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Introduction: Non-White racial and ethnic groups have been traditionally under-represented for decades in the field of cardiology, specifically in cardiovascular research studies. This underrepresentation has occurred despite the fact that these racial and ethnic groups have been shown to be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).Methods: To assess the trend of representation in mainstream landmark cardiovascular trials, we performed a review of major cardiovascular trials published between 1986 and 2019. Mainstream landmark trials were selected as classified by established cardiology standards. The reported numbers of racial and ethnic participants were assessed within these categorised cardiovascular trials over a continuous time period.Results: A total of 1,138,683 patients were assessed from 153 randomised clinical trials. Of these trials, only 56% (n=86) reported information about race. Of note, 99% (n=152) of these trials reported gender. About three-quarters of the trials (77%) were undertaken at least partly in the United States (US). Our results show that the percentage of non-White participants in clinical trials was not significantly different over time (p=0.85), suggesting no significant improvement in non-White racial/ethnic representation. Further analysis of only the US inclusive trials (n=20) also showed no significant improvement in representation (p=0.38).Conclusion: Only about half of all major cardiovascular landmark trials reported any racial or ethnic information, despite more recent calls over the last 5-10 years for diversity and representation in cardiovascular research studies. Additionally, no significant improvement in inclusion of traditionally under-represented racial and ethnic groups (UREGs) in these trials has occurred over time. Our analysis shows that there is still major work to be done to foster better representation and evaluation of the UREG population in cardiovascular trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media allows the readers of online news posts more engagement with the article through comments and comment Liking. Motivations for such actions are important because engagement around a comment increases the accessibility of that comment to other readers, leading to a far-reaching effect on the news post ground truth. Yet, motivations behind these actions and how they relate to the increasingly polarized political environment is understudied. This research investigates motivations for comment reading and Liking on social media news articles, and whether reading comments before or after reading the full article is related to different commenting and Liking motivations. In addition, we examine how political extremism and cultural orientation is related to users' motivations. Through survey data (N = 514) obtained from two samples, one Korean and one in the U.S., we conclude that cultural orientation was a salient independent variable when looking at comment and Liking motivations, while political extremism played a minor role in motivations. • Commenting and Liking comments motivations on social media news posts are presented. • Cultural orientations play a salient role in online news posts commenting decisions. • Commenting and Liking features appeal more to individualists. • Comments on online news posts were used as cues to decide to read news posts or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This article illuminates the key elements of a strong school culture that have been linked with sustainable school improvement. Policy literature and conversations highlight the importance of school culture as the softer strategy in school improvement. Within this context, this article reviews existing research literature to theorize the key elements of a "strong school culture." Based on this, the article attempts to measure the key elements of a strong school culture and explores how those cultural elements are associated with sustainable school improvement, drawing from large survey data in the U.S. Implications for policy and research are discussed in depth. Highlights • Illuminates the key elements of a strong school culture that have been linked with school improvement. • Theorizes the key elements of a strong school culture. • Attempts to measure the key elements of a strong school culture. • Explores how those cultural elements are associated with sustainable school improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to understand what information the US media communicated about Zika virus (ZIKV) and travel in 2016 and 2017. Study design We conducted a content analysis of news coverage about ZIKV and travel from April 5, 2016 to March 31, 2017. Methods We obtained a stratified, random sample of English language, US print newspaper and television news coverage about ZIKV and travel. We developed a coding scheme to assess key messages in the news, including how ZIKV is transmitted, the symptoms and outcomes of ZIKV infection, and recommended prevention behaviors. Results Almost all news stories mentioned mosquito-borne transmission (96.8%) and just over half mentioned sexual transmission (55.3%). News stories were more likely to talk about ZIKV outcomes (78.8%) than ZIKV symptoms (40.6%). However, outcomes affecting babies were mentioned more frequently than outcomes affecting adults. Recommendations included a wide array of protective behaviors, such as delaying or avoiding travel (77.6%) and using mosquito repellent (41.0%). However, few studies (10.9%) mentioned barriers to practicing ZIKV prevention behaviors. Conclusions Public health organizations and professionals can use these findings to help improve communication about future outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses. We also recommend conducting real-time monitoring of news media and frequent content analysis of news stories to ensure coverage provides the information the public needs. Highlights • News coverage about how Zika virus was transmitted was unbalanced with almost all mentioning mosquito-borne transmission and just over half mentioning sexual transmission. • The majority of news stories mentioned outcomes. Outcomes affecting babies were mentioned more frequently than outcomes affecting adults. • Just over three quarters of news stories mentioned delaying or avoiding travel as a prevention strategy. • Public health organizations should develop a real-time media monitoring plan for public health emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the comments of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press regarding the Treaty on Intellectual Property in Respect of Databases. Copyright law and the First Amendment; Legislative and judicial resolutions on balance of public interests and individual property rights.

Although the actual effect of fake news online on voters’ decisions is still unknown, concerns over the perceived effect of fake news online have prevailed in the US and other countries. Based on an analysis of survey responses from national samples ( n = 1299) in the US, we found a strong tendency of the third-person perception. That is, individuals believed that fake news would have greater effects on out-group members than themselves or in-group members. Additionally, we proposed a theoretical path model, identifying the antecedents and consequences of the third-person perception. The results showed that partisan identity, social undesirability of content, and external political efficacy were positive predictors of the third-person perception. Interestingly, our findings revealed that third-person perception led to different ways of combating fake news online. Those with a greater level of third-person perception were more likely to support the media literacy approach but less likely to support the media regulation approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explains how the European right to be forgotten violates the free flow of information in society, as evidenced by conflicts with the United States Constitution and ethical principles of professional communicators worldwide. As Europe imposes new data protection laws and incorporates the right to be forgotten that promotes censorship through search engine de-linking, United States constitutional law scholars ponder the implications of World Wide Web censorship, while journalists and public relations professionals struggle to understand how accurate transparent communication could occur in an ecosystem that allows for arbitrary information removal and the creation of memory holes. This article explains why the European notion of the right to be forgotten challenges U.S. constitutional law and professional public relations ethics, imperiling the online marketplace of ideas and eroding disclosure of information. The European Data Protection Directive and recent right to be forgotten movements directly conflict with the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment and professional communications ethics codes. The First Amendment of the U.S. Bill of Rights indicates the specific rights of citizens to freedom from government intervention into freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Recent actions by Google to honor European requests to remove data upon request collide with First Amendment theoretical concepts and contemporary constitutional law. Both the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) construct ethical principles for members that call for the active promotion of the free flow of information and the ethical disclosure of information. The European Data Protection Directive’s right to be forgotten silences these core professional communication ethics and more significantly imperils the robust information exchange in a global society, ultimately altering the discourse and debate in democratic countries. This paper addresses the status of the right to be forgotten in the United States and indicates how adopting such a provision in the United States would violate First Amendment theories, as evidenced by the Marketplace of Ideas Theory, the Meiklejohnian Theory, and the Absolutist Theory, and would counter traditional public relations ethics codes, conducted in a context of dialogic ethics that calls for adherence to core values advocating for transparency, disclosure, and free flow of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite widespread concerns that misinformation is rampant on social media, little systematic and empirical research has been conducted on whether and how news consumption via social media affects people's accurate knowledge about COVID-19. Against this background, this study examines the causal effects of social media use on COVID-19 knowledge (i.e., both in the form of factual knowledge and misinformation detection) as well as the underlying mechanisms through which such effects occur. Based on original panel survey data across six weeks (W 1 N = 1,363, W 2 N = 752) in the U.S., we found that consuming news from social media fostered the perception that one need not actively seek news anymore because it would reach them anyway through their social connections (i.e., "news-finds-me" perception). This, in turn, can make one both uninformed and misinformed about COVID-19 issues. Furthermore, this mediated relationship is stronger among those who experience higher levels of information overload while on social media. • Consuming news from social media fostered the "news-finds-me" perception (NFMP). • NFMP made people both uninformed and misinformed about COVID-19 issues. • Information overload amplified the NFMP's negative effect on learning about COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online news and social media are transforming the process of news production and reading. While research has shown that news media play an important role in providing information to the public in democratic societies, research investigating the impact of sharing news online on the process of public opinion formation is in a nascent stage. This study examines the impact of viewing and sharing online news on two dimensions of political knowledge: factual knowledge and structural knowledge. Results from survey data collected over 3-waves during the 2012 US Presidential Election from an online panel of 403 US adult Internet users show that reading online news is positively related to factual political knowledge. Sharing online news, in contrast, is related to structural knowledge. We discuss these findings and their implications for future research investigating the role of online news. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encountering news on social media is common even for individuals not actively looking for it – a phenomenon referred to as incidental exposure to political news (IE). A growing body of research has explored how IE on social media relates to political knowledge and participation. Yet, little research has considered that the effects of IE may differ across platforms. This study examined platform-dependent effects (across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) of IE on political knowledge and participation using panel data collected during the 2020 U.S. election. We found that IE might not be entirely beneficial. While IE on Facebook and Twitter does not affect knowledge or participation, findings suggest that IE on YouTube can dampen political learning. However, at the same time, IE on YouTube leads to more political participation, especially for those with higher level of need for orientation. This raises important questions of the consequences of uninformed political participation. • Incidental exposure to political news (IE) on Facebook and Twitter did not affect political knowledge and participation. • IE on YouTube was significantly associated with a decrease in political knowledge. • IE on YouTube was significantly associated with an increase in political participation. • The positive relationship between IE on YouTube and participation is stronger for those with high need for orientation (NFO). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Probe motivations for four Facebook political activities during 2012 U.S. election. [•] Compare offline and online news use with Facebook political activity. [•] Primary motivations vary by activity (social, informational and self-expression). [•] Basically no relationships between news consumption and Facebook activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

How do cultural values influence/are influenced by algorithms? A comparative study was conducted between the United States (US) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to investigate how users in the different cultures perceive the features of chatbot-driven news and how they view ethical issues concerning chatbot journalism. Different models of chatbot news perception reveal that the acceptance of chatbots involves a cultural dimension as the algorithms reflect the values and interests of their constituencies. How users perceive chatbot news and how they consume and interact with the chatbots depend on the cultural and social contexts in which the interaction is taking place. Our results suggest the algorithms reflect cultural values and algorithms are implicitly situated in social contexts, mediated by cultural artifacts and activities. The results resonate with ongoing debates on whether and how algorithms reinforce cultural and social values implying the co-evolving nature of algorithms and humans. • How do cultural values influence/are influenced by algorithms? • How users in the different cultures perceive the features of chatbot-driven news? • How users view ethical issues concerning chatbot journalism. • Algorithms reflect cultural values as they are implicitly situated in social contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nasal and nasopharyngeal swab specimens tested by the Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed by whole-genome sequencing based on impaired detection of the N2 target. Each viral genome had at least one mutation in the N gene, which likely arose independently in the New York City and Pittsburgh study sites. Nasal and nasopharyngeal swab specimens tested by the Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed by whole-genome sequencing based on impaired detection of the N2 target. Each viral genome had at least one mutation in the N gene, which likely arose independently in the New York City and Pittsburgh study sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In response to the recent academic interest in the role of narrativization of the news as a way to increase readership, and the tendency to prioritize human interest items which create community and inspire solidarity among readers, the present study explores a corpus of American and British Iraq war news items and investigates how the element of narrativity is interlaced with that of human interest. In attempting to characterize the nature and role of such ‘human interest narratives’, the authors propose the notion of a cline that progresses from predominantly narrative items to prevalently human interest items, with a central category of items combining aspects of both. The news stories belonging to the three categories that compose the continuum display different structural and content features. The study also explores the ways in which the narrating voices are constructed by the two broadcasters investigated (BBC and CBS) and comments on the different journalistic styles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Americans are generally favorable towards cancer screening, but fatalistic about cancer prevention. News coverage shapes perceptions of cancer control in meaningful ways, but there is little consensus as to the impact of news on our understanding of and engagement in cancer screening practices. Our analysis of cancer screening-related print news coverage during a four month period in 2005 suggests that the newsworthiness of new screening technologies may undermine public confidence in currently available and effective secondary prevention programs, while promoting tests whose effectiveness is debated or not yet established. Methods and results: We conducted a structured text analysis of 517 cancer-related news articles from 15 leading daily newspapers and a subsequent qualitative analysis of the 79 screening news articles. Screening articles were analyzed for content related to criteria for screening effectiveness. Content patterns for each type of screening and cancer were also noted. News coverage consistently conveyed screening as important and highlighted the need to protect and expand access to screening. At the same time, to the extent that story content was framed by the newsworthiness of new tests and technologies this often indirectly called into question effective and established protocols and programs without providing any actionable alternative. Conclusion: This analysis revealed unexpected messages about screening that are potentially problematic for cancer control. The cancer control community should continue efforts to understand and shape news coverage of screening in order to promote balanced and action-oriented content. Research has shown that Americans hold conflicting views regarding cancer—having a favorable opinion of screening while simultaneously feeling fatalistic about prevention. Our analysis of print news stories on cancer screening suggests that the determination of screening''s “newsworthiness” is related to newly developed tests and protocols, which may create demand for new tests whose effectiveness is unknown and undermine confidence in established and effective screening programs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Plant populations may adapt to environmental conditions over time by developing genetically based morphological or physiological characteristics. For tidal freshwater forested wetlands, we hypothesized that the conditions under which trees developed led to ecotypic difference in response of progeny to hydroperiod. Specifically, we looked for evidence of ecotypic adaptation for tidal flooding at different salinity regimes using growth and ecophysiological characteristics of two tidal and two non-tidal source collections of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) L.C. Rich) from the southeastern United States. Saplings were subjected to treatments of hydrology (permanent versus tidal flooding) and salinity (0 versus ∼2gl−1) for two and a half growing seasons in a greenhouse environment. Saplings from tidal sources maintained 21–41% lower overall growth and biomass accumulation than saplings from non-tidal sources, while saplings from non-tidal sources maintained 14–19% lower overall rates of net photosynthetic assimilation, leaf transpiration, and stomatal conductance than saplings from tidal sources. However, we found no evidence for growth or physiological enhancement of saplings from tidal sources to tide, or of saplings from non-tidal sources to no tide. All saplings growing under permanent flooding exhibited reduced growth and leaf gas exchange regardless of source, with little evidence for consistent salinity effects across hydroperiods. While we reject our original hypothesis, we suggest that adaptations of coastal baldcypress to broad (rather than narrow) environmental conditions may promote ecophysiological and growth enhancements under a range of global-change-induced stressors, perhaps reflecting a natural resilience to environmental change while precluding adaptations for specific flood regimes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The public learns much about health and health policy from the news media. The news media can shape the public''s opinions about issues by emphasizing certain features in their coverage, such as the causes of a problem, who is responsible for addressing it, and what groups are affected. This study examines media framing of the problem of type 2 diabetes, focusing on the extent to which the news media discuss diabetes using features that characterize a population health orientation (mentioning social determinants, upstream interventions, or disparities). We collected data from 698 print news articles appearing in 19 U.S. newspapers between 2005 and 2006. Results demonstrate that the predominant explanation for type 2 diabetes was behavioral factors and obesity. The predominant strategy to address diabetes was individualized behavior changes and medical care. A minority of articles described the social determinants of diabetes, upstream policy solutions, and disparities in diabetes; such articles appeared in a select subset of news outlets. These findings suggest the potential for great variability in public awareness of disparities in diabetes or its social determinants, with implications for the public''s likelihood of supporting policies that may improve population health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Understanding how fungal endophyte communities differ in abundance, diversity, taxonomic composition, and host affinity over the geographic ranges of their hosts is key to understanding the ecology and evolutionary context of endophyte–plant associations. We examined endophytes associated with healthy photosynthetic tissues of three closely related tree species in the Cupressaceae (Coniferales): two native species within their natural ranges [Juniperus virginiana in a mesic semideciduous forest, North Carolina (NC); Cupressus arizonica, under xeric conditions, Arizona (AZ)], and a non-native species planted in each site (Platycladus orientalis). Endophytes were recovered from 229 of 960 tissue segments and represented at least 35 species of Ascomycota. Isolation frequency was more than threefold greater for plants in NC than in AZ, and was 2.5 (AZ) to four (NC) times greater for non-native Platycladus than for Cupressus or Juniperus. Analyses of ITS rDNA for 109 representative isolates showed that endophyte diversity was more than twofold greater in NC than in AZ, and that endophytes recovered in AZ were more likely to be host-generalists relative to those in NC. Different endophyte genera dominated the assemblages of each host species/locality combination, but in both localities, Platycladus harboured less diverse and more cosmopolitan endophytes than did either native host. Parsimony and Bayesian analyses for four classes of Ascomycota (Dothideomycetes, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycetes, Eurotiomycetes) based on LSU rDNA data (ca 1.2kb) showed that well-supported clades of endophytes frequently contained representatives of a single locality or host species, underscoring the importance of both geography and host identity in shaping a given plant''s endophyte community. Together, our data show that not only do the abundance, diversity, and taxonomic composition of endophyte communities differ as a function of host identity and locality, but that host affinities of those communities are variable as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Institutional anomie theory (IAT) suggests that high crime rates in America can be attributed to the commitment to the goal of material success. In this regard, particular emphasis is placed on the motivations derived from the profit goal of economic institutions that dominate the American culture. To date, IAT was only applied to property and violent crime. This study used Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and Census Bureau data to examine the applicability of IAT to a form of white-collar crime, embezzlement, as defined by the UCR. Results provided mixed support for IAT. Limitations and future research directions are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In todays' progressively polarized society, social media users are increasingly exposed to blatant uncivil comments, dissonant views, and controversial news contents, both from their peers and the media organizations they follow. Recent scholarship on selective avoidance suggests that citizens when exposed to contentious stimuli tend to either neglect, avoid, or by-pass such content, a practice scholarly known as users' filtration tactics or unfriending. Drawing upon a nationally representative panel survey from the United States (W1 = 1338/W2 = 511) fielded in 2019/2020, this study seeks to a) examine whether social media news use is associated to exposure to uncivil political discussions, and 2) explore the ways in which both constructs causally affect users' unfriending behavior. Finally, the study investigates the contingent moderating role of uncivil political discussion in energizing the relationship between social media use for news and unfriending. Our findings first find support for the idea that social media news use directly activates citizens' uncivil discussions and unfriending, while uncivil political discussion directly triggers unfriending behavior and significantly contributes to intensify the effect of social media news use over citizens' unfriending levels. These findings add to current conversations about the potential motivations and deleterious effects of social media filtering in contemporary democracies. • Social media use for news is positively associated to uncivil political discussion. • Social media use for news is positively associated to social media unfriending. • Uncivil political discussion positively predicts unfriending. • Uncivil political discussion moderates the association between social media use for news and unfriending. • Social media unfriending is important to understand digital citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Low COVID-19 vaccine trust associated with vaccines distributed too soon. • Social norms were strongly associated with COVID-19 vaccine trust. • High trustworthiness in CDC as for information was linked to vaccine trust. • Females expressed lower vaccine trust than males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the importance of the reporting mode as a factor contributing to citizen crime reporting decisions in the United States. Crime reporting modes; Reporting rates; Crime seriousness and its relationship with reporting behavior; Crime characteristics; Reporter, victim and perpetrator relationships.

Examines the attitudes, backgrounds, training, and tasks of criminal justice public information officers. Survey of Florida public information officers; Differences between civilian and sworn public information officers; Greater job satisfaction of civilian information officers when compared with sworn officer counterparts; Perceptions resulting in greater job satisfaction.

Abstract: This study examines how two major U.S. newspapers (The New York Times and The Washington Post) represented North Korea''s national image during the two-year period (from 2001 to 2002). According to the findings, The New York Times and Washington Post showed a similar trend in their portrayal of North Korea. An anti-North Korea frame dominated the news coverage of North Korea in both newspapers. Furthermore, this study reveals that most news articles related to North Korea were classified into negative images instead of positive images. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]