaluated against the cancer cell line E006AA-hT under hypoxic conditions, where compound 13 inhibited cell proliferation at a concentration of 2.5?µM

Viticultural Site Selection: Testing the Effectiveness of North Carolina’s Commercial Vineyards

Prohibition destroyed North Carolina's once thriving wine industry (Mills & Termey, 2007). Since the mid-1970s, however, the state has rebounded to become the nation's twelfth largest producer of wine (TTB 2015). As of September 2017, North Carolina is home to 186 wineries. This represents a significant increase from the 21 wineries that were present in the year of 2000 (Fuller, 2017; Winslow, 2014, 2016). The economic impact of the wine industry in North Carolina has been estimated at $1.97 billion in 2016 (Frank, Rimerman + Co. LLP 2017). The young but rapidly growing wine industry is poised for continued growth and will likely have a significant impact on the North Carolina's economy into the future

Geographic Information Science in Health: Priming the Pump

Today, public health professionals, researchers, policy makers and many others are increasingly using GIS to understand the spatial and environmental factors that affect health outcomes, disease transmission, disaster response, access to health care and a myriad of other health concerns. This article discusses the establishment of the Center for Geographic Information Science and Health in the Department of Geography at the University of North Carolina Greensboro

Freshwater Fungi as a Source of Chemical Diversity: A Review

As their name indicates, freshwater fungi occur on submerged substrates in fresh water habitats. This review brings together the chemical diversity and biological activity of 199 of the 280 known freshwater fungal metabolites published from 1992 to 2020, representing at least seven structural classes, including polyketides, phenylpropanoids, terpenoids, meroterpenoids, alkaloids, polypeptides, and monosaccharides. In addition to describing what they are, where they are found, and what they do, we also discuss strategies for the collection, isolation, and identification of fungi from freshwater habitats, with the goal of enhancing chemists’ knowledge of several mycological principles. We anticipate that this review will provide a springboard for future natural products studies from this fascinating but underexplored group of Ascomycota